Anyone else happy with dieselgate?

I know it is different for everyone but for me dieselgate was one of the best things possible

I bought car new Oct 2014. A the time I was driving approx. 40K miles a year and my truck got 15mpg highway. So this Jetta was great. But I also sold my boat as part of selling truck and I prefer trucks/SUVs (I hunt, camp, fish, hike, build things, etc so they fit my lifestyle better)

Financially at the time the best decision was getting the car. But year or so later I got another job I had been wanting for a few years. Dropped my annual driving down to a more reasonable 15K, gave me more free time, etc.

Dieselgate is allowing me to do something I could not have done otherwise: get out of this car without taking a loss. If dieselgate never happened I could have traded my Jetta, had maybe couple grand equity, and get into another car payment. Doable but not ideal

Thanks to dieselgate I was able to drive a new vehicle 64K miles (mileage I should be at when I do buyback on the 19th), have my maintenance paid for (I am skipping last oil change. Risk is low), and then "trade" in and walk away with over $5k in my bank account.

I wish my buyback was done earlier but outside of that, assuming nothing happens between now and the 19th and I get the money in my account quickly, dieselgate is one of the best things that could have happened to me.

Anyone else benefiting immensely as a result?

I'm in a similar scenario.

Was commuting 153 miles day, the Passat was far and away the best choice. 31 months later and 71,000 miles I'm getting about $7,000 back. And my cost for use of the car during 31 months? Just shy of $4,000, which is $129.03 a month, which I could have never achieved on a brand new car the size of a Passat.

I've also moved, and my daily commute is less than 20 miles total, so I don't need economy of the Passat like I did before. All in all, very happy with the overall buyback, though the process was slow.

I sold back my 09 Jetta, with 78,000 miles. I got this car from Chris Farnham at a great price, plus Cash for Clunkers, and a $1300 tax credit. But after 7 years, and having retired, I wanted a bigger car/SUV. I got one, a BMW x5 diesel.

My Jetta had been very reliable. But it was still on the original battery, needed new summer tires, new winter tires, a 80,000 mile service including DSG service, and I was concerned about the early "all in one housing" exhaust system. And our common fear, possible HPFP failure.

After Cash for Clunkers and the tax credit, the car efffectively cost me $19,500 in 2009. I got back $14,875 from VW on the buyback. Can't beat that deal with a stick.

Very happy.

2013 VW JSW with 61600 miles.

Restitution with the buyback will be $24917, along with the 1k worth of Gift Cards. So total $25917.

I purchased it for originally for $29200 after NYS State Tax.

I purchased a replacement 2016 Golf SE w/Lighting Package for $21900+Tax with 0% financing back in late September. Used my $500 dealer card as the downpayment.

As upset as I have been with Volkswagen's handling of the buyback process, I am definitely going to be happy with the end result.

Not only am I getting far more than I could've hoped for a car that no longer really suits my purposes, the accident I was in won't kill its value as it would if I were to trade or sell it via normal channels.

Thanks to the terms of the settlement, I can actually afford the vehicle that best suits my needs, and that would not have been the case without Dieselgate.

I am pleased overall but their communication really sucked

I'm happy with the settlement amount, but I'm not happy about Dieselgate having happened in the first place. It seemed we were making great strides in diesel technology, but Volkswagen has demonstrated that all of that was a sham. It's disappointing that diesel's reputation has been tarnished yet again by a major manufacturer. The writing is on the wall, I guess... not much we can do about it.

VeeDubTDI said:

I'm happy with the settlement amount, but I'm not happy about Dieselgate having happened in the first place. It seemed we were making great strides in diesel technology, but Volkswagen has demonstrated that all of that was a sham. It's disappointing that diesel's reputation has been tarnished yet again by a major manufacturer. The writing is on the wall, I guess... not much we can do about it.

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This ^^^

While the end result for me is not bad -- the fact that it happened in the first place does not make me happy. I'd been wanting a TDI since before I bought a gas Passat in 2006 (local dealer had very few TDI come in and would not bargain on price and the gas Passat was thousands cheaper and better fit for my budget at the time) and first test drove one in 1999. I finally was able to get 1 (actually 2) in 2013 and was happy with them until diesel gate came.

Now, I've been able to upgrade to nicer cars (in conjunction with a new job and new work that does not require a long commute like I had when I got the TDI) and potential for disaster from HPFP etc is gone, and so personally I have benefitted.

For me it was a winner. I paid 10k for a 2012 A3 that had a bashed in front end in 2014. Cost 8k to fix it plus a lot of hours - well over 100. Planned to keep it forever. Got offered 26.1k from VW after adding 30k miles and was ready for a new car. Took it, received, done.

Very happy!

I am waiting for the fix and then I will receive about $5,200, as I still like the car. Currently, if I chose the buy back I would net $6k. If no fix is available by May 1 2018 then I will switch to the buy back which will result in around $750 less than what the buyback would be today, not bad at all! Conveniently, May 2, 2018 is my last scheduled loan payment, which means I would receive the entire buyback amount. Lets see get $6k now and loan paid off or wait a year and a half and get $16k with my loan paid off... hmm

Financially, this is very fortunate situation for me.

I didn't get a sweepstakes ticket, and would much rather have never bought the car. In mine and other 2009-2010 cases,
-ate 14.5k in depreciation, instead of the above
-had unique P0401 hassles over 2/3'rds of ownership, in a CARB state
-was extorted by VW for fraudulent parts, to keep the car on road
Car had many issues, beyond diesel-gate (LNT): (flashing PRNDS, broken spring, failed a/c, broken auto-shift, exhaust flap, DPF, windows, multiple leaks, turbo, and the usual $1,000 stuff, like EGR). LOL, I guess I was "lucky" the HPFP go.

MrSprdSheet said:

I didn't get a sweepstakes ticket, and would much rather have never bought the car. In mine and other 2009-2010 cases,
-ate 14.5k in depreciation, instead of the above
-had unique P0401 hassles over 2/3'rds of ownership, in a CARB state
-was extorted by VW for fraudulent parts, to keep the car on road
Car had many issues, beyond diesel-gate (LNT): (flashing PRNDS, broken spring, failed a/c, broken auto-shift, exhaust flap, DPF, windows, multiple leaks, turbo, and the usual $1,000 stuff, like EGR). LOL, I guess I was "lucky" the HPFP go.

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I thought this thread called out to the happy ones, not the complainers.

An interesting thread. With few exceptions, the conclusions that may be drawn are:

1. I got a fantastic deal.....

2. Which really helps, because I bought the wrong car inthe first place.

I enjoyed the hell out of my car, because of the additional power and economy the cheat provided.

I drove it 80k miles in just over 2 years

My job changed, I don't need the mileage, and they're giving me nearly all my money back.

Yes, dieselgate has made this the best car owning experience of my life.

grawk said:

I enjoyed the hell out of my car, because of the additional power and economy the cheat provided.

I drove it 80k miles in just over 2 years

My job changed, I don't need the mileage, and they're giving me nearly all my money back.

Yes, dieselgate has made this the best car owning experience of my life.

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Amen to all of this. Best car buying decision I have ever made.

I'm guessing

Due the fact I can't get an offer after 2 months of waiting, that 465,789+/- are very happy. People couldn't run to their computers any faster then they did to download their paperwork.

coolbreeze said:

Due the fact I can't get an offer after 2 months of waiting, that 465,789+/- are very happy. People couldn't run to their computers any faster then they did to download their paperwork.

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That is me with the yellow cycling cap on

Happy or not you'll have to ask Jimmy the president-elect!

I am thrilled with it. I bought the car new three years ago with the intention of keeping it, but the buyback is just way too lucrative. At this point it is a two-year free lease, compounded by the fact that it is a non-depreciating asset if I keep to the 12,500 miles a year. They are paying me back over 90% of the purchase price I paid for it, and at that point it will be five years old with probably ~90k miles on it. I personally do not care that they lied to the EPA, and I appreciate the fuel economy that came out of it. It is basically a rolling piggy bank for me right now!

JoshMcMadMac said:

I am thrilled with it. I bought the car new three years ago with the intention of keeping it, but the buyback is just way too lucrative. At this point it is a two-year free lease, compounded by the fact that it is a non-depreciating asset if I keep to the 12,500 miles a year. They are paying me back over 90% of the purchase price I paid for it, and at that point it will be five years old with probably ~90k miles on it. I personally do not care that they lied to the EPA, and I appreciate the fuel economy that came out of it. It is basically a rolling piggy bank for me right now!

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That's pretty much the way it is for me, except with fewer miles on the odometer.

For me it's a mixed bag. We get rid of the thrid car and have essentially driven the Golf for five years for free. Well, except for the 40K service and a set of tires. The JSW will become the wife's dd while ew decide what to do with it. I'm not really thrilled with the buyback amount on it and may opt for the fix and $5200. That is assuming VW even releases a fix for it. If no fix, I guess I'll take the buyout and see what the wife decides on for her new car.

This is definitely a two-part question.

First off I am very happy with the offer. I bought a TDI to start saving money to go back to school. Fast forward to now, the first one was flooded and replaced with the '15, I put 50k miles on it, graduated in December, and am ready to get back into an SUV. My offer is about the same as my out the door price in June '15, so I drove basically for free.

Second part, the process of the buy back... we'll leave it as less than thrilled.

I drove my 2013 JSW for 3+ years, 40,000 miles - total cost $800!

Yeah, I'm happy. Best car deal I'll ever get. Treated myself to a BMW Sportwagen 328i with this unexpected windfall.

Next month I will be turning in my 2015 A3 purchased used after 21 months and 24,000 miles for a $9800 profit (after GW package). It is my first diesel vehicle and I love the combination of low end torque and high gas mileage. So much so I bought a 2015 A8L TDI after learning about my great settlement offer back in July. I can honestly say that the A8L is fantastic with unparalleled comfort, handling, power, and I am getting an average of 37 mpg on the highway. I am anxious to hear if and how much I will get in the 3.0L settlement because I will then roll that into a new 2016 A8L TDI when the stop sale is over. That car I will keep forever.


The settlement has definitely changed my driving life for the better. I was able to step up from an A3 which is nice (MSRP $42,000) to an amazing ride (A8L MSRP $95000) for an additional outlay of only $17,000. Thanks VW.

Financially it is pretty good for us, we have two TDIs. It has been a royal pain to deal with Volkswagen however, the actual process is terrible. My Jetta has needed tires for, really, about 8 months now. I refuse to put tires on something I will just end up burning the money on. It's been 60-something calendar days since my uploaded documents were approved and no offer letter....it just continues to drag out.

I put tires on my A3, so I'll keep it 6-12 months longer. Either way tho, it's a pretty small expense considering.

coolbreeze said:

That is me with the yellow cycling cap on

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You will see me about one inch away from your yellow cap if you look north at 11:00 - I have the bloody nose (above the guy with the bloody jaw).

It's been good for me. When my wife bought her 2010 JSW in 2013 it was the best car out there for her 120 mile round trip highway commute. Good MPG, a nicer interior then her old Foster, and great wagon practicality. When diesel gate broke we took a risk and bought two more VW TDI. Now we're turning those three cars into a Tesla Model S, which is the new highway commute King. Thanks VW!

Ecstatic! Moving into a VW Passat was a step down from my previous cars I owned. Put the money in the bank and ended up leasing a Q50 3.0T Premium for the same payment as the Passat. What drove me to the Passat was the fuel economy and needing to commute 60 miles round trip. It fit the bill, but once I switched consulting gigs, it was no longer needed.

Thrilled would be a strong word, relieved would be more accurate. Everything was fine untill it passed 60,000 miles, then there was the 2036 software flash, mpg dropped about 3 per tank, $500.00 repairs started showing up every 5 or 6 months, and in a little over a year expensive maintenance like the timing belt will come around. I have already had one bad fuel scare, fortunately it was just water and algae from a Murphy's rather than gasoline. It will be a relief to be able to go to Walmart and buy a quart of oil, an air filter, or a windshield wiper with the next vehicle.