Bought a TDI

Guess I'll just eat my sour grapes.

thinkin about doing something similar.

The only number that matters to me is the one I get. So far, it's looking good. I'll post an (honest) number in a week or two when I get a chance to fuel it up for the first time.

I never understood why VW never came back with another small pickup like the Rabbit. I would think a small pickup, front wheel drive but with a strong rear suspension would have sold very well. Then again I don't have a degree in marketing.

Nothing wrong with 50 MPG. Iv seen a few of these pulling small trailers. diesels are good at that as well. wish they made a pickup truck, id be first in line.

I use to have a 1981 rabbit diesel pickup. It was actually called the Caddy. I loved it. I use to haul some big loads of fire wood in that little pick up, so much that I said if I make it home I'll never put that much in again. It always got me home. I finally sold it after the second head gasket started leaking. Guy who bought it new what it needed and was hot and heavy for the truck. Yes that would be a hot seller now. I also think a jeep wrangler with a 4 cyl cummins diesel would be a hot seller as well. Emissions has killed a lot of potentially nice vehicles.

I'd like to drop a diesel into my Ford Ranger. At 135K miles it runs like a top, gets a consistent 23 mpg, has hauled more than 100 full cords of firewood over the years, but I think it would really rock with a more efficient engine.

My son has GM Dmax 400HP and low 20s MPG Hwy. GM has a 4.5L 300HP Dmax they was about to launch when the meltdown hit in 2008 said to give high 20s MPG in a pickup. Those 4 cy diesels from the 80s were getting around 30+

We've got a Mark IV Golf TDI (the Pumpe Duse engine). 200,000 miles so far on the clock, average over a tank is 11 miles per litre in winter, 12 in summer (42-45 miles per US gallon). The best I've seen on a long trip is 60 MP(Imperial)G - 50 MP(US)G. It would probably have done a bit better when new, but I bought it at 125,000 miles.

Last I heard the Jetta didn't need the urea tank replenished, but I don't know for sure.
I did find out on Fred's, where i posted after seeing that Jetta TDI Sportwagen, that they still have timing belts (vs chain) which has to be changed at some point. I got proficient at changing my timing belt and had all the tools vag-com, etc. Not even sure if vag-com exists for the new models.

If I got a new one, I wouldn't do anything to "hot rod" it like the Beetle. I put in full gauges, injectors, programming, vr6 clutch, bilsteins, rear stabilizer bar, leatherette seats, seat heat, euro lights, higher 5th speed gear set, etc, and I wasn't even one of the nuttier ones. It was fun, and educational, but not worth it.

My manual says the timing belt on the 2.0 TDI engine needs changed at 130K miles. I guess I won't start saving up for that just yet.

I'm sure with a tank capacity north of 600 miles, I'll have all kinds of excess urea accumulating up on those long trips.

When the 2000's came out, they were saying 60k miles for the timing belt. I think they're made of better material now.

Always had the Beetle changed at around 50,000 on t

Always had our Beetle changed at around 50K to be on the safe side. Belt breaks on an interference motor and good bye valve train and pistons.

You live in a high fuel price hotspot BG. I filled my diesel truck yesterday for 3.68 per gallon and gas was at 3.08. Both after the 3 cent "discount".

I would love a TDI. I daily drive the 7.3 liter ford diesel and it is still cheaper than buying a second beater car for commuting. 15 city 20 highway is tough to beat unless you really pour on the miles. My first real car was a scirroco and so VW has always had a special place in my car book. People ask for, and get, a high price premium for these TDI cars so unless I buy new it would be a real old one. No sense in buying used when the new cars are only a touch higher.

The early belts Mk3 and early Mk4 were 60k mile, but the newer ones (late Mk4 and all the Mk5) are 100k+.

Hot rodding a Beatle just seems wrong. The old ones I like, but the new style ones never did catch on with most people. We had a guy at work run one for a few months... he sold it after getting tired of getting crap from everyone about it. "That your wife's car?", etc.

You would think then that a guy comfortable with his masculinity could find a tdi beetle with manual trans and heated seats for cheap money but no, they still want big bucks. I would love to be able to send a little off road diesel (90 cents per gallon cheaper and still ULSD) into a daily driver.

On edit: Did I say that out loud? I know, it's against a rule that someone, somewhere wrote.

Apparently if you're a big fella, they're a lot easier to get in and out of than a regular sedan.

Highbeam--I hear the fines are pretty steep if you inadvertently put the wrong color fuel in your tank. I don't think they do roadblocks checking for that kind of thing, but if you happened to get into an accident and the trooper decided to check your fuel line color, you might be in more trouble than you bargained for.

Not saying it hasn't crossed my mind. I do have a 200 gal. tank on the family tree farm in Wisconsin full of skidder fuel...... Not sure if the current off road spec calls for ultra low sulfur diesel, but it will before long, regardless.

We had a 1997 TD that we had to replace in a hurry in 2006 when the trans went south. The year before that it was a turbo.

We got a Civic. It's now got 300k on it with only tires & oil changes, and one brake job on the front. We get the same MPG as with the TD (45mpg CDN), and way less service hassles (timing chain vs. belt, for one). If we had lived closer to a VW dealer (closest is over an hour away), we might have considered another one - they seem to be more particular of certain dealer service items (like timing belt servicing) that made getting it to a dealer a pain for us. After living with the Civic for the past 6 years, I don't think we'll be going back to VW.

But they are nice cars.

VW auto trans are a nightmare. The stick shifts hold up well.

I really love my 99.5 TDI... BUT, if i had to replace it now, it would either be a seriously used TDI/civic/civic hybrid... not really sure which one. The tdi is great. i have owned a honda before, reliable and cheap, but woefully boring.

I've decided to name the TDI "Phantom 309."

I don't generally name my vehicles, but in this case I could not resist.

Filled up "Phantom 309" for the first time today. 43 mpg on the first tank. I think it just gets better after the break in period. But it is what it is, and it's not bad. It's nice to get 600 miles on one tank of fuel.

That's what our 98 TDI beetle averaged. Its' nice to watch that gas gauge barely move after lots of driving. Plus when you fill up your not pumping in 25 gallons. Enjoy Phantom 309

I got 960 miles on a tank once. Of course, I turned off the engine at a light and then it wouldn't restart. I had some fuel with me, but it was hard to start (lost prime). I really wanted to break 1000.

I'll be happy if I can get into the 700 mile club with my 14.5 gallon tank. I learned something this morning: Diesel fuel nozzles come in two sizes and the big ones for semi trucks won't fit in my tank, which has a special guard that keeps you from putting gasoline in the thing. A lot of head scratching on that first fill.