Is a Jetta TDI a good car?

On 2006-07-10, Jeff Olsen wrote:
> I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> and the potential to run it on Biodiesel.
> Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> 30-70K miles on them.

Focus in on 2003 or earlier. If you want to go higher than 5%
biodiesel, you should stay away from the Pump Duesse (sp?) VWs. I
believe the PDs started in 2004. They use different injector
technology and can possibly cause problems with higher concentrations
of biodiesel. Check out the biodiesel forums at the TDI Club and you
will find a lot of information on the PDs and biodiesel:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

-Bryan

--
remove the "REMOVE" from my email to email
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

"Bryan K. Walton" wrote in message

> Focus in on 2003 or earlier. If you want to go higher than 5%
> biodiesel, you should stay away from the Pump Duesse (sp?) VWs. I
> believe the PDs started in 2004. They use different injector
> technology and can possibly cause problems with higher concentrations
> of biodiesel. Check out the biodiesel forums at the TDI Club and you
> will find a lot of information on the PDs and biodiesel:
>
> http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

Probably the best candidate for biodiesel is an older non-TDI VW.
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

Bryan K. Walton wrote:
> On 2006-07-10, Jeff Olsen wrote:
> > I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> > and the potential to run it on Biodiesel.
> > Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> > $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> > 30-70K miles on them.
>
> Focus in on 2003 or earlier. If you want to go higher than 5%
> biodiesel, you should stay away from the Pump Duesse (sp?) VWs. I
> believe the PDs started in 2004. They use different injector
> technology and can possibly cause problems with higher concentrations
> of biodiesel. Check out the biodiesel forums at the TDI Club and you
> will find a lot of information on the PDs and biodiesel:
>
> http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

Thanks! I'll go check that out. I like this group already.

-jeff
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

Good car, yes, but buy an extended warranty.

"Jeff Olsen" wrote in message

>I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> and the potential to run it on Biodiesel. I have never owned a VW and
> the reputation sort of precedes them... supposed to be fun to drive,
> lots of personality, but prone towards nickle-and-dime repairs. I own
> 2 Toyotas right now; will a modern VW be a step down in reliability?
> Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> 30-70K miles on them.
>
> It will be my wife's car. Right now, through sort of a convoluted
> path, I have two heavy-duty vehicles that get poor fuel mileage (Land
> Cruiser and Tundra) and, doing the math, even though I love the Land
> Cruiser's capability as a family adventure mobile, the gas mileage is
> brutal and a Jetta TDI would literally save me pushing 2 grand a year
> in fuel costs. So that's a roundabout way of saying, for camping or
> going skiing in bad weather, we'd take the Tundra... the Jetta will be
> used primarily for buzzing about with the kids and lighter-duty type
> applications. Anything from soccer-mom stuff to going to the beach or
> a paved-road only road trip (we do the other kind too <g>).
>
> I appreciate any advice or comments.
>
> -jeff
>
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

Lost In Space/Woodchuck wrote:
> Good car, yes, but buy an extended warranty.

.....because?

-jeff



>
> "Jeff Olsen" wrote in message
>
> >I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> > and the potential to run it on Biodiesel. I have never owned a VW and
> > the reputation sort of precedes them... supposed to be fun to drive,
> > lots of personality, but prone towards nickle-and-dime repairs. I own
> > 2 Toyotas right now; will a modern VW be a step down in reliability?
> > Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> > $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> > 30-70K miles on them.
> >
> > It will be my wife's car. Right now, through sort of a convoluted
> > path, I have two heavy-duty vehicles that get poor fuel mileage (Land
> > Cruiser and Tundra) and, doing the math, even though I love the Land
> > Cruiser's capability as a family adventure mobile, the gas mileage is
> > brutal and a Jetta TDI would literally save me pushing 2 grand a year
> > in fuel costs. So that's a roundabout way of saying, for camping or
> > going skiing in bad weather, we'd take the Tundra... the Jetta will be
> > used primarily for buzzing about with the kids and lighter-duty type
> > applications. Anything from soccer-mom stuff to going to the beach or
> > a paved-road only road trip (we do the other kind too <g>).
> >
> > I appreciate any advice or comments.
> >
> > -jeff
> >
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

Jeff Olsen wrote:
> Lost In Space/Woodchuck wrote:
> > Good car, yes, but buy an extended warranty.
>
> ....because?
>
> -jeff
>
>

because they are not reliable! I had a 2000 jetta and it started
breaking down at 12K miles. The electric seats wouldn't work and the
drivers was stuck in full recline for months!!! Then the brake lights
went out and the electric lock on the trunk went out...so it would
never shut. And numerous other owners I have talked to say the same
things...since '93 on, their reliability is really bad. Its a shame
because I love VW's too. I was fortunate to be given a 1981 rabbit
diesel a few years ago, sold the 2000 Jetta, and never looked back! I
get 50mpg out of a $700 car that runs about $200/yr in maintenamce.
Seriously! Oh yea, and insurance is $600/yr. I know its not suited
for a family, but its the best bang for the buck.

My other car is a Honda Accord wagon, and I love the VW wagons, but
they just aren't worth the risk or poor reliability. My '94 Honda
wagon was $5k 3 years ago and I put 100K miles on it since then. It
has never been to a mechanic for maintenence! Its got 189,000 on the
clock! The repair savings of a reliable vehicle far outweighs the fuel
savings on an unreliable diesel.



>
> >
> > "Jeff Olsen" wrote in message
> >
> > >I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> > > and the potential to run it on Biodiesel. I have never owned a VW and
> > > the reputation sort of precedes them... supposed to be fun to drive,
> > > lots of personality, but prone towards nickle-and-dime repairs. I own
> > > 2 Toyotas right now; will a modern VW be a step down in reliability?
> > > Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> > > $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> > > 30-70K miles on them.
> > >
> > > It will be my wife's car. Right now, through sort of a convoluted
> > > path, I have two heavy-duty vehicles that get poor fuel mileage (Land
> > > Cruiser and Tundra) and, doing the math, even though I love the Land
> > > Cruiser's capability as a family adventure mobile, the gas mileage is
> > > brutal and a Jetta TDI would literally save me pushing 2 grand a year
> > > in fuel costs. So that's a roundabout way of saying, for camping or
> > > going skiing in bad weather, we'd take the Tundra... the Jetta will be
> > > used primarily for buzzing about with the kids and lighter-duty type
> > > applications. Anything from soccer-mom stuff to going to the beach or
> > > a paved-road only road trip (we do the other kind too <g>).
> > >
> > > I appreciate any advice or comments.
> > >
> > > -jeff
> > >
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

I'm getting kind of tired of people coming on to this post and slamming
VWs all the time. I have owned many VWs and worked on cars of many
brands. Yes VWs require maitenance, so does every car. Its just a
fact of life. I own VWs because they are a blast to drive, and yes I
own a turbo diesel made after 1993 (2 actually) and they do cost me
money to keep going but they also make my drive to work every day
enjoyable. There is lots of stupid engineering on VWs but so is there
on every car. So try to give some useful advice instead of just
slanderous comments. If you have a bad experience with a VW back it up
with facts like "it cost me $750.37 to have my injection pump rebuilt."
Here is my evidence in favour of VW diesels, I have a 1994 Golf turbo
diesel with 405000kms on it and it gets me back and forth to work every
day (60kms one way city and highway) and I get 45mpg to 50mpg. I
perform regular maitenance like brakes air and oil filter etc etc.
Hasn't let me down and still has amazing power. Engine has never been
opened up(Im the second owner.)
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

I suggest you buy the used VW TDI for yourself. Or a new one for your wife
as a last resort. I doubt you're really serious about Bio diesel too. You
wish to save gas money, but want to pay someone a premium for biodiesel over
diesel. And you wish to buy a 13-16 k car to do it. Your wife's not going
to let you set up a Biodiesel plant in your garage , for 4 grand to save 500
bucks a year for your TDI. Buy a Corolla or some other upper scale Toyota
for your wife. To buy a used TDI for your wife is asking for problems.
Basically because you have Toyota's already. She's probably not going to
tolerate Pidley issues. Or the big 500- 1000 dollar chingers from the
dealers. VWs are many steps down from a Toyota in reliability, not one.
You're gonna get blamed for your choice. Its gonna cost you, heartache and
sack time. If you just got to have somebody else's used TDI, to get 45mpg,
go for it. But it's yours , Not hers. But for 13-16k you can get your wife a
brand new Toyota, at 40 mpg. Better in everyway to VW TDIs except gas
mileage, and no farging maintenance headaches.
"Jeff Olsen" wrote in message

>I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> and the potential to run it on Biodiesel. I have never owned a VW and
> the reputation sort of precedes them... supposed to be fun to drive,
> lots of personality, but prone towards nickle-and-dime repairs. I own
> 2 Toyotas right now; will a modern VW be a step down in reliability?
> Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> 30-70K miles on them.
>
> It will be my wife's car. Right now, through sort of a convoluted
> path, I have two heavy-duty vehicles that get poor fuel mileage (Land
> Cruiser and Tundra) and, doing the math, even though I love the Land
> Cruiser's capability as a family adventure mobile, the gas mileage is
> brutal and a Jetta TDI would literally save me pushing 2 grand a year
> in fuel costs. So that's a roundabout way of saying, for camping or
> going skiing in bad weather, we'd take the Tundra... the Jetta will be
> used primarily for buzzing about with the kids and lighter-duty type
> applications. Anything from soccer-mom stuff to going to the beach or
> a paved-road only road trip (we do the other kind too <g>).
>
> I appreciate any advice or comments.
>
> -jeff
>
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

My Jetta has been mostly reliable for 9 years and 180k miles and I have no
immediate plans to sell it. However, keep in mind that VW's have always had
a kind of sliding scale of reliability.

Mission critical systems used in German models (engine, manual
transmissions) are highly reliable, atleast as good as the Japs, even
bulletproof. Their old 8 valve gas 4 cyl. motor really needed to have
enough oil and it would go forever, not even good oil, not even the right
oil, just enough oil.

Automatic transmissions, less common with the European models, are less
reliable, less of a good idea if you ever tow stuff, and get more recalls.
In VW's defense, this may be true of automatic vs. manual transmissions in
general.

Electric components (power windows, locks, alarms, pollution control sensor
bits that set off the check engine light but wont leave you stranded), seat
tilt knobs, interior plastic is not nearly up to Toyota standards. You
should expect more plastic trim falling off, electrical gremlins, and many
little niggling cosmetic problems as a VW hits 10 years of age. My friends'
10-15 year old corollas have less trouble of this type. This problem can be
partially avoided by getting a stripped model with less of these extra
features.

On a more charitable note, my TDI has towed 2500lb+ trailers all over the
damn place with no complaints, has its original clutch, went to Alaska twice
(from Texas), and it is easy to beat the EPA 41/49 mpg of my year. Note -
my car was slightly less powerful, lighter and smaller than the current
model, hence the better mileage.
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

none2u wrote:
> I suggest you buy the used VW TDI for yourself. Or a new one for your wife
> as a last resort. I doubt you're really serious about Bio diesel too. You
> wish to save gas money, but want to pay someone a premium for biodiesel over
> diesel. And you wish to buy a 13-16 k car to do it. Your wife's not going
> to let you set up a Biodiesel plant in your garage , for 4 grand to save 500
> bucks a year for your TDI. Buy a Corolla or some other upper scale Toyota
> for your wife. To buy a used TDI for your wife is asking for problems.
> Basically because you have Toyota's already. She's probably not going to
> tolerate Pidley issues. Or the big 500- 1000 dollar chingers from the
> dealers. VWs are many steps down from a Toyota in reliability, not one.
> You're gonna get blamed for your choice. Its gonna cost you, heartache and
> sack time. If you just got to have somebody else's used TDI, to get 45mpg,
> go for it. But it's yours , Not hers. But for 13-16k you can get your wife a
> brand new Toyota, at 40 mpg. Better in everyway to VW TDIs except gas
> mileage, and no farging maintenance headaches.

Wow. Brutal. Well, this is the kind of feedback I need.

Just to clarify, this is the car my wife really wants, and she's really
into Biodiesel, and it's easy to get here in good ol' Eugene Oregon and
about the cost of fancy-pants store-bought diesel, or even slightly
less. So those, at least, are non-issues. This is the car she was
lobbying for when I bought the Land Cruiser.

The picture you paint of a VW's reliability is scary. Confusing. Now
I'm not so sure I even want one, after this post.

-jeff





> "Jeff Olsen" wrote in message
>
> >I am seriously considering one of these, primarily for the fuel economy
> > and the potential to run it on Biodiesel. I have never owned a VW and
> > the reputation sort of precedes them... supposed to be fun to drive,
> > lots of personality, but prone towards nickle-and-dime repairs. I own
> > 2 Toyotas right now; will a modern VW be a step down in reliability?
> > Anything I should know about these cars? I am hoping to spend in the
> > $13k-$16k range, so I'll be looking at say '02 to '04 model years with
> > 30-70K miles on them.
> >
> > It will be my wife's car. Right now, through sort of a convoluted
> > path, I have two heavy-duty vehicles that get poor fuel mileage (Land
> > Cruiser and Tundra) and, doing the math, even though I love the Land
> > Cruiser's capability as a family adventure mobile, the gas mileage is
> > brutal and a Jetta TDI would literally save me pushing 2 grand a year
> > in fuel costs. So that's a roundabout way of saying, for camping or
> > going skiing in bad weather, we'd take the Tundra... the Jetta will be
> > used primarily for buzzing about with the kids and lighter-duty type
> > applications. Anything from soccer-mom stuff to going to the beach or
> > a paved-road only road trip (we do the other kind too <g>).
> >
> > I appreciate any advice or comments.
> >
> > -jeff
> >
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

On 2006-07-12, Jeff Olsen wrote:
>
> Wow. Brutal. Well, this is the kind of feedback I need.
>
> The picture you paint of a VW's reliability is scary. Confusing. Now
> I'm not so sure I even want one, after this post.

If I may, let me throw in another point of view for balance.
If I didn't know anything about VWs, after reading none2u's post, I
might be inclined to wonder how VWs are even allowed to be sold in the
US. I agree with him that regarding quality assurance, they aren't as
good as Toyotas or Hondas. I understand where he is coming from.
But, to put it in perspective, I believe VWs are at least as good as (or
better than) cars put out by the "big three" US auto makers. This is
just my opinion of course. But here is my personal experience:

We have a 2003 Ford Focus Wagon. It only has 40000 miles on it right
now. Within the last 1/2 year, we have developed problems with the
power windows. At any given point in time, you may or may not be
able to roll down/up any of the windows. The back bumper is coming
loose (and it has never been in an accident). The front brakes have
been replaced not once, but twice rather (new pads, discs,
everything) and they are already starting to grind again! All of this
and I'm only getting 28 mpg.

In my opinion VW quality is not any worse than what we are getting
with this Ford Focus -- and would you believe that the Focus is one of
Ford's best selling vehicles. If I had my time to go over, we would
have purchased a Jetta wagon.

-Bryan

--
remove the "REMOVE" from my email to email
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

Keith , your a genius. Every word holds exactly true. This is a very
accurate , non offensive description of VWs. And all those niggling.
irritating , broken trim, plastic non stranding things irritate the piss out
of everybody that doesn't work on their cars, and wants stylish, reliable ,
presentable,and functional transportation. Its enough for people go
elsewhere. When they get tired of driving irritating rolling junk , that
just wont stop. This is why the customers leave. This exact issue is not
acceptable in a car where 5-6 year loans are the norm. This is the exact
same reason maintenance people delegate their vehicle to winter beater with
a heater status. They wont stop, but everything's broken . And these are the
same people who generally take offense to the bitching . But the cars are
paid for and that offsets the required rebuilding of the car maintenance.
Its not acceptable to people who go to the drive in oil change. No one buys
a new car expecting it to need anything for 3 years,except oil ,gas and tire
rotations. That's the industry standard.
"Keith Loyd" wrote in message

> My Jetta has been mostly reliable for 9 years and 180k miles and I have no
> immediate plans to sell it. However, keep in mind that VW's have always
> had a kind of sliding scale of reliability.
>
> Mission critical systems used in German models (engine, manual
> transmissions) are highly reliable, atleast as good as the Japs, even
> bulletproof. Their old 8 valve gas 4 cyl. motor really needed to have
> enough oil and it would go forever, not even good oil, not even the right
> oil, just enough oil.
>
> Automatic transmissions, less common with the European models, are less
> reliable, less of a good idea if you ever tow stuff, and get more recalls.
> In VW's defense, this may be true of automatic vs. manual transmissions in
> general.
>
> Electric components (power windows, locks, alarms, pollution control
> sensor bits that set off the check engine light but wont leave you
> stranded), seat tilt knobs, interior plastic is not nearly up to Toyota
> standards. You should expect more plastic trim falling off, electrical
> gremlins, and many little niggling cosmetic problems as a VW hits 10 years
> of age. My friends' 10-15 year old corollas have less trouble of this
> type. This problem can be partially avoided by getting a stripped model
> with less of these extra features.
>
> On a more charitable note, my TDI has towed 2500lb+ trailers all over the
> damn place with no complaints, has its original clutch, went to Alaska
> twice (from Texas), and it is easy to beat the EPA 41/49 mpg of my year.
> Note - my car was slightly less powerful, lighter and smaller than the
> current model, hence the better mileage.
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car? 

Jeff Olsen wrote:
: none2u wrote:
:
: Wow. Brutal. Well, this is the kind of feedback I need.
:
: Just to clarify, this is the car my wife really wants, and she's
: really into Biodiesel, and it's easy to get here in good ol' Eugene
: Oregon and about the cost of fancy-pants store-bought diesel, or even
: slightly less. So those, at least, are non-issues. This is the car
: she was lobbying for when I bought the Land Cruiser.
:
: The picture you paint of a VW's reliability is scary. Confusing.
: Now I'm not so sure I even want one, after this post.
:
Dont recommend it....I ditched my 2002 after almost 2 years. The
problematic dirty fuel and intake clogging was the last straw. Lotsa
little things going wrong with it like rattles and other noises. The
car is fun to drive but it's HIGH MAINTENANCE. If you can live with that
and the costs both tangible and nontangible, go for it.
 >> Stay informed about: Is a Jetta TDI a good car?