Here's how it affects Joe-VW-owner. I bought a used 2014 Passat TDI SE about 4 months ago. I sold a LOVED 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon (so, before the current VW diesel shenanigans). If I needed to sell this Passat for, who knows why -- illness, stock losses, I'm-not-sure-I-am-excited-about-automatic-for-the-first-time-since-1965 -- where does this leave ME? No one will buy it, VW won't buy it, I can't trade it. Between my son and me, we have owned about 14 Volkswagens. I have friends who are VW enthusiasts. We thought that there was something more than regular car ownership associated with VW ownership. What we thought was a different car company turns out to be just another greedy, short-sighted, dishonest modern huge business. If the (3rd '86 Weekender) Vanagon didn't meet our needs so perfectly, I would sell it tomorrow and skedaddle from vanagon.com and anything VW-related.

Jack Botts
Columbia, MO
'86 Vanagon Westfalia Weekender
'14 Passat SE TDI

> Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2015 13:31:43 -1000
> From: scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM
> Subject: Re: NVC Re: VW, honour, and culture
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> 
> it's a big deal because....
> 
> 1.  VW is supposed to be 'the people's car' ...like we love and trust
> good ole friendly VW. They cultivate that even.
> 
> 2. They are one of the major car companies it the world now, owning
> Porsche, Audi, Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini and others.
> 
> 3. IT WAS INTENTIONAL DECEPTION.
>    they tricked everyone ..apparently intentionally ...the faithful
> VW-loving owner... the Environmentally Conscious , The EPA and so on. It
> wasn't a mistake or incompetence...apparently so far, it appears it was
> intentional deception. Major Fraud even.
> 
> 4. It's very far-reaching ..may involve up to 11 million diesel VW cars
> around the planet.
> 
> 5. it may have far reaching, possibly devastating consequences in stock
> value, raw hard expense to the company ...damage to their reputation and
> so on.
> 
> 6. it could affect the global economy ..particularly in stock values.
> 
> 7. it's dragging in other companies who may also have secret defeat
> software in their vehicles.
> 
> 8. Germany, and german engineering is supposed to be So Superior .
>   ..in Germany they are in a bit of national embarrassment even.
> .... just like when that Luftansa pilot intentionally crashed a
> planeload of passengers into a mountain ....'this is not supposed to
> happen in very controlled, very regulated, hyper sober Germany. "
> So it's a blow to a national and cultural pride in near perfection.
> 
> 9. Other major scandals like Toyota's unintended acceleration debacle a
> few years ago ..was due to mistakes and not catching potential flaws in
> design ...
> This one was Intentional Deception.
> 
> 10...and harm to the planet, which is ..appears to me, on the cusp of
> really being in a lot of trouble climate , water,
> and fire-wise.
> 
> those are a few of the reasons its such a big deal.
> Scott
> 
> 
> On 9/28/2015 8:10 AM, Dan N wrote:
> > according to what I read so far... all car manufacturers cheat one way or
> > another - it happened in the past and going on now - they will find more...
> >
> > the only thing I don't understand is why VW mistake is a BIG issue now..
> >
> > looks like they dig in a trash bin and pull out a BIG piece of trash.. but
> > trash is trash big or small...  it's still trash... right?
> >