New diesel car

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I worked for a vw dealership and those drive really nice. As long as the vehicle is repaired per the epa guidelines you should be set. Also look for the service history on the dsg transmission. Should be changed every 40,000 miles with the correct fluid.
 
DSG? IIRC those needed trans fluid change every 40k? Might want to check on how to do that and/or price to do at a shop. Not sure how reliable the DSG's are today, they were kinda iffy at one point.

Diesel engine requires diesel oil--you probably know that but it has to be stated. I don't know what VW requires for this engine. For a while they required something kinda costly, err costly compared to run off the mill conventional. I'd be concerned about having the right oil used, but at 36k, that is pretty low miles. Pretty sure this is a timing belt motor, so take that into account. And it would be an interference motor.

Used to be, the recommendation going in was to know who your TDI guru was. Who was going to service it, and repair it, and to make sure you were on good terms with them. Maybe the dealership has stepped up their game but that place used to be the last place to go. Do you plan to fix it yourself, or farm out any repairs?

VAG-COM is the aftermarket software for reading codes; pricey but that was the go-to tool when I had mine 10, 15 years ago.

I'd check on mpg for this, then figure out cost per mile for fuel, then compare against what gassers do. I suspect they are much closer today than they used to be. I loved my diesel but from what I've read the turbo gassers have closed the gap. A VW though might have the edge in driver's comfort.
 
Stay away from it. If the injector pump fails it cost thousands of dollars to replace as you usually gotta replace the entire fuel system as it send metal through everything. If you mis-fuel it, it takes out the entire fuel system and emissions system with it and cost $10-11K to replace.
There have been a few dealers that tried skipping replacing the fuel tank for such a disaster trying to suck the contaminated fuel out. The fuel pump is so fragile any amount of gas takes it out and a few dealers had to have another go around replacing a bunch of parts.

I can totally understand the uniqueness of the car and there is nothing wrong if your a fan of diesel and can afford the risk. You don't buy one of these to save money in fuel.
 
As long as it has the extended warranty Id go for it. They were fun little cars when my friend had one, and felt way more peppier than my 02. The tras should be pretty solid, we have a woman with a 14 jetta gli with the dsg, 160k and counting, no service performed.
 
It's an buyback auction car. I've looked at a few of these and all had signs of neglect or deferred maintenance. One even had a blown head gasket. There not all bad but many are.

Keep that in mind.
 
Originally Posted by CleverUserName
It's an buyback auction car. I've looked at a few of these and all had signs of neglect or deferred maintenance. One even had a blown head gasket. There not all bad but many are.

Keep that in mind.


Being that many owners knew they would be giving their car up because of the buy back, I'm sure many weren't maintained all that well.
 
I was very happy that VW bought back my common rail TDI. It was a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. From DPF cracks, intercooler icing, HPFP destruction and entire system contamination, below expectation fuel economy and the need to use the highest priced fuel at the station, 20,000 mile fuel filter changes, 40,000 mile DSG fluid changes... it certainly wasn't the economy car that my old TDI Golf was.

In my opinion, I'd steer away from it unless you like to do the maintenance yourself and are prepared to make vehicle ownership your full-time hobby.

** note: if you do buy it then I have 10 fuel filters (the olympic ring style) that I'll sell you for $15 each.
 
hmm,

the way i'm reading the posts so far it's a mixed bag with:
2 yes
2 no
3 maybe.

i'll keep looking and thanks for the information.
 
Besides the engine issues, the transmission is also very expensive to repair, and fluid changes cost around $400 (!). Suspension is another trouble spot with a 6 yr old VW. Avoid. Except at the height of summer diesel costs about 25-35% more, negating any savings from better mileage. I you want a good mileage used sedan, look for a Toyota Corolla or Camry, a Ford Fusion hybrid, or a Prius/Camry Hybrid.

Older European cars are just expensive to run. Japanese makes (except Nissan & Mitsubishi), some Fords, and most Korean cars are a better bet.
 
That car is a base model S which was only one or two years, it may not even have cruise control. It is priced on the upper end of what they are around here.

Would have kept our 2012 except that the offer was like 2000.00 less than we paid for it, just too good to pass up. It did not have any deferred maintenance or anything wrong with. Ive considered searching for the VIN and buying it back.

I'd say buy one if it fits your needs, just check it out.
 
Unless you do CRAZY mileage per year, I don't see the point of a diesel passenger car in the US.
Gasoline is cheap enough that it makes the diesel premium a waste.
 
I had looked at one, but the fuel pump, and transmission turned me off. Look at the Chevy Cruze Diesel. They seem to keep up very well with the TDIs of their generation, and don't have the fragile fuel system or transmission. There are several comparison videos on youtube.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
I can totally understand the uniqueness of the car and there is nothing wrong if your a fan of diesel and can afford the risk. You don't buy one of these to save money in fuel.
Bingo. You can't buy an out of warranty VW and expect to treat it like a Toyota. That goes double for TDIs, I've never heard anyone sing the praises of a VW diesel that is newer than a MK4. I love VWs and would love to own an (intentional) oil burner, but the emissions and fuel system components are just far to delicate and expensive for me.

Emissions delete is mandatory on pretty much any modern diesel from what I understand.

I second the Chevy Cruise. 1.4 with a tune and a 6 speed sounds awesome and I've heard nothing but good things about them.
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
Originally Posted by skyactiv
I can totally understand the uniqueness of the car and there is nothing wrong if your a fan of diesel and can afford the risk. You don't buy one of these to save money in fuel.
Bingo. You can't buy an out of warranty VW and expect to treat it like a Toyota. That goes double for TDIs, I've never heard anyone sing the praises of a VW diesel that is newer than a MK4. I love VWs and would love to own an (intentional) oil burner, but the emissions and fuel system components are just far to delicate and expensive for me.

Emissions delete is mandatory on pretty much any modern diesel from what I understand.

I second the Chevy Cruise. 1.4 with a tune and a 6 speed sounds awesome and I've heard nothing but good things about them.


One owner Cruze for $9,000: https://www.prestigeautobrokersllc.com/2014_Chevrolet_Cruze_Raleigh_NC_29511234.veh
 
Originally Posted by John_Conrad
hmm,

the way i'm reading the posts so far it's a mixed bag with:
2 yes
2 no
3 maybe.

i'll keep looking and thanks for the information.


I think you should stop looking at diesel cars. I'm an MB fan and about the same thing applies to MB diesels. Very few were sold so not too many people know how to fix them. Because there were so few, whenever anyone posts a diesel question, there are very few answers as only a few people on the boards know how to fix them. And if it's complex and you want a local mechanic to fix it, they are hard to find because so few are sold, few mechanics have experience with them. Then you're stuck with the dealer and you will have to pay top dollar there. Any savings in mpg will get wiped out in repairs.
 
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