If you are considering buyback which cars are you looking at as replacements?

The economic arguments for a Tesla really make no sense for most folks. For me it's the absurd power in silence that did it. Already had a Zero SR so it was only a matter of time for me to want the same speed out of my car.

thanksimgruven said:

For those shopping for ICE (internal combustion engine) powered vehicles, keep in mind you will spend a lot more of your life standing at the gas pump. No joke.. In addition, it will cost more as many cars have a larger than 14 gallon fuel tank. This is what I'm learning/remembering after having purchased a BMW 328 a few months ago.

If you have the means I highly recommend getting a non-'driving appliance' electric vehicle such as Tesla. So superior in so many ways...

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What do you call time spent with your Tesla at the "supercharger" recharge station? Quality time?

Unless it is some kind of car only used for local errands that is recharged nightly in your own garage, I suspect you can add 300 miles of new range to your "ICE" car at a gasoline pump in far less time than adding 200 miles of new range to your Tesla at a Supercharger station.

Anyone heard about an official 'unveiling' date for the 2018 Jetta which will be on the A3 (MQB) platform?

Loving my wife's plain, cheap 1.8 liter front drive 2015 A3 as much as I do, I can't wait to test drive an MQB 2 liter, manual GLI.

Yes I know the GTI is 'that car' and I have driven one -two, in fact. Loved it, but also found it perhaps a bit too 'boy-racer-ish' for my tastes/stage in life.

I had a GTI for a rental and was not impressed enough to want it in my garage.

flargabarg said:

The economic arguments for a Tesla really make no sense for most folks. For me it's the absurd power in silence that did it. Already had a Zero SR so it was only a matter of time for me to want the same speed out of my car.

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My next bike!

i have completed the buy back of my 2013 tdi passat 6mt. it went pretty smooth without trouble at the dealer. dealer was all prepared and such and i was done in 15 minutes or so.

I replaced it with a 2015 GTI 6mt.
i am quite happy with the GTI. it is very peppy compared to the passat. it drives very nice and precise. it is of course a little harsher of a ride with stiffer spring and damper rates and a shorter wheel base. but i don't mind that.

i enjoy being able to pass a slow car much easier. while the TDI had good torque, if you were already going 45-50 and needed to pass on a two lane, the acceleration wasn't that exciting. the GTI is much better at this and i am in the wrong lane for half the time i was with the passat.

and the fuel economy is quite good with the GTI. i am averaging 36mpg overall. and my daily commute often shows 39-41gpm on the dashboard. and with buying cheaper fuel (i use 87 octane), the price per mile for the GTI is only $.007 more than the passat would be with today's fuel prices. that is about $4.5 more per week. really not anything at all to be fussing about and i don't.

i have a long commute and really couldn't justify driving any vehicle that doesn't get decent fuel economy, AND, i didn't want a boring to drive vehicle such as a prius or civic or other such cars without any soul at all. a subaru wrx was just too much power and low fuel economy to even consider. i had to have a happy middle ground of fun and efficiency. i might even get a stage 1 tune and increase the fun a bit more during passing.

Jbdesigns said:

(snip)
I replaced it with a 2015 GTI 6mt.
i am quite happy with the GTI. it is very peppy compared to the passat. it drives very nice and precise. it is of course a little harsher of a ride with stiffer spring and damper rates and a shorter wheel base. but i don't mind that.

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Precisely why I want to try the upcoming MQB GLI. Ride-wise, it should fall between the sportier GTI and softer than my wife's A3 which has stunning chassis dynamics. Could be the perfect car for me...

And yes, my wife's DGS A3 has gotten as many as 41.2 MPG on the highway, at speeds up to 70-72 mph. Stunning car....I love that MQB platform.

Im looking at some nice used Volvo V70s under 5 grand for the mrs. VW is going to pay off her student loan debt while she drives something much cheaper.

Job done, an opportunity I am not going to miss to make a lump sum payment, and eliminate both car payment and loan payment birds with the same stone

Good plan. We used part of the Golf money to pay towards my oldest's school loans. Puts her payments in a little more reachable catagory.

Galo said:

Precisely why I want to try the upcoming MQB GLI. Ride-wise, it should fall between the sportier GTI and softer than my wife's A3 which has stunning chassis dynamics. Could be the perfect car for me...

And yes, my wife's DGS A3 has gotten as many as 41.2 MPG on the highway, at speeds up to 70-72 mph. Stunning car....I love that MQB platform.

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A VW MBQ GLI really could be a game changer! I love the utility of the Golf/GTI form, but sedans also have merits. Back in the day, my wife had a GLI that was truly remarkable. It was nothing like the watered down Jetta of today. I think I'll still choose a GTI, because of a great memories I have driving cross-country with my camping gear many years ago, but it'll be interesting to consider an MQB GLI.

bhtooefr said:

Having sat in an Ioniq and a Niro at the Detroit Auto Show, the back seat of the Niro is far roomier. Cargo room... the Ioniq's probably longer, but the Niro's got a taller cargo area?

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Yes, agree. Same platform, but very different spaces inside.
For me, the Niro much more usable, despite the slightly lower mpg.

Got my replacement last week. A 'new' 2015 Jetta DTI! Love it!
My 'old' car was a 2011 Jetta TDI. I wandered into Boise VW last week to check on the 2015 TDI's that were just released to sell. They had one left, a black on black, just like my old one, just the color my wife had insisted on in 2011. So I changed from keeping the 2011 to doing the buyback, and getting the 2015 (likely the last of the 2.0 TDI's, at least for the foreseeable future). I view the TDI as my favorite engine, no matter what nonsense spews out from the EPA and greedy lawyers.
I basically traded straight across before taxes, etc. My buyback was $17,742, plus $350 from Bosch, and an unused payment of $974 from Geico for some kid rear ending the 2011 a couple months ago. The 2015 was $18,980 after the $5,000 deduct.
I had planned on driving the 2011 until it was completely worn out-hopefully 500,000+ miles. I plan to do the same with the 2015. It's basically just a fresh start. I gained 4 years and dropped 94,000 miles plus have a new car warranty and only had to pay sales tax (around $1200) and dealer fees (about $300).
Best of all, I get to keep driving a lovely TDI!!

Did you receive the 'goodwill" cards?

S2000_guy said:

Did you receive the 'goodwill" cards?

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Yes, used them up awhile back.

kjclow said:

Good plan. We used part of the Golf money to pay towards my oldest's school loans. Puts her payments in a little more reachable catagory.

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That was also a good plan, she is going to appreciate it in a few years time!

The extended nature of this process has really allowed a lot of thought to be put into how to proceed. I thought for a long time about another newer car. Ultimately i just didnt see the point in taking such a depreciation hit when i could find a just as comfortable car for a quarter the cost.

I have also ruled out all touch screen interface vehicles. There is nothing that can do for me except become dated in an impossibly short time and cost a lot of money to fix or replace if anything goes wrong. I might as well centralize that technology into a phone or tablet and get a mount for the car to hold one of those instead.

Ulitmately i found a 1500 dollar low mileage no rust car that needed tlc, put 2500 dollars of work and parts on it, and will be replacing a 5 year old passat with an 18 year old volvo that has new suspension, new brakes, new exhaust, and new tires and timing belt.

^^i see the appeal. Zen and the Art of Older Car Maintenance. I am too attached to modern car engine performance and handling. Your point about unnecessary tech goodies I wholeheartedly agree with.

Take a look at my 2018 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E. Fully loaded, AWD torque vectoring, 5,000# towing capacity, nearly 1,500# hauling capacity. Nice accelleration and smooth quiet ride. Best of all, VW paid for most of it. To paraphrase what I've said in all my other posts:


Love(d) my TDi!!!

........got a '17 Jetta S 1.4 TSI/5M. VW's little turbo is about as close to the TDI MPG-wise as possible.

............ with mfr's discounts and dealership credits I was able to bank over 1/3 of my Buyback.

Yes, I already miss the range, torque, 6th gear and V-tex - - - but first fill - a tad under 40 - helps......................

ez

ezshift5 said:

........got a '17 Jetta S 1.4 TSI/5M. VW's little turbo is about as close to the TDI MPG-wise as possible.

............ with mfr's discounts and dealership credits I was able to bank over 1/3 of my Buyback.

Yes, I already miss the range, torque, 6th gear and V-tex - - - but first fill - a tad under 40 - helps......................

ez

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Congrats, ez. Curious about that little motor and it's driving characteristics. Ya like?

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

toneman said:

Congrats, ez. Curious about that little motor and it's driving characteristics. Ya like?

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Actually T-man, at 585 odometer, it's a little premature for my 'take' on the little 1.4. Seems adequate, seems fuel efficient. Chassis, braking and steering are fine. Time will tell.

One thing is for certain: $14.3 OTD is a DEAL!!

best, ez

ezshift5 said:

One thing is for certain: $14.3 OTD is a DEAL!!

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Definitely agree with that! I could do the buyback, get a 1.4T, and have more than enough cash leftover to rebuild the small block in my Camaro . Hmmm.

toneman said:

........I could do the buyback, get a 1.4T, and have more than enough cash leftover to rebuild the small block in my Camaro . Hmmm.

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You know - haven't thought like this in years - I could get next to that (had a 350/350 Corvette when I wore the Blue and Gold).

Thanks for the memories (consider a 1.4/5M test drive - I bet dealers have a bunch of 'em - - - mine had six (6) - looking lonely - ready and waiting!)


ez

This has become one of my favorite threads. I originally started following it because I'm looking for something as close as possible to our Passat, so far, without much luck. And it's not that I don't understand that some may have different transportation needs now than they did whe they purchased their TDI- bur some of these posts are like trading a Mini Cooper for an LCAC....

Glossary- The Landing Craft Air Cushion is a class of air-cushion vehicle used as landing craft by the United States Navy's Assault Craft Units.

I was looking hard at the ND Miata's and I still might end up with one but I'm going to look at a low miles R53 JCW MINI this weekend.

Anyone gone from a Golf TDI to Golf R?

Bought a CRV Honda.

Rico567 said:

This has become one of my favorite threads. I originally started following it because I'm looking for something as close as possible to our Passat, so far, without much luck. And it's not that I don't understand that some may have different transportation needs now than they did whe they purchased their TDI- bur some of these posts are like trading a Mini Cooper for an LCAC....

Glossary- The Landing Craft Air Cushion is a class of air-cushion vehicle used as landing craft by the United States Navy's Assault Craft Units.

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Hey Rico, I was just like you looking for something close to the Passat. As I mentioned in another thread, after test driving virtually all the midsized sedans, I bought a 2014 Fusion Hybrid Titanium, all the bells and whistles, with 32,000 miles and a few months warranty.

I now have burned 10 tanks of fuel and put on 4,500 miles. I am very satisfied. 40.5 mpg pencil and paper vs. about 45 summertime mpg with the Passat. With gas/diesel price differential and no DEF, about the same cost per mile. Definitely not the freeway cruiser like the Pasasat was, instead of 45 to 50 mpg cruising at 75 mph, I am getting a little less than 40 mpg at that speed. But with my mixed driving, it has been a good choice.

Love the fact it is way quieter than the Passat, better stereo, adaptive cruise is awesome. I would encourage you to test drive one. However, stay away from the 2013, that was the first year of the redesign and there were a number of problems with that model year, enough so that that year only is not recommended by Consumer Reports.

Trying to be objective... I like the Fusion better. That's probably a little unfair, I was driving a manual SE Passat, the titanium has way more features and creature comforts. It was 18 grand, for that price I have no complaints at all, and like with the Passat, I look forward to time behind the wheel.

da.hs said:

Anyone gone from a Golf TDI to Golf R?

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I will be doing that in a few months. I can't wait.

My buddy's wife owns a MK6 with 25,000 miles on it. She's going to get a 2018 R. I'll buy hers, when she places her order for the 2018.

Trade Wind said:

Hey Rico, <snip>
Trying to be objective... I like the Fusion better. <snip> for that price I have no complaints at all, and like with the Passat, I look forward to time behind the wheel.

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Thanks for the review of your Fusion Hybrid. It was one of the cars on the short list in 2013 when we ended up buying the Passat (the others were Outback, Prius, and Accord). I think the list we'll drive next year will be similar, except that we really don't need to drive a newer Outback, as our son has a '16, and I've driven it enough to get a very good idea of its strengths and weaknesses. The new Accord Hybrid has evidently been significantly revamped, and unfortunately given a hideous makeover in the styling department— don't know if we'll be able to get past that.
The real trick will be to end up in something that has the "Euro" feel we've been used to as SAAB owners going back to 1972....and that excludes most things that are in the correct size category. The new Volvo s90 / v90 look like contenders, if we can stomach the price tag (doubtful), and the Buick Regal, which is a somewhat differently presented Opel Insignia (even made in the Russelsheim factory) might be a dark horse. We will be test driving those two for sure.

NB: I am excluding all other Euro cars in the Passat size (M-B, BMW, Audi), because their prices are just right out for us. I think that the Jaguar of the proper size might be worth a look, but not only is it RWD, but is likely to have the same sticker problem equipped the way we want.

09 Jetta for Passat

We did the buyback on an 09 Jetta, currently looking for a Passat, we like the features with the 2017 SE/W technology and of course the SEL is sweet but it's price point needs to come down about 2k. couple years ago, we rented no less than 12 sedans similar in size of a Jetta and Passat, hands down we liked the ride and interior room of the Passat. I like Volvo, Audi, Cadillac but those price points are outside of our limit. Will keep searching, so far all arrows are pointing to the 2017 Passat SE/w Technology and lighting package, the dealer just needs to be willing to budge about 2k for us to write the check. (Looking at Tulsa, OKC, Edmond and Lee Summit dealers)
Oct 1/2017 Update: came home with a 1.8 SEL Passat from Thornton VW in Tulsa. If the TDI's come back in the future, we will consider a new. We can only hope they return.