I'm new to the group - both the forum and...was a TDI virgin until last Saturday Got an '03 Jetta TDI (GLS Wagon, MT) from a Toyota dealer here - got super lucky. It was the trim, the color, MT and within our price range! I liked getting it from a dealer - they didn't care that it was an "in-demand" car or making tons of money from it (like 7K OVER what KBB was, unlike a place in Bellevue I went to...) they just wanted to sell a car! This one was only a few K over the KBB price - which I really don't get why KBB is so low - cuz you CAN NOT find a TDI close to their price!
It's my first "soccer mom" car - but I totally love it! I had a Scion xB before this one (manual also) - the acceleration/power/torque is pretty similar and decent enough for me. The car had just under 114K miles on it when we got it. So...it's just getting warmed up.
Of course it has a few dents, etc. But it is in pretty good condition. Dealer said there is a leaky head gasket and the AC compressor needs to be replaced. Also the brakes shake a bit at high speeds. Found a local place - guy seems nice - and they work on diesels. Got a quote from him for the head gasket & compressor and it was about 1/5th of what the dealer said it would take.
Although...I'm not your "average girl". I worked in diesel engines for about 5 years (have a Mechanical Engineer degree - that I don't currently use too much...) Although the engines I worked with were heavy duty - "smallest" one was 6L.
Anyway...I didn't really see an "introduction" thread - so I thought I'd say hi. I hope to do a few things to it myself...toying with what I want to do - if anything - with the in-dash stereo. It is "just" a CD player and it also has a TAPE player - which I think is awesome in the nostalgic way However, I'd really like an aux connection and/or bluetooth capabilities. I found a Clarion on Crutchfield that i liked...but funds aren't super plentiful until I get the money back from trading/selling the xB.
Anyway - I'm up for meetups in the Seattle area. Or nearish by??
P.S. I LOVED getting "dies" (pronounced dees - cuz saying "diesel" takes too long :-D) yesterday at Fred Meyer - for 2 cents more than regular gas and knowing that the tank will last me 500+ miles :-D Just bummed Costco doesn't carry diesel Although I think we'll be seeing an increase in passenger diesels - and might be able to convince Costco it's worth it!
It's my first "soccer mom" car - but I totally love it! I had a Scion xB before this one (manual also) - the acceleration/power/torque is pretty similar and decent enough for me. The car had just under 114K miles on it when we got it. So...it's just getting warmed up.
Of course it has a few dents, etc. But it is in pretty good condition. Dealer said there is a leaky head gasket and the AC compressor needs to be replaced. Also the brakes shake a bit at high speeds. Found a local place - guy seems nice - and they work on diesels. Got a quote from him for the head gasket & compressor and it was about 1/5th of what the dealer said it would take.
Although...I'm not your "average girl". I worked in diesel engines for about 5 years (have a Mechanical Engineer degree - that I don't currently use too much...) Although the engines I worked with were heavy duty - "smallest" one was 6L.
Anyway...I didn't really see an "introduction" thread - so I thought I'd say hi. I hope to do a few things to it myself...toying with what I want to do - if anything - with the in-dash stereo. It is "just" a CD player and it also has a TAPE player - which I think is awesome in the nostalgic way However, I'd really like an aux connection and/or bluetooth capabilities. I found a Clarion on Crutchfield that i liked...but funds aren't super plentiful until I get the money back from trading/selling the xB.
Anyway - I'm up for meetups in the Seattle area. Or nearish by??
P.S. I LOVED getting "dies" (pronounced dees - cuz saying "diesel" takes too long :-D) yesterday at Fred Meyer - for 2 cents more than regular gas and knowing that the tank will last me 500+ miles :-D Just bummed Costco doesn't carry diesel Although I think we'll be seeing an increase in passenger diesels - and might be able to convince Costco it's worth it!
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