Dwagen
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2018
- Location
- United States of America
- TDI
- 2004 VW Jetta GLS TDI; 2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Hey guys! So I've decided to start a build thread on my 2013 JSW TDI. But first, here's my story...
I've always had a passion for cars. It started with Hot Wheels, then building model cars, and helping my dad work on his cars (or trucks). Finally the day came when I learned to drive on my mom's 2006 Toyota Sienna minivan. It's 3.3L 215-hp/222 lb-ft torque was pretty peppy. Then I got my first car: a 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i with the CVT. Recently I had fallen in love with wagons, especially the gen-3 Outback. I wasn't too keen with the gen-4 at first, but I eventually came to like it a lot. Good luck spinning tires with 170 hp/tq, AWD, and a CVT lol. Aftermarket support was small. I had to get creative. On went the roof rack and plasti dip. My vision of lifting it into an epic offroad machine ended when I totaled it. Long story short, it was wet, I took an off-ramp too fast, the rear end swung out, I executed a perfect drift (unintentionally), the ramp straightened out, and I slammed into the wall.
Three weeks into searching for a new ride (which included gen-2 Outbacks, BMW 328i and 540i wagons), I test drove a 2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI with 120K miles. It was really sketchy. The camber looked off, there were big dents in the car that I didn't notice in the listing, and the car refused to start after the test drive. Then I looked at their gen-3 Subaru Outback 2.5XT (turbo). Going through my inspection checklist, I noticed the carpet worn to the metal under the floor mat.
Next, I went to another dealer and test drove a Tornado Red '13 JSW TDI with 69K miles. I really, really liked it. My only problem was that the front bumper had evidence of being repainted, which was a red flag. Also, the driver's side door had this really strange damage - it looked like someone color-matched globby glue over a fist-sized patch of bare metal. Plus the dealer was playing really hard with me on the price.
So I left the dealership and went home, half-hoping they'd call me about the red one and negotiate a better deal. As a last resort, I decided to visit another dealership I had been in contact with. This was a Candy White 2013 JSW TDI with only 68K miles. I fell in love with it and immediately knew this was the one for me. It had minor curb rash, but the exterior was in very good shape (especially compared to the other vehicles I looked at that day). I ended negotiating what I thought was a pretty good deal. And it was, except I didn't know what problems I'd run into later...
BTW, here's my WheelWell page of my lightly modded 2011 Subaru Outback: https://wheelwell.com/8-bit-auto/2p49/2011-subaru-outback
Okay, so now onto the build!
I've always had a passion for cars. It started with Hot Wheels, then building model cars, and helping my dad work on his cars (or trucks). Finally the day came when I learned to drive on my mom's 2006 Toyota Sienna minivan. It's 3.3L 215-hp/222 lb-ft torque was pretty peppy. Then I got my first car: a 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i with the CVT. Recently I had fallen in love with wagons, especially the gen-3 Outback. I wasn't too keen with the gen-4 at first, but I eventually came to like it a lot. Good luck spinning tires with 170 hp/tq, AWD, and a CVT lol. Aftermarket support was small. I had to get creative. On went the roof rack and plasti dip. My vision of lifting it into an epic offroad machine ended when I totaled it. Long story short, it was wet, I took an off-ramp too fast, the rear end swung out, I executed a perfect drift (unintentionally), the ramp straightened out, and I slammed into the wall.
Three weeks into searching for a new ride (which included gen-2 Outbacks, BMW 328i and 540i wagons), I test drove a 2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI with 120K miles. It was really sketchy. The camber looked off, there were big dents in the car that I didn't notice in the listing, and the car refused to start after the test drive. Then I looked at their gen-3 Subaru Outback 2.5XT (turbo). Going through my inspection checklist, I noticed the carpet worn to the metal under the floor mat.
Next, I went to another dealer and test drove a Tornado Red '13 JSW TDI with 69K miles. I really, really liked it. My only problem was that the front bumper had evidence of being repainted, which was a red flag. Also, the driver's side door had this really strange damage - it looked like someone color-matched globby glue over a fist-sized patch of bare metal. Plus the dealer was playing really hard with me on the price.
So I left the dealership and went home, half-hoping they'd call me about the red one and negotiate a better deal. As a last resort, I decided to visit another dealership I had been in contact with. This was a Candy White 2013 JSW TDI with only 68K miles. I fell in love with it and immediately knew this was the one for me. It had minor curb rash, but the exterior was in very good shape (especially compared to the other vehicles I looked at that day). I ended negotiating what I thought was a pretty good deal. And it was, except I didn't know what problems I'd run into later...
BTW, here's my WheelWell page of my lightly modded 2011 Subaru Outback: https://wheelwell.com/8-bit-auto/2p49/2011-subaru-outback
Okay, so now onto the build!