I'm headed off to look at VW's tomorrow. I found a few low mile GTI's in my price range. Best part is that one dealer is also a porsche dealer so I can get my chassis hardware that I need. It is a win win situation for me. :)

OK I was thinking about the milage I wiil be driving and the price of gas and the TDI is starting to look very good. Now I am thinking of either a Golf TDI or a Jetta TDI. What are some things I should know about a diesel car before I buy one. My freind keeps warning me about "BAD" diesel and there is only 2 places in my town to get "GOOD" diesel. Is there such a thing as bad diesel or is it just the fact that he had a 1982 mercedes with 200K on the odometer. What type of maintainence is involved with this type of car. I heard things like I have to run injector cleaner through it every couple of thousand miles. What is the real story with VW TDI maintainence. And what are some real MPG numbers I can expect to see. 60% highway and 40% city driving is what I will be driving most of the time. :D

I have 2002 Golf GLS TDI and a 2002 Cabrio GLX. The Cabrio is more to insure. A GTI with a 1.8T or VR6 would be much more than either.

Finding a used TDI with respectable miles is going to be tough, though, and they would command a premium. I know I wouldn't sell mine for 15 grand.

Don't be too quick to diss the 2.0 liter. It gets its "two-point-slow" monicker from the quarter-mile boyz. In truth, it will do 90 MPH comfortably if you're so inclined -- don't know what top speed is but there are some fantastic claims going around which I don't believe -- and it is the most reliable petrol-burner in the Volkswagen fleet. As a bonus, if you're doing mostly highway miles at saner over-the-speed-limit velocities, you'll get 32-33 MPG. I do, and my Cabrio is heavier than its tin-top cousin.

I thought about the regular 2.0 but I need something with get up and go. About 20 miles of my planned commute is a 2 lane road frequented semi's and other large slow moving trucks and cars. There is just enough on-coming traffic to keep you in your lane and afraid to pass. I just worry about getting stuck behind a truck for 20 miles at 45mph and be late for school. Besides the 800 + miles a week I will be driving I'm looking for EXTREME fuel economy, like 45 + mpg. What grade of fuel is required for the 2.0 VW engine.

Maybe there is such a thing as "bad" diesel, but I've never encountered it. I owned an '81 Pickup LX for five years (wish I still had it :bawling: ) and I've owned the aforementioned Golf for two years.

TDI info: My wife drives very little highway and she gets 38-43 MPG routinely. Our best is 50.1. Doing 60/40 in Florida with the a/c on half the time should net you 43-47 MPG in my opinion based on our figures. Running the a/c makes a difference, but so does highway driving with the windows down.

Maintenance: Nothing special as far as time intervals are concerned. Obviously, there are differences. The biggest difference is you must use synthetic oil with a TDI. Forget the injector cleaner stories. Routine maintenance every 5000 miles with the Pickup netted me trouble-free driving from a 78k odometer reading to 152k.

Frankly, I wish my Cabbie had a TDI, but we didn't get such things in the states. Regardless if you look at a Golf or Jetta, just make sure it was owned properly previously.

Then, you definitely would want a TDI because you will appreciate the torque advantage in passing. The 2.0 uses regular unlike the 1.8T or the VR6.

Oh, and for whatever it's worth, I never could tell any difference between diesel and premium diesel in either of my diesel-goers -- supposedly with a higher cetane rating (whatever that is).

OK what is the power like with TDI. Is it enough to pass a truck on the highway without taking too long. Which engine has more pep, the TDI or the 2.0???

My wife loves her TDI, it has plenty of power and if you chip it it will realy go. Many people have to do a clutch upgrade after chipping. The last road trip she went on was to Moragntown WV. and it got 48mpg. Remember her car has an auto-trans. A 5 speed will be 2-3 mpg more than an auto.
BAD FUEL = OLD FUEL. Get your fuel from a station that goes through lots of fuel.

Here is a great site for TDI info.
http://www.tdiclub.com/

Thanks for the link NO_H2O... There is so much information there it will keep me reading for hours... :D

Hours? I spent a week on it when I first found it.

There is one major problem with the TDI though... Finding one for sale at a reasonable price. I guess since the price of fuel went up the the demand for TDI's went up also. I might just get the 2.0 with a 5 speed. They are about 5K cheaper for the same year car... :rolleyes:

They have always been more $$$. Just a little more now because of demand.
Hmmmmm... same milage as a "Hybrid", cheaper fuel that you can get anywhere and more power. :rolleyes:
I would like to have a 5 speed Golf TDI with some mods, BUT I'm an Air-cooled guy.

with a little work, you can make a TDI just as fast as 1.8t or even a VR6. and (assuming you don't lead-foot it all day long) you won't sacrifice too much mpg. and it's a VW, so it looks good. or you could go for a mkII GTI. find a killer 20v and it'll suit you just fine, and they still look good.

just my 2-cents.

There are so many options out there I'm having trouble deciding on 1 car to buy. I could just finish the beetle and drive that, the solid engine mounts and the loud straight through Ti muffler should keep me awake on the long boring :sleep: drive to and from school. Or I could get the 2004 Yamaha R-1 I have been keeping my eye on. Over 160 whp and it gets 40mpg. Did I mention it goes 108mph in first gear. :laugh: It is basicly a street legal GP bike... ;)

TDIs passing trucks in stock form? No problem. They have nearly the same torque as a 1.8T in stock form and they achieve it at 1900 RPMs. They live for third, fourth and fifth gears.

At 35 MPH, I'd rather accelerate with my TDI than my 2.0. At a stop sign? Reverse answer.

TDIs can be chipped. 2.0s can be supercharged. In the end you might spend the same on either if you're inclined to modify. However, the TDI's mileage won't fluctuate much whereas the 2.0's mileage may suffer 2 MPG depending on which s/c you go with.

Hybrids have been coming under serious fire for not delivering their listed MPGs as compared to petrol and diesel cars.