Product has never been so exciting at Volkswagen. Today’s line-up spans about 49% of the new vehicle market but tomorrow, VW will compete in 72% of the marketplace. Let us elaborate on what we can look forward to in the next calendar year.

To start off our ever expanding line-up is the New Jetta Wagon. Originally slated to come out late this year, it has been postponed until April of 2008. This vehicle is the wagon version of the popular New Jetta compact sedan. It will have an all new moon roof option and there’s even a rumour that it will become available in a 4motion.
2008 Jetta Sport Wagon

At around the same time, VW will introduce its new compact SUV crossover – the Tiguan. In case you’re wondering, the name “Tiguan” is made up of a combination of “tiger” and “iguana” voted on by on-line pollers. The Touareg's little brother is to be produced in Wolfsburg and represents the transfer of the globally successful Touareg philosophy to the class of the compact SUV, a segment which has grown considerably in the last few years. Travel, adventure and excitement are associated with the exotic sounding name. That suits the bill perfectly: thanks to its concept based on driving dynamics and high comfort levels, the Tiguan is suited to urban environments as well as rough terrain far from normal roads and thus provides the driver with absolute freedom. Images can already be readily found throughout the internet, just type “tiguan” into the google search engine.
Volkswagen Tiguan

The third quarter brings us both a new luxury sedan, currently dubbed the “Passat CC” and a Minivan, known as “Project M”. I had the opportunity to see both of these prototypes in Phoenix last year and they are both stunning. The luxury sedan is very sharp with lines to die for, unfortunately there are no prototype images yet available so we’ll have to wait to see any images. The minivan will be a joint venture with Chrysler. We are told that it will most likely have a Chrysler drive train but the hat and everything else is purely Volkswagen. It will definitely be a 7 seater!
Project M - joint venture between chrysler and vw

Buying a used car can be a stressful and demanding task. Generally speaking, a vehicle purchase can be one of the largest financial commitments we make. So how do you know you’re making the right decision? How do you know that you’re buying a good car? Before you purchase, it is smart to do your homework and ensure that you get some, if not all, of the following points accomplished.

1. Make sure that the vehicle you are buying is free of liens (monies owed against the vehicle) and major accidents. To ensure this you can check the liens with BC Lien search and get a vehicle damage report from ICBC. Because these reports are limited to BC this may not show you everything you need to know. You may choose to use a company called carproof.com that will give you an individual report from every single province in one convenient report. This will cost you approximately $60.
2. Make sure that the vehicle you are about to purchase has been mechanically inspected. Many dealers do this in-house for convenience. I would strongly recommend a third party inspection done by someone who has no business in repairing vehicles as this can pose conflict of interests. The most reputable source for this is BCAA who does not have any interest in repairing vehicles, just providing inspections. This will be the best money spent. A BCAA report will set you back approximately $139
3. All used vehicles will have flaws that are expected. However, it makes sense to pay more for a vehicle that has had some of the larger issues recently taken care of. Things such as a dealer recommended service, tires that are 50% or better, brakes that are about 40% or better and any deficiencies that the mechanical inspection found. If these are not done, it can add up very quickly costing you as much as an additional $2,000 over what you must pay for the vehicle.
4. An extended warranty is always a good idea. If purchased from a dealer at the same time as the car, there may be a discount as the warranty company has less risk knowing the car was properly inspected. Although there is a tendency to skip this and cross your fingers, in many instances the warranty can pay for itself with just one repair. If this puts you over your budget either increase it or select a less expensive vehicle.

The majority of vehicles sold in the private market may have serious mechanical deficiencies and because the seller needs to maximize the amount of money for their vehicle, it may not be up to date on servicing etc. Make sure that you get a mechanical inspection before you hand over any monies as well as pay for a carproof.com report and check the liens. Although this takes time, effort and money it may be the best $200 you’ll ever spend. Although a similar vehicle at a dealership may sell for an extra $500, there is additional value and peace of mind built into that price. Reputable dealers have their name and reputation riding on every sale. Most of them will have an in-house mechanical inspection to show you, some even go beyond that and have a BCAA inspection to get an independent view, even better. There are a handful of dealers who take their business more seriously than others, focusing on the customer experience. These dealers will repair all deficiencies found on the inspection report not just the safety issues. Their safety reports will come from their own shop and in some exceptional cases from BCAA as well. These dealers will also have not just the ICBC report and BC lien search done but also a carproof.com report for you to see. This not only adds value to the vehicle but saves you time and money on additional inspections, repairs etc. This means that everything on the vehicle is done for you up front and you can be confident that you’re driving away with a car or truck that you don’t have to worry about.

Westminster Volkswagen was originally established back in 1953 under the banner "Blackie & Jewett Volkswagen". This was also the year that Volkswagen first came to North America. The cars that hit our shores, and dealership, back then were Volkswagen Type 1 known as the Beetle and the Type 2 or the Microbus.

These cars put Volkswagen on the map in North America as "the people's car" which is exactly what the word Vokswagen means in Germany. They were extremely reliable, cheap to buy and operate and although not necessity back then they were great on gas!

The vehicles became so popular that the Type 2 chassis was expanded to include a single and dual (crew) cab pick ups as well as panel vans used for deliveries.

In 1965 the dealership was renamed to Westminster Volkswagen since it was located at the waterfront in Westminster. During that time, Volkswagen’s lineup included Type 3 which was produced as a 2 door coupe, fast back, square back (wagon) and the very popular Ghia coupe and convertible.

When Erich Schmidt & Bert Laakman took over Westminster Volkswagen in June 1975, two men's dreams became reality. Schmidt began working on Volkswagens when he was only 14 years old, training to become an automotive engineer in Germany.

In 1959, Schmidt decided to make his way to Canada and arrived in Halifax with only $2 in his pocket. He traveled to the West Coast by rail and landed a job as a VW mechanic the day after the train reached Vancouver. Schmidt was then hired by another local Volkswagen dealer in 1962 and worked his way up to becoming a manager of the service department in just two years. When the opportunity to own his own Volkswagen dealership presented itself, he jumped at the chance.

Schmidt combined resources with Laakman to purchase the Volkswagen dealership in New Westminster. Westminster Volkswagen was also an Audi and Porsche franchise at one point but became strictly Volkswagen in the late 80's.

In 1986 Westminster Volkswagen moved to its current location at 2555 Barnet Highway in Coquitlam and has been growing with the community ever since. Through the decades, Volkswagen has introduced many great models like the Rabbit, Scirrocco, Corrado, Golf etc. Those have joined the history of Volkswagen that is different from those of other makes of vehicles. From its basic roots of being the car for the people Vokswagen has grown into a lifestyle. Its following is very cult like and being a part of it is nothing short of awesome!

Volkswagen’s history can be experienced today from the early years of the Type 1 to the new 200HP GTi at the Great Canadian Volkswagen Show sponsored by Westminster Volkswagen at Town Center Park in Coquitlam Sunday August 19th. This will be the 16th year for the GCVWS which has grown larger every year!