http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/ Autoblog Comments for More creative incentives: Buy a VW Routan and get $1,500 for college http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 11:31AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 11:40AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 12:36PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 11:31AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 2:06PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Heck, my most expensive semester was my first (20 credit hours) and that cost around $1100.

Same education but at a heck of a lower cost. I CAN'T wait until I go to a four year school and pay ridiculously high tuition (sarcasm).]]>May 8th 2008 5:42PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 8:00PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Then again that is why more kids are in public school instead of a private one where they might really shine. Cars are more important than kids in far too many houses.]]>May 8th 2008 11:32AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
You can either afford private school or you can't. A vehicle doesn't have that much bearing on it, IMO.]]>May 8th 2008 11:52AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Its about priorities. Instead of wasting money on the new car they can put it towards their children's future. Yet most won't. worse some will be cry baby pee pant logic like you and claim it still costs more to go to private school and as such they couldn't afford it anyway - without acknowledging all the other non-essential expenditures wasted monthly.

$25K with no down payment plus tax and fees comes over $500 a month. So it only gets sillier. Throw in the added costs of higher insurance for a new vehicle.

One of the best people I know drives for UPS, she is a regular delivery driver. She jokes that her and her husbands new cars are actually their children because they drive five or six year old cars while putting three through PRIVATE SCHOOL. (fwiw, both are drivers for the ups)]]>May 8th 2008 11:59AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Private schools are statistically proven to be no better than public schools academically. http://www.ewa.org/library/docs/privatevspublics.pdf is but a single example. And there are many public institutions rated far higher than private ones.

From what I've found having many friends who went to private schools and universities, plus having raised three kids and knowing parents who send their kids to private schools and universities, the primary factor in deciding the private versus public decision is how bad you fear those different than yourself. It's the best kept secret in education. Sure there are always exceptions, and sure we wrap it up with all these falsehoods about how Billy will get a better education here, or Betty will be in a more nourishing environment there, but when the rubber hits the road the dark secret is that it's almost always a question of who you want your kids hanging out with.

I can easily afford to send all of my kids to private school, and unfortunately many in my neighborhood do, but I feel my kids will be far more rounded, have a more diverse viewpoint and overall make better, more productive adults by NOT going to private school. Don't mean to rant, I just run into that skewed private school perspective far too often and it tends to get under my skin.]]>May 8th 2008 12:21PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Is this guy serious?

I really can't believe I just read that in an adult discussion. And I think you're missing the point. You don't just instantly have a decision whether your kids are going to public school or private school. Many areas (like mine) don't even have anything else. A lot of people just go to "school."

I will agree that many people might have their priorities mixed up... but I don't think private school has any need to be any high priority. And I don't see any reason why it should be.]]>May 8th 2008 1:03PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
I expect he keep me out of a nursing home when I'm senile.]]>May 8th 2008 11:46AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 11:59AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/And this type of marketing is kinda cool, so I guess it works.

I think the bigger question is... Does ANYONE still want a minivan, anyway?]]>May 8th 2008 12:08PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
That said, I agree that the VW looks infinetly better than the Chrysler, but the idea of buying the--probably--more expensive VW just to get a Chrysler is ridiculous. You don't get the vaunted "German engineering", etc, just prettier sheet metal. VW better keep the price down on this thing or people will just buy a less expensive Chrysler, even though it looks like a bread box on wheels, and even though, contra to conventional wisdom, styling does matter to minivan buyers.]]>May 9th 2008 2:23AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Why? Well, I like the styling of them (except the Chrysler products), and this VW face works really well on vans. Looks better than brick-like SUV's.

Also, they are way more useful. Easier access to seats with sliding doors, seats that fold into the floor, better fuel mileage, more useful features (lots of cupholders, kid entertainment, storage, waaay more storage). Minivans have more interior volume than even the excellent GM triplets. They are just more practical and beautiful. That is why I like them.

Also, when VW has their own van someday, I would love to see them put a variant of their 2.0 diesel in there. A 170hp/260tq 2.2L 4 banger would be sweet, returning well over 20 mpg city...]]>May 8th 2008 1:03PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/but who really has 4+ kids anymore?

I'd rather stop at 2 and take a Jetta SportWagen TDI, if I just couldn't resist the "soccer mom" urge, but that's just me.]]>May 8th 2008 3:24PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/May 8th 2008 12:38PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/08/more-creative-incentives-buy-a-vw-routan-get-1-500-for-colleg/
Even if your kid attends some of the best institutions, it doesn't promise anything. ]]>May 8th 2008 12:54PM