The one that got away....

[SeattleJeremy]

Quote, originally posted by millster »Let's keep on-topic please.If the original topic is false then the topic is NULL. And we can talk about that. Right?

[millster]

Nobody has proof that the original topic is false and that's the point. There's no need to keep on speculating.

[BlueCrush]

Congrats on the Bug, Kate. Looks very cool. Nice wheels too!

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »good buy on the VW Beetle!my wife owned one for almost 3 years before we had to sell it when moving to a different country....it was great!as a former VW Golf owner (also), you'll love the VW. I had 230,000 km on my 98 Golf when i traded it in for the vibe and the only problem i ever had happened after hitting a deer at 80mph!i wish i still had that car....and never hit that deer! My VW Golf was a 1986 and it had so many problems I almost wish I had hit a deer at 80 mph to put that Golf (and me) out of its misery. Due to the 6 year extended warranty I bought for what I think was about $400, my out of pocket repair costs were minor but it was a pain to take it in for all those repairs. And I did not put a lot of miles on that car - about 7,500 a year. I suspect they made a lot of improvements in the 12 years from 1986 to 1998. P.S. In an earlier post I said that Golf turned to dust in 10 years - actually it was 8 years as I traded it in on a 1994 Camry. They gave me $700 for it - real money as trade-in was determined after I had price for the Camry without trade. I almost kissed the used car manager for that offer.

[Kate]

Hi everyone,I am writing a collective response to the surprising discourse, which has occured on this board since I last visited.First, the pictures of BOTH cars I posted were REPRESENTATIVE of both the cars -- I never laid eyes on the Vibe in PA, and it was sold from under me before I got to see it. The silver Vibe pictures I posted were merely to represent the car I had contracted to buy. I didn't realize it needed explanation -- these are cars, not children. A picture of a 2006 two-tone silver base Vibe with no mods is going to look identical to another 2006 two-tone silver base Vibe with no mods. Capice?Likewise with the VW....I have not taken any pictures of the new bug, but if there is some weirdo out there that inexplicably needs me to "prove" I just bought one, then I'd be happy to upload one. It was easier to find a picture of one, which looked just like it. I hadn't realized by doing so, I would set off a huge debate. But my response is that some of you seriously need to get a life! Criminy!You'll have to forgive me, I've never been a car enthusiast -- of any kind -- and I didn't know that there was some code of honor I would breaking by showing a REPRESENTATIVE picture rather than the actual precise car. Apparently, I was wrong.By the way, you're all correct, New Jersey is greener. And my New Beetle has a cream and black interior where as the one in the picture has a solid black interior. Also, I don't have foglights, so there is another minor difference in my bug versus the REPRESENTATIVE photograph. Again, I was just trying to show a picture of what my beetle looked like, and I didn't realize it needed explanation. I'll be sure not to make that mistake in the future when posting to a board like this.Now, I must make a few other comments, because I am a little alarmed at comments made by two posters on this board. First, ZubenElGenubi, I cannot fathom why in the world you would feel the need to call up the dealers involved with my failed Vibe purchase? This a strange and bizarre propositon as my transactions have absolutely nothing to do with you - you are a complete stranger to me, and I don't believe you even live in this part of the country? Rest assured, I have already spoken with Pontiac customer assistance and marketing/promotions regarding what happened. I have also exchanged voicemails with Elizabeth Golden, one of the owners of the PA dealer who was offended that I believed the NJ dealer over her sales manager. The NJ dealer's sales manager said the same about the PA dealer, and the bottom line is that I will never know the truth about what happened. Regardless, this is none of your concern, and I find it more than odd -- actually a little alarming -- that you would insinuate yourself into my business without invitation, however well-intentioned.Also, to Jake, I was a little offended by the sarcastic tone of your more recent posts, as if I am somehow a traitor because I ultimately decided to go with a different car than the Vibe. I will have you know I am thoroughly disappointed I could not buy the Vibe I wanted in the color I wanted with the options I wanted without having to drive 600 miles to do so. I feel this way especially because I spent more than a month researching the Vibe, and I was not only settled on the car but had decided the options and color, test drove it twice, made my husband drive nearly an hour each way to test drive it with me to make sure he fit in it, and went through a tremendous amount of grief and run-arounds from all of the Pontiac dealers involved in my potential purchase. Truly, it ruined my birthday completely.Had any Pontiac dealer handled this purchase with some level of integrity -- had PA simply called NJ before they sold a car they were supposedly holding for me, had NJ simply called PA to confirm even once during the week, especially when they told me they did just prior to me driving down to sign the contract (and again, one of these dealers is telling the truth, I just don't know which), or had the Albany dealer released the one they had up there to the NJ dealer, I would be happily driving a Vibe today. However, that's not what happened. Instead, I wound up on a FOURTH Pontiac dealer's lot, who happened to also sell Volkswagens. Because my criteria of affordability and great gas mileage were met in this Beetle, and because I had such a good time driving it, I bought it. It was an easy decision: I was tired of being treated so poorly by the Pontiac dealers, and I needed a new car for my job. So, I bought one, which I found to my liking. That is my prerogative, just as buying a Vibe was yours.(As an aside here, I must comment that yesterday I was driving home from work and a silver two-tone Vibe passed me, and I admit I felt a little wistful. That was SUPPOSED to be my car. C'est la vie....I was not going to drive to Albany to get that exact car....it just felt a little too intense and irrational....)However, the most alarming post I read here was someone who apparently did a thorough (and somewhat stalker-ish) internet search on me and posted personal information in his/her post. I don't know if that was meant to demonstrate his/her web-researching skills, or if it was meant to make me feel unsafe and targeted by an unknown stranger on the internet. But trust me, the effect was definitely the latter. If you meant to scare me, it worked.Now, with these responses, I want to close my time on this board. Some of you have been pleasant and welcoming, and to those, I want to say thank you for your support while I went through a rough experience trying to buy a Vibe last week. I think the Vibe is a very cool car, and maybe my next car will be a Vibe.To the others of you, whom I have responded to above, I must say I have found you to have been rather vicious and inhospitable in these posts, and you have made me feel as unwelcome as the Vibe dealers did. Fortunately, the cure for this is to simply pop over to the very friendly and inviting New Beetle board, where I am less likely to be attacked, questioned or (scarily) personally researched.With all sincerity and best wishes to you, I bid you all adieu.Happy driving from a former Vibe almost-owner,Katep.s. I apologize if I sound harsh in this post, but I must say it was quite disheartening to read the nasty personal attacks, which have gone on since I was here last.....life is WAY too short for this third grade nonsense....