I've heard good things about the mpg, hate putting $40 a day in my truck so I am looking for another daily beater.



Any good forums for them?

What would you recommend looking at when looking at them?





Thanks

 

TDIClub forum- the best out there.
We have an 03 Jetta TDI- great fuel mileage, don't get an auto unless you have bottomless pockets, and beware of electrical issues- we didn't find out until owning ours that VW's have above average electrical issues. I still think that the fuel mileage is worth it, but they are a little higher maintenance car.

 

Great cars. For a little econobox, they are engineered to handle and brake well, and are very comfortable. They can be equipped with a pretty decent list of options too. I am on my second Jetta and have become a VW enthusiast. As mentioned, they can be a little quirky and are a bit different to diagnose and work on, but just like our Dodges, if you read the forums there is a lot of knowledge out there that can be tapped into to help you stay ahead of any issues.

My rule when buying a used car is, unless the owner can prove with receipts that the timing belt service has been done at X miles, I assume I will have to do it as soon as I buy the car and I will try to remove that amount from the purchase price. The belt service interval on those engines is critical; it will trash the engine if it breaks. To have the full job done at the dealer with tensioner, seals, water pump etc. is over $1000 so keep that in mind. If you are familiar with that stuff, you can do it yourself much cheaper. Decent VW aftermarket parts and accessories stores are plentiful on the web too.
Good luck with your search.

 

I've got a 2011 on order right now because of the amount of money I'm spending in fuel per month. From what I have found from TDIclub, the 00 - 03 ALH's are starting to be come the 12 valves of the TDI's. The 04 - 05's aren't bad either. The 06's seemed to have problems with the camshafts wearing abnormally fast, not to mention the DMF's failing in the DSG automatics, or the DSG itself all together. The 09's+ common rails seem to be pretty solid vehicles. The biggest issue seems to be the high pressure fuel pumps, (HPFP), failing from the lack of lubrication in ULSD. 09's seem to have the worst stint of it, with some 10's, and so far not any 11's from what I have seen. If you buy a used one from 09+, I would check the fuel systems repair history, and try to buy one from an owner that has run an additive. It was because of the HPFP failures that I just decided to buy new.

The DSG automatics seems to be more reliable in the 09+ models. The 10's and 11's seem to be doing well, and don't seem to have the little hiccups that the older ones had. They really are astounding pieces of machinery, but I still went with the 6 speed stick. Less maintenance, (the DSG requires fluid changes every 40k), lower initial cost, higher reliability, turns 400 RPM's lower on the high way at 70 compared to the DSG, (only in the 11's), and the overall fun factor.

 

the only "other" diesel on the north american market. very quirky, but solid german engineering.
parts are expensive and can be hard to find. it is not impossable to do most of the light mechanical yourself, if you have experince jamming your hands into tight spaces. they are not cold weather friendly after about -10c you have to start blocking the rad in if you want to make cabin heat.

at 30-50 mpg i kinda wish i still had mine. but then i wouldnt have my dodge.

 

I have a 02 5 spd jetta. I wish my truck would heat
up like this car. There is no problem changing belts,
you can buy tool kit for that, not expensive. 52 mph
with nothing more then advancing timing.
Buy a Bentley service manual. everything you need
to Know.

 

The one other thing to keep in mind with the new ones are that they do not get the same mileage as the older ones- the best so far on our 03 has been just under 51 mpg, while the new Jetta TDI's are highway rated at 38. The emission mandates have hurt the VW diesels, too.

 

Although my rig averages 22 mpg, $100+ fillups a week are killing me!!! So we're looking to order a Jetta TDI in June. Test drove one a couple weeks ago, wasn't expecting much get up & go, after all it's only 120 ci. But I came away totally impressed! That little 4 banger is more than capable of handling just about anything thrown at it!

 

Yeah I need to pick up something soon.

$50 a day in the tank is starting to hurt.

 

I'm looking at a 06 Golf 4 door TDI 5speed with a fresh clutch and transmission in it, 110K miles, never had the timing belt changed.

Also a 05 Passat TDI auto with around 80K miles on it.


I like the styling of the Passat.

 

Personally I would stay away from the Passat, do some searches and you'll see why. Cam journals/lobes wear out from lack of lubrication, biggest thing I've heard of. Plus new gasser equivalents are getting the same mileage if not better then them now.

I could be biased, I've got an 02 ALH Jetta 5 spd, and it hasn't missed a beat with 133k on it now. Still gets 42-44mpg when I'm driving hard, upwards of 50 or better when it all goes right. Biggest problem I had was the intake manifold plugging up, between the crankcase breathing into the intake and the EGR feeding it soot it causes a black sticky mess. Disconnecting the EGR fixed that problem. A few sensors here and there and routine maintenance have kept it running like new. And for 90hp it does move right along! Good luck.

 

Well I'm confused; reading the PD engine is the one that has cam bearing problems (from people using the wrong oil).and that they use that in more than just the Passat. Even in the Golf I'm looking at.

So I'd think the lower mileage Passat may be a better bet?

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/m...ace-vw-tdi.htm


I'm not just focused on mpg, more room and refinement would also be a factor. Would the Passat get near 40mpg on the hwy or in the 30's mixed....

 

I see the 05 passat is a one year only ride... not so hot on that.

 

One year in the US, many more in Europe just note. Passats are good or bad depending who you talk to.

A guy that I carpooled with had an 09 Jetta TDI with DSG. The guy had two driving modes, gas pedal to the floor or brake pedal to the floor, would wind it out everytime he took off. Granted most of our miles were high cruising even driving like that he would get 42mpg.

I get about 32 on the high(65-75) with my Audi in sig.

 

We had a 99 jetta tdi and it was an electrical nightmare. The first 5 years were good, then down hill fast. Final straw was sitting at the lights, -25 out and the car rolled all the windows down by itself, shut the motor off and would not restart and the horn started blowing. Lots of CEL's for bad glow plugs that were not bad, 4 driver's door harnesses at $240 a piece and another 200 to install each time, intermittent not starting, car would be just dead, then suddenly it would start, it would lock you in the car, then it would lock you out, windows not rolling down, or if they were down they would not go up. I could go on and on. The dealer suggested replacing the entire wiring harness in the car to solve the issue as they had seen this issue before and replacing the harness solved it. My dad fixed the minimum to get it running and then sold it. He now drives a Buick. A bit harder on fuel, 35 mpg, but very few repairs so far.