Now, that fun-to-drive factor has lost its appeal, he said.
“If the reason they are fun to drive is that they are spewing up to 40 times the amount of pollutants they are supposed to be, I just find it outrageous, frankly,” he said.
Volkswagen will be required to fix the emissions system so it complies with federal regulations, though the exact remedy has not been announced.
But Mr. Decker says that he worries the engine may lose power or have drivability problems, and that he is sure the fuel economy will drop.
“I’d be surprised if they can get that emissions under control and still have the performance,” he said. “That’s probably why they did this in the first place.”
So, for now he no longer wants the diesel-powered car. He thinks Volkswagen should buy it back.
And like other owners, he wonders what will happen next. The deception is certain to lead to a lot of customer lawsuits from angry drivers. On Monday, one Seattle-based law firm said it had already filed a class-action suit on behalf of car owners accusing Volkswagen of fraud, false advertising and violating consumer rights. The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to order Volkswagen to recall the nearly 500,000 vehicles. But it has yet to do so. The regulators said they expected “to compel VW to issue a recall in the future to reduce the emissions impacts of these vehicles.”
However, they said, automakers are given “a reasonable amount of time” to engineer a remedy, and “depending on the complexity of the repair and the lead time needed to obtain the necessary components, it could take up to one year to identify corrective actions, develop a recall plan and issue recall notices.”
Volkswagen will pay for the repair, but it was not known how long it would take the automaker to fix almost half a million vehicles once the recall begins.
John Schilling, a Volkswagen spokesman, said in an email that it was unclear how long it would take to start fixing vehicles, but that the automaker was “committed to fixing this issue as soon as possible” and to developing “a remedy that meets emissions standards and satisfies our loyal and valued customers.”
The E.P.A. said Volkswagen owners should simply continue to use their vehicles, which it said were safe to drive.
Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com, said it was in Volkswagen’s best interest to fix the problem quickly, before it loses its customer base for good. In the meantime, she said, consumers should wait before trying to sell their diesel-powered vehicles since their resale value will most likely drop before a fix is announced.
“Of course, owners who bought these diesel vehicles in part because of any environmental benefits may have moral objections to driving them, and they may feel they have no other option but to keep their cars parked for the time being,” Ms. Caldwell said. “And then there are owners who just feel flat-out deceived and will want their money back.
“But until Volkswagen reveals a plan for how they will either buy back the cars or fix them so that they truly meet emissions standards, all affected owners will have to wait and see.”