I am selling my 1999 VW Passat since I now have a 2005 Mustang. I was at the VW dealer having some warranty work done on the Passat before I sell it (and BTW, the Passat has been a great, very reliable car, and I wish Ford had used some nicer plastics on the Mustang interior like the VW has, but I digress....).

As I'm waiting to get the VW back, one of the VW service techs looks out the window and says, "Wow, that's the new Mustang!".
I say, yes, it's mine - want to take a look?
So we go out in the parking lot, and he wants me to start it up so he can listen to the exhaust note. As he checks under the hood and looks at the interior, he tells me that he once had a Stang, (he's probably in his 50s), and in fact has a mid 90's T-Bird that he has flashed and modified, so he's actually a big Ford fan and really likes the new Mustang design.
As many of you know, VW's management loss has been our very great gain. J Mays, who did a great job of bringing the modern-retro design sense to VW/Audi by sculpting the new Beetle 5 years ago, was then hired away by Ford, and the new Stang's retro design is largely the product of the Mays aesthetic that first appeared on the Beetle. :worship:

 

Thanks for the info! I wasn't aware J Mays came from VW. I bet they want him back.

 

Great post, even foreign auto makers are porbably over this car!!

Matt

 

J. Mays was a great aquisition by Ford. He seems to have brought a lot from VW. Take a look at the 500. Granted the exterior is a bit bland, but if you look at it from the right angle it shares a lot of lines with the Passat. Also, a lot of the interior parts bin stuff seems to have made it's way over with him too. Not exactly verbatum copies, but look at stuff like the interior door handles, headlight switch, etc...

Unfortunately for VW, thier design house seems to have lost a bit if whatever it was that made VW's characteristically German. Thier new models seem to be blurring the lines between German and Japaneese.

 

VW has been going downhill for a long time.. I would never buy a VW ever again.

 

What's the deal with hot girls driving jettas? Not every one that drives one is hot but it seems there is decently higher ratio.

 

You can get a 2 to 3 year old Jetta dirt cheap, they have sunroofs, and as my female friends would say... "They are sooooooo cute."

I gather the last comment is the #1 reason why coupled with the cost.

 

I am a J. Mays junkie. We bought a 1998 New Beetle (the same buzz and dealer mark ups were around them when they were introduced if you don't remember) and now the 'Stang. It's funny you mentioned the 500 looking like a Passat, we thought the same thing. We've owned several VW's and currently have a 2004.5 limited edition GLi. Sport suspension, Recaro seats, 18 inch BBS wheels, six speeds of turbo charged bliss I love that car.

The newly redesigned Jetta, Golf, and Passat have me feeling like blowing chunks. They have taken unique cars and made them so ordinary. That new Jetta looks like a Dodge from the front, an Accord from the side, and a Corolla from the rear. I've always loved Audi's too, but with the new front, they look like a Dodge to me as well. I have always loved VW's, heck, I even have a logo tatoo on my ankle! But with the current line up, I won't be rushing to the dealer to trade in my GLi anytime soon.