VW Caddy's

for those on the darkside

silverra23
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Post by silverra23 »

Resurrecting threads from the dead...

With two kids now, the Golf wagon's space limitations are starting to show. The double pram takes up all of the space!

Looking ahead I have been thinking we might as well ante up on the 7 seater front - so either grandparents can join us for a day trip, or kids' friends when we get to that point in life.

Problem is I can find fault with most of them out there. Don't really want a 4WD thing (eg Kluger)... checked out the new Kia Carnival yesterday and the up spec version won't let you have a diesel....their smaller 7 seater Rondo might as well not have any leg room for the 6 and 7 seats... so the field has narrowed considerably.

Odyssey would be OK probably but the old ones with isofix seat mounts have big swing out doors which just look like trouble to me... and the new one doesn't have isofix seat mounts. The isofix thing also counts out the Territory, which I would probably other wise go for in diesel format.

So then it dawned on me that the Caddy Maxi Life might be the answer to my dilemmas. Decent adult size seats and leg room no matter what row you are in.. has the isofix seat mounts I want... and when you take out that back seat row the load area is positively cavernous.

Is there a down side to them?

My Mrs doesn't love the bread van look at all, so it might end up being my car and she can stay with the Golf. So based on that I have been looking at second hand 2011ish diesel models.

Any feedback on them would be greatly appreciated!
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

Yup, got one....2011 model. Love it.
Back seat permanently removed. Heaps of room in the back.
I haven't found a downside yet.
Plenty of SWB models around, but the LWB ones were few and far in between when I was looking. Ended up buying one in Tassie. Flew down, brought it back on the boat.

http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/detai ... 2292/?Cr=3
Pretty much the same as mine, except the colour.
I had my patience tested…….It is negative.
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Phat Bug
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Post by Phat Bug »

Tell me........

Image

That access seat that's folds up, can you remove it but leave the other 2 seats in that row intact?
silverra23
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Post by silverra23 »

Thanks!

That is the one that has sparked the interest. Went and looked at it yesterday.

Pretty clean really..middle seat had some weird wear/pull marks and it was missing most of the headrests from the rear seats. Also didn't have a parcel shelf cover either - but having looked at a few second hand ones in photos I am not sure they come with one?

Those were its only faults. Dealer is keen to be rid of it is as it isn't their kind of car (prestige city Audi dealer!) so they might do a deal.
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

Phat Bug wrote:Tell me........

Image

That access seat that's folds up, can you remove it but leave the other 2 seats in that row intact?
Yes. Just unclips and lifts out
I had my patience tested…….It is negative.
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

silverra23 wrote:
Pretty clean really..middle seat had some weird wear/pull marks and it was missing most of the headrests from the rear seats. Also didn't have a parcel shelf cover either - but having looked at a few second hand ones in photos I am not sure they come with one?
Yes, they did come with a parcel tray and head rests.

That looks to have many options on it....parking sensors, front cornering lights etc.
I had my patience tested…….It is negative.
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

Screw him down on price, or get him to buy new head rests......they are a safety item, IMHO.
I had my patience tested…….It is negative.
silverra23
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Post by silverra23 »

Good suggestion - I might try for both a discount and the headrests! If they were smart they would ring up the bloke who traded it in and ask him for them back.

Need to convince the minister for war and finance that it is time to upgrade from the 1991 Corolla wagon too... that be a bigger challenge than negotiation with the dealer :)
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

Splash on a bit of cologne.......slip on the silk boxers........let her have her way with you.........If you know what you are doing, it should be a breeze, and you'll be having some fun along the way. ;-)
I had my patience tested…….It is negative.
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ritalin_boy
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Post by ritalin_boy »

Some of you have seen what I do with my Caddy. 1.9tdi, towes like a boss. Goes like stink. Running jetta wheels and has an adjustable diesel power chip.

Towing 2 tonne fuel economy was around 7l/100kms.

Regarding the DSG boxes no issues after 190,000 hard Kms. Keep it serviced like any vw. Mechatronics unit are the usual point of failure.
There is always replacement for displacement!
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

Worth checking, but I suspect the headrests might be a roadworthy item.
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silverra23
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Post by silverra23 »

I had the same thought.

Any one driven one that has been lowered?

Wondering how compromised the ride gets... I like the low look.. but I am getting old and don't necessarily like the crappy low ride :)
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ritalin_boy
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Post by ritalin_boy »

I drive stock height. I'd imagine it feel pretty shit lowered with the leaf springs up back. Unless your gonna hard park it, stock stroke is good.

Mine gets lift off oversteer when driven hard but doesn't understeer like most fwd cars. It's a surprisingly good setup standard. Wheels and tyres are the best upgrade you can do. I run 215 50 16 up front and 205 50 16 up the rear.

it ain't no golf either. It's a completely different platform.
There is always replacement for displacement!
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panel62
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Post by panel62 »

Owned a 2009 and two 2011 maxi lifes and then a 2012 swb.
Dsg mechatronics blew up in all of them around or even before 100,000kms.

Although I have kept the 2009, after a $7000 trans rebuild, I would only recommend a manual to a friend.

The lowered swb drove a treat and I've kept the kit and wheels for a later date......just in case I find a good manual.

just my experience
cheers
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ritalin_boy
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Post by ritalin_boy »

The mechatronics is just the brains of the DSG system. I don't get why everyone says the gearbox needed rebuilt. Yes the bill is usually around the $7000 mark but were your cars not covered under Volkswagen warranty If they were >100,000kms?
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byronbus
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Post by byronbus »

Should be covered under warranty for unlimited ks and for 5 years, 3 year factory warranty and vw gave a further 2 years on anything to do with the DSG...
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panel62
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Post by panel62 »

The 2009 wasn't covered although it had done only 80000
The others were all repaired but not before breaking down on West gate Bridge and in Domain Tunnel amongst other inconvenient spots. We had one company van sit at Burwins for two weeks being repaired under Warranty......the delay was because parts supply were exhausted?

Convenient, practical cars, and I have kept one for that reason, but not without issues.
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splitpersonality
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Post by splitpersonality »

ritalin_boy wrote:Some of you have seen what I do with my Caddy. 1.9tdi, towes like a boss. Goes like stink. Running jetta wheels and has an adjustable diesel power chip.

Towing 2 tonne fuel economy was around 7l/100kms.

I have now had mine for my business for around 50K klms and can say yes they are phenomenally capable reliable and economical vehicle in TDI form. Unexpectedly like Isaac mentioned it tames towing crazy well considering what it is.

I recently lunched a turbo… dealer quoted 4K to do but I did it myself for about $800, so can be comparable to a jap car to maintain if you have a bit of a mechanical aptitude.. and errday running costs of a small diesel far outweigh higher service and parts costs for me anyways…

Only downside is the whitegoods-on-wheels look but a generous buddy with T5 and new rims, slam kit from darkside in the UK and a set of mk5 GTI springs helped that considerably methinks…
(Pic taken before I slammed it)
Image
silverra23
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Post by silverra23 »

So still toying with the Caddy idea... missed out on the one that got the thinking going originally.. and as John indicated LWB 7 seaters are pretty rare. Should have bought the first one I looked at, but didn't realise that at the time!

Still the minister for war and finance doesn't really like the idea of spending that much coin on my daily, so expectations are lowering.

A previous generation 7 seater has just come on to the market - 2008 model with reasonably low kms for age - http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/detai ... AD-2201125

Any one know if the manuals are any good or have any issues?
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