Jetta TDI

[79rustyk10]

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ctd/2768440793.html

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/2773371712.html

I NEED a more efficient smaller car, I'm spending a small mortgage payment on gas every month driving my truck with this new job.

Ive been thinking about one of these after a member said something about them to me, but everything I can find seems to have 200K miles or more.

I know I could probably find out more on a VW forum, but theres too many ****heads on other forums, and I dont feel like trying to read through truckloads of BS.

How do these cars do in the winter time? and what should I expect from one with high mileage?

Anything else would be helpful, as I know very little about anything diesel.

 

[diesel4me]

I had an '86 Jetta with a 1.6 diesel..........................................................................................................................................................................................................Very impressive little car--it had 238K when I got it,I paid 100 bucks for it...it still drove,rode and handled like new despite the mileage,and it had stickers all over it from various colleges all over the country (Abaline U for one!)--and I found a roll of tokens for a deleware bridge in its glove box,so it was probably driven all over the country by college kids..it had some sideswipe damage ,but ZERO rust--whatever those germans use for undercoating works!........................................................................................................................................................................................................I got 50+ mpg and though its only 52 HP,it wasn't sluggish at all,in fact I drove a few gas versions of the same car and felt the deisel went better,you dont need to wind the diesel up like youd think..it'll cruise at 80 all day once you got it there,and it didn't feel "dangerous" like many other small cars did to me..(though it would fold up like a can in a crash against a larger vehicle)........................................................................................................................................................................................................I'm no VW expert as far as the diesels,but I gained some knowledge owning one--I managed to replace the timing belt sucessfully,though it was a rather involved procedure that I should have borrowed the special tool to lock the camshaft in place ,because my jerry rigged idea damaged the cam,though not fatally..the timimg belt snapped while I was letting it warm up,and it did whack the valves,not hard enough to kill it,but I did notice it started harder and idled poorer than it did before...........................................................................................................................................................................................................The glow plugs aren't fun to change in them,and it seems a lot of them needed head gaskets ,but mine was very trouble free the 5 years I had it--only did the clutch once because someone put a gas engine disc in it and the coil anti-chatter springs fell out of it and got wedged in the pressure plate--the diesel one has rubber cushions instead of springs...I did the front brakes once,and a few other minor things like the door handles,that snap off easily in cold weather..only thing about a VW is everything has allen or torx head bolts or "special" 12 point bolts,so be ready to buy some special tools if your going to fix it yourself......................................................................................................................................................................................................Never owned a TDI but they are better than the old diesels I have heard...turbo makes a big difference it power in the diesels......................................................................................................................................................................................................I would say they are a good car,but people tend to be very proud of them and its hard to find one cheap thats any good at all..or hasn't been modified to run on veggie oil or otherwise molested...most high mileage ones are still way overpriced..................................................................................................................................................................................................Sorry about all the periods--for some reason my computer wont make paragraphs on CK5 !!..so to avoid my post being one long sentence,I put the periods between paragraphs!..

 

[79rustyk10]

Ive always heard good things about VW reliabilty, but paying so much for a vehicle with 200K+ on it scares me.

And no worries about all the periods.

 

[imiceman44]

The prices are inline with what I see on this side of the country, but usually less miles, somewhere in the 130 to 160k here for $5-7k
You also can find under 100k for $8-10k

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ctd/2768440793.html

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/2773371712.html

I NEED a more efficient smaller car, I'm spending a small mortgage payment on gas every month driving my truck with this new job.

Ive been thinking about one of these after a member said something about them to me, but everything I can find seems to have 200K miles or more.

I know I could probably find out more on a VW forum, but theres too many ****heads on other forums, and I dont feel like trying to read through truckloads of BS.

How do these cars do in the winter time? and what should I expect from one with high mileage?

Anything else would be helpful, as I know very little about anything diesel.

 

[jt512]

I forwarded this thread to my brother, who's a VW tech, to see if he's got any good info for you.

 

[79rustyk10]

Thanks guys!

 

[63chevyll]

Little info,

I haven't worked on a whole lot of them but EGR problems with plugging up and bad EGR valves.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

Gawd, I want a Jetta TDI.....


As soon as I can afford one....

This made me drool...

 

[sandypants]

i bought a new (at the time) 2009 jetta. best investment i ever made. in Florida i get almost 50-55 mpg on the highway at about 70. right now in Germany with hills best to date i got 45.5 coming back from the black Forrest back to trier. even on a bad day i get 35. and i got it for 21k new. i have heard 2004-2006 can get much higher than mine. I WOULD ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND THIS CAR TO ANYBODY.

 

[79rustyk10]

Thanks, thats what I want to hear.

How has the reliability of the vehicle been? Are they something the average gearhead can wrench on themselves?

 

[imiceman44]

Thanks, thats what I want to hear.

How has the reliability of the vehicle been? Are they something the average gearhead can wrench on themselves?

I know my buddy wrenches on his and it's a 2003, can't remember when they started getting too much into electronics where it's harder to get much done, but up to 2003 I know there is a lot you can do yourself.

 

[Fixer]

Go for it and never look back. A Jetta TDI holds the world record for best MPG at I think 68. The car was a bone stock MK5 Jetta TDI.

I wouldnt expect that for daily use but I will say that I get about 28 on average in my gas Jetta and it makes almost 300 WHP. We got 45MPG on the way back to texas from Minnesota with the wastegate disconnected. VW engines are VERY fuel efficient.

All that said that car is NOT worth $4500. I'd pay 3k at most. Either way they are very easy to work on and find parts for and there are massive online communities to support you. The biggest (number of members) car forum in the world is a VW forum.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

The demand for the diesel ones is high. Since the gas crunch they went from slow, stinky old beaters (in the case of the older ones) to highly desirable and the newer ones are more and more so.

Think gotsmoke, colbystephens, and a few others on here have them.

 

[imiceman44]

Yeah my 89 gas jetta gets 28-33 depending on my driving.
I can't wait to get a TDI.
I almost bought a low mileage station wagon 2005 TDI for $5k but I needed the money for something else.

Go for it and never look back. A Jetta TDI holds the world record for best MPG at I think 68. The car was a bone stock MK5 Jetta TDI.

I wouldnt expect that for daily use but I will say that I get about 28 on average in my gas Jetta and it makes almost 300 WHP. We got 45MPG on the way back to texas from Minnesota with the wastegate disconnected. VW engines are VERY fuel efficient.

All that said that car is NOT worth $4500. I'd pay 3k at most. Either way they are very easy to work on and find parts for and there are massive online communities to support you. The biggest (number of members) car forum in the world is a VW forum.

 

[Meen Green]

Diesel power mag did an article a month or two ago on vw diesels. It went back 2 the 80s on to today. It showed all engines and went into detail on reliability and common problems.

 

[DR]

I love mine. Shopping for them is hard though. I bought an 06 in 09 that had a few problems and 140k on the clock. I paid 9 grand and learned how to fix it. The blue book on it is still high 11s.be patient while shopping. Good ones are hard to find due to demand, but they are out there.

The goods; at its worst 37mpgs around town at best 42mpgs on the highway. Pretty peppy for 90ish horsepower. It seems driving it hard through the mountains, high speeds etc doesn't seem to effect -the mpgs. Very comfy very reliable. If I have my way there will always be one in my fleet.

The bads; they don't break much but when they do they are expensive. (My only bad really)

Even with having to buy specialty tools its usually cheaper to do at home. Stay away from dealers. They typically don't know tdi and charge way too much. If your gonna use a shop, find a tdi specialist. They are usually cheaper and do much better work.

Also the VW forums are a big help. There are better years than others, better transmissions etc.
Tdiclub.com and dieselgeek.com are my favorites. Tdiclub.com is VW specific. Lots of good info.

 

[Fixer]

There are also junk yards in most large cities that cater to late model European cars. There is one here that is VW/Audi specific and is really nice with great prices. It's not going to be as easy to fix as an old Chevy but it can easily be worked on by anyone competent with internet access.

The two forums mentioned above are really great. Be aware the VW online community (like most) can be a little dramatic, but there are plenty of people out there with lots of knowledge willing to help.

If worse comes to worse you can always PM me here and I can help as much as I can, I've been working on VW's for almost 15 years now. If I can't help directly I can probably point you in the right direction.

 

[Got Smoke?]

yeah I have a 98 Jetta (old boxy style) that I bought as a decent but rusted beater from new york. But for $1200 I figured if it ran good I would drive it till it fell apart.

When I bought the car the previous owner had done a water pump, timing belt ONLY, new shocks, and a set of slightly larger injectors.

I had to change the following:

The injector pump started leaking fuel which is common in higher miles. I attempted the in car fix 3 times before my IP gave out. Purchased a resealed pump with 40K less miles for $300 extremely easy swap. I did the timing belt at the same time as I had to redo the job as he did not change the tensioner or the pulley when he did it and the car had 203,000 miles. I also advanced the timing at this time good for 1.5-2mpg.

I did a EGR delete, full straight pipe exhaust, and a Alligator performance chip set.

I've had to do normal stuff rear wheel bearings, front brakes, new drive axles, and a new set of tires last week.

Total I'm in the car for about $2350 now but when I bought it it only got 35mpg coming home from New York to Tennessee. Now it gets 44.5-45mpg consistantly since I started using Amsoil Diesel fuel additives, before them it was 42.5 consistantly. I've had it for a year and 2 months and it has paid for itself already in fuel savings. It has also been driven to Arizona and Indiana and never left us stranded. My fiance did have a hiccup in on her way back from Arizona when a negative battery terminal cracked. Luck was with her as a total stranger helped her to the parts house, and with the tools to change it while I searched desperately for a truck and trailer for 2.5 hrs fearing I would have to go get her in Oklahoma City.

I would look for the 99-04 model Jetta's they have the more desireable ALH motor's and the bodies don't rust out as badly as the 98 and later. There is A LOT more aftermarket stuff for them as well. I will replace mine with a 99+ model when the chassis does finally fail, but I will keep the motor and transplant it into something.

TDIclub.com is a AWESOME website that is full of info like CK5 is for our old chevys.

 

[DEMON44]

A '98 is NOT the "boxy style" Talk to an mk1 or mk2 owner about boxy body.

My '90 mk2 jetta came with a 1.6L natural. I put a '93 1.9L turbo in it. Juiced it up. Killer mileage, hauls ass. Put coil overs all the way around, lowered it a few inches. All in for about $2500 even after the engine swap. And I run wmo in it cut with gasoline mostly all summer. 2 summers ago actually I didn't have to pay for fuel for about 5 months.


Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[imiceman44]

A '98 is NOT the "boxy style" Talk to an mk1 or mk2 owner about boxy body.

My '90 mk2 jetta came with a 1.6L natural. I put a '93 1.9L turbo in it. Juiced it up. Killer mileage, hauls ass. Put coil overs all the way around, lowered it a few inches. All in for about $2500 even after the engine swap. And I run wmo in it cut with gasoline mostly all summer. 2 summers ago actually I didn't have to pay for fuel for about 5 months.


Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

WMO?
Is that waste mineral oil?
And did you say you cut it with gasoline?
I know I am mixing my Waste engine oil 10% with 90% diesel to get rid of the oil and save a bit on my fuel, I am even thinking about bumping it up to 20%, but I am always looking for more things to burn.
That would be in my 6.2