A diesel commuter/family car

We're in a bit of a unique situation. My family and I are stationed in Germany. I drive a Euro Spec ford mondeo wagon after saying I would never be the wagon type. Well, I am hooked. If they look good, I'm all in. So my wife and I are considering either trying to find a US spec diesel wagon here before we move back, and/or see how prevalent the wagons are in the States. This car will be a commuter car for either myself or my wife, but we'd like it reliable enough to take our family of four across country should we want to drive to see family etc.

I'd like a post '06, VW, Audi, etc diesel, automatic, wagon with a nicer interior (dark colored pleather). We would consider older and or sedan, but it would have to be low-ish miles and immaculate. I'd like to find something with less than 100k miles and well taken care of.

The good news is, time is on our hands. We have at least a year before we return.

I am looking for feedback on what you think we should be looking for. And is a wagon reasonable attainable, or are we looking for a needle in the haystack? Thanks!

Well, that will be a short list. Diesel + wagon + 2006 or newer. I think BMW has a diesel 3 here, but of course very expensive. Don't think MB ever sold the E-class wagon here with a diesel. So that leaves the Jetta wagon, and that means 2009+.

Ok, so 2009 was the first year of the wagon? Nothing in the passat variant? I wish I could bring back a nice 320d wagon from here... or a audi a5 wagon, or..the list for euro diesel wagons is nearly endless.

This one looks appealing:
http://www.automartofdallas.com/inv...ta-SportWagen-4dr-AUTOMATIC-TDI-Lewisville-TX

jesus_man said:

Ok, so 2009 was the first year of the wagon? Nothing in the passat variant? I wish I could bring back a nice 320d wagon from here... or a audi a5 wagon, or..the list for euro diesel wagons is nearly endless.

This one looks appealing:
http://www.automartofdallas.com/inv...ta-SportWagen-4dr-AUTOMATIC-TDI-Lewisville-TX

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tdi Passat wagon was last sold here in 2005.
2014 BMW 328d (same engine as 320d in Germany) is available in a wagon. It comes with AWD and an 8 spd auto trans. I think it starts around $42k.

Make sure you're aware of the HPFP issues before you consider a 2009+ Jetta wagon.

afflicted with wagonitis? oilhammer & tditom are correct. jsw or bimmer 3-series d-wagon it is unless you've considered an audi a3 tdi or is this too small? that automart jsw looks great. inquire if the timing belt has been changed & remember the higher dsg servicing costs than manual. price seems reasonable considering the miles. there are some 2.0t passat wagon gassers out there for around $8k cdn. for a $40k+ vehic they have a shocking depreciation value despite being larger than the jsw, nice riding, & very well appointed. i'd love a passat diesel wagon too or better still a skoda octavia combi w/4motion. can you bring one back in your suitcase for me pleeeease?

Hey Tom, I've been out of the tdi scene for a while now. HPFP = high pressure fuel pump? Or does it have to do with the chain driven oil pump vs gear driven?? Of which I am mildly familiar.

2005 Passat Wagon is not out of the question, although none come up on the sites I was looking at. I do fear that a 2014 BMW will be out of the price range.

geoman - Yep, I love my wagon. Nearly double the storage without affecting overall dimensions. And with two young children, I use ALL that space! I do believe the A3 would be a bit tight for the long trips, but would be just fine on the daily commute. I'd love to stick with a manual tranny, but my wife would again hate me if she ended up having to drive it. The Octavia was on my list when searching a couple years ago. I would have loved the RS wagon! None came up in my price range, but I don't have any buyers remorse on the Ford. Plus I've always been a ford guy so it seems natural for me. Have you checked out the Skoda Superb? http://www.skoda.co.uk/models/new-superb-estate

Believe me, if I could fit one of those in my suitcase, I'd also be adding a 4-door mid-size truck (ranger or hilux) among others!

Yes, HPFP = high pressure fuel pump. Just do your research before you start shopping.
good luck, and thanks for your service!

Thanks Tom. When the time comes, I will do the research. I will pass along your thanks to my wife, who is actually the active duty member!

We've extended a year and will be here until summer of 2016. The good news about that is that I can possibly include another year into my search.

Too bad this hadn't been on the US market for a couple years:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/passat-alltrack-2012/

Have you looked into buying a US spec car (from a dealer near a military base) in Germany, and shipping it back with you? If you could get out of paying VAT in Europe (or get it refunded on export), that might be the best solution. Prices for recent model year used TDIs here seem to be pretty crazy, way too close to new car prices.

No and mainly because that's more than I am willing to spend on a commuter car. Our commuter cars seem to get a little nicer each time we get one, but I can't be putting a lot of money into one because I'll need some for my truck when we get back.

Can anyone confirm my suspicion that the Passat Wagon was never offered with a 2.5L V6 TDI in the States? I found one online here, a 2002 4-motion that looks to be in near perfect condition with 170km (110k miles). But it won't meet our criteria if it's Euro Spec. Thanks!

No, it never was.

You won't find a car that can legally be imported unless it was left behind by someone that bought a US-spec model intending to import it, and then decided not to. Even if a car has the same engine as a US car, the whole car needs to have been built to US specifications. Or, be 25+ years old.

Basically, if an essentially new BMW is too much money, you're looking at a Jetta wagon. I'd personally be a bit wary of the Passats, but they can be very nice cars if everything has been kept up with.

A 2005 rust-free Passat TDI wagon, balance shaft module replaced with geared unit or deleted, and 5-speed manual conversion would make a killer commuter/family car, and should be pretty reasonably priced.

oilhammer said:

No, it never was.

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I feared. Bummer!

bhtooefr said:

You won't find a car that can legally be imported unless it was left behind by someone that bought a US-spec model intending to import it, and then decided not to. Even if a car has the same engine as a US car, the whole car needs to have been built to US specifications. Or, be 25+ years old.
Basically, if an essentially new BMW is too much money, you're looking at a Jetta wagon. I'd personally be a bit wary of the Passats, but they can be very nice cars if everything has been kept up with.

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Yeah, a needle in a haystack, but there have been a few. Missed a Jetta Wagon just a few weeks ago! Price was a little high, but I'd negotiate anyway. Ideally I'd find one at a dealer here (you'd be amazed at how many US spec dealers there are in this area) and trade in my mondeo. That way I don't have to worry about selling it later.

PlaneCrazy said:

A 2005 rust-free Passat TDI wagon, balance shaft module replaced with geared unit or deleted, and 5-speed manual conversion would make a killer commuter/family car, and should be pretty reasonably priced.

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This might work for just a little while:


Alas, it must be Euro Spec... so no since in worrying about it.

Back on the hunt!

You're looking for the wagon a lot of us here would be driving- if we could. As has been pointed out, the BMW is very expensive, and the Jetta is a smaller car, if that works for you. The closest other thing for sale here in the states is the Subaru Outback, which sort of lives under the rubric of "crossover" here, since it's got a lot more ground clearance than a normal sedan or wagon. Also with the Subaru, you're getting AWD whether you want it or not, and very mediocre fuel efficiency, nothing like a TDI. Which is what knocked it out of the short list we drove before we bought the Passat.

Rico567 said:

Also with the Subaru, you're getting AWD whether you want it or not, and very mediocre fuel efficiency, nothing like a TDI. Which is what knocked it out of the short list we drove before we bought the Passat.

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Yeah, that's why it's not on my radar either.

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing if a 4-door golf might work, or the A3 as well, but I'd much prefer the flexibility of a wagon.

My job isn't doing so well right now either, so it might not be a good time to be thinking of an "extra" car. But if the right deal came up, it'd be hard not to pass it up...especially since if I bought it right, and had to sell it a few months down the road, I likely wouldn't lose much money on it.

Rico567 said:

You're looking for the wagon a lot of us here would be driving- if we could. As has been pointed out, the BMW is very expensive, and the Jetta is a smaller car, if that works for you. The closest other thing for sale here in the states is the Subaru Outback, which sort of lives under the rubric of "crossover" here, since it's got a lot more ground clearance than a normal sedan or wagon. Also with the Subaru, you're getting AWD whether you want it or not, and very mediocre fuel efficiency, nothing like a TDI. Which is what knocked it out of the short list we drove before we bought the Passat.

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Exactly our thinking when we bought a Jetta and not a Subie.

If you're looking new, the VW Alltrack is headed to the States in 2017 I believe. AWD and diesel - Win-win!

jesus_man said:

Yeah, that's why it's not on my radar either.

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing if a 4-door golf might work, or the A3 as well, but I'd much prefer the flexibility of a wagon.

My job isn't doing so well right now either, so it might not be a good time to be thinking of an "extra" car. But if the right deal came up, it'd be hard not to pass it up...especially since if I bought it right, and had to sell it a few months down the road, I likely wouldn't lose much money on it.

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If you think the A3 is going to be tight, the Golf will be worse. For 2017, VW has been talking about the alltrack but since it is supposed to be Golf Sportswagen based, it won't give you anymore room. VW has also been talking about a diesel in the redesigned Tiguan for 2017, which is what I would consider to replace my JSW. As mentioned, not a lot of options for both new and used.