Would you buy your car again?

Hello all!

I'm looking at buying a 2011 VW Jetta TDI with the DSG transmission since I will be going to dental school next year. I want a car that will be extremely reliable so I do not miss any time at school. Basically, before I decide to make the purchase I'd like to have your opinion on a few things:

1) Would you buy your car again if you had the choice?
2) Are there any known issues about this car that I should be aware of before buying?
3) What Issues have you had on your car?
4) If you feel comfortable about it, how much did you pay out the door(before tax) for your car and what options did it come with?
5) Did you have any luck haggling? Or, getting extra warranty etc... for free?
6) What's your average MPG's?


The best deal that I've seen thus far on a new 2011 is a silver, black leather, navigation & bluetooth, DSG automatic, Sunroof for $23,600.

I'd appreciate your responses!

I would buy another tdi jetta in a heart beat....I was lost when my 2003 was wrecked from some idiot and didnt really like my 2011 at first because i wanted my 03 back again...now fast forward i have 30,000kms on my 2011 and i love the crap outa it...its better all around lots of power good pull and 6spd is sweet. I have no issues with my car thus far other then a couple recalls and ecu updates. Only thing i would do different is go silver this time as white is deadly when you want it to be clean all the time lol..makes u crazy lol

I just wanted to add that I plan on keeping it for at least 6-7 years if not longer...

Savageman69 said:

I would buy another tdi jetta in a heart beat....I was lost when my 2003 was wrecked from some idiot and didnt really like my 2011 at first because i wanted my 03 back again...now fast forward i have 30,000kms on my 2011 and i love the crap outa it...its better all around lots of power good pull and 6spd is sweet. I have no issues with my car thus far other then a couple recalls and ecu updates. Only thing i would do different is go silver this time as white is deadly when you want it to be clean all the time lol..makes u crazy lol

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Nice! I have an 03 right now and love it as well. I'm going to keep it as a second car for the family.

As a dental student needing a reliable car, I strongly discourage you from buying 2011 Jetta TDI or any other diesel. This is based on my experience with diesel cars going back to 1978. I urge you to buy a gas car, such as Honda Civic, that without doubt, per Los Angeles Times, is undisputed most reliable car. With diesels, cold whether will bring problem with battery, glow plugs, diesel fuel jellying, etc. Moreover, you may have to waste time searching for a diesel station and chances are that even when you find one the fuel dispenser will be dirty or soiled in addition to higher price per gallon than gas. Your studies are more important than worrying about having this or that problem getting diesel car fixed and money draining. So avoid buying any diesel car if possible.

Im not sure what diesels your driving but ive had tdis for 5 years and never have had a cold weather issue....It gets down to -32c here in the winter some times and have never had jelled fuel or battery problems. Plus driving the tdi youill be looking for fuel half as often as with a gas car so i really dont feel searching for a pump thats diesel story is really an issue...crap almost all the gas stations have diesel here. Is a honda more reliable yah problaby but my tdis have been more reliable then any other brands ive owned so far.

Dodoma said:

As a dental student needing a reliable car, I strongly discourage you from buying 2011 Jetta TDI or any other diesel. This is based on my experience with diesel cars going back to 1978. I urge you to buy a gas car, such as Honda Civic, that without doubt, per Los Angeles Times, is undisputed most reliable car. With diesels, cold whether will bring problem with battery, glow plugs, diesel fuel jellying, etc. Moreover, you may have to waste time searching for a diesel station and chances are that even when you find one the fuel dispenser will be dirty or soiled in addition to higher price per gallon than gas. Your studies are more important than worrying about having this or that problem getting diesel car fixed and money draining. So avoid buying any diesel car if possible.

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This is how I've been justifying the TDI thus far: The place I'm going is very hot year round so I shouldn't have trouble with cold whether will bring problem with battery, glow plugs, diesel fuel jellying, etc. I don't think that I will be having trouble with finding a diesel station since most of my travels will be on the freeway. I figured that the extra mpg's attained from the diesel would make up for the additional cost of diesel fuel. My main concern is expensive fixes for at least the four years that I will be in school since I won't be having an income.

If your aim is to cut fuel cost and expensive fixes, I recommend you to buy a gas hybrid. My 2006 Civic hybrid easily gives 42+ mpg on regular gas. The car now has 98k trouble free miles and with original battery. With regular gas costing almost $.45 less than diesel fuel, even with the talked high diesel mpg, my hybrid is costing less than TDI. On the other hand, my 2002 TDI with almost same miles had many issues that luckly I was able to fix using this site. But for a person without time, facility, or extra car, repairing costs would have been horrendus. I like my diesel simply because I can fix most problems but with fuel price disparity and narrowing of mpg disparity, I will be reluctant to buy another diesel car now or in future.

im not sure what the us warranty is but i know here it was 5 years or 100,000kms and i extended to 120,000kms cuz i wanted to.
So you shouldnt have to spend any money on it with warranty aside from wear items maybe tires and brakes. Now manual will save you a ton of money service wise and price up front as well and is more reliable in my opinion. There isnt much worry with the motor the cr has been used in europe for a while and here since 2009 with no real issues aside from fuel pumps that seem to slowly dissapeared in the 2011s almost. Other then that i wouldnt be worried to much about anything else these cars are built for highway and km racking lol.

Well, I say get what you want to get.

23,600 seems like an excellent price for a fully loaded DSG TDI Jetta.

I think I paid 24,500 for mine and it is a manual - granted only one in my area and none coming in for months. Still haven't found many manual trans TDI's w/ Nav here.

Only thing that could bite you is HPFP (now I don't want to start a scare tactic) if you fill with RUG (regular unleaded gasoline) by accident or it simply fails. I did a Geico mechanical break down warranty with mine - cheaper than what dealer was offering
DSG needs to be serviced every 40K.

I am sure other things could fail and break but you are at least covered for 3 years/36K miles granted you don't fill with RUG.

You also have to be ok with not being cheaper over 6-7 years. I bought my TDI because I simply love diesels - and yes I love the fuel mileage. Just got back from a 300 mile trip that cost me $28 dollars in fuel. Averaged 44 mpg (hand calculated - computer said 48) going between 75-85 with a heavy foot and AC on the whole time. I want to own the car until it is done and worn out.

Buy what you want to buy. Any purchase comes with risk.

Oh and yes I would definitely buy my car again PLUS a Sportwagen!

As a student I would get a bus pass and save the money to pay for school or get accommodation closer to the school. But that is just the financial planner in me coming out.

I don't know the US models are ranked but it sounds like you are looking at the top end model for a good price.

I also don't understand why diesel costs more than unleaded gas in the US. In Canada its the other way around.

Personally I'm not a fan of hybrids - I think they cost too much right now (I'm sure that this will improve over time) at least in Canada.

-I would buy mine again though its only been 6 months.

-I am only having a problem with my Bluetooth connectivity. After 20 minutes it disconnects on phone calls. But I haven't narrowed it down. It could be my phone that is causing the problem.

-I think I paid C$28,000 for a "highline" which has everything but the Nav package (I know my way around enough to skip it). Leather wasn't available without waiting a while - came with leatherette instead.

-I used Consumer Reports new car buying site to work out what the dealer's real cost was and split the difference between that and the sticker price. Didn't get extra warranty. None offered.

-Average economy seems to be about 5.2 liters/100km but gets as high as 6.7 liters/100km if I don't get out on the highway enough.

Highline Driver said:

As a student I would get a bus pass and save the money to pay for school or get accommodation closer to the school. But that is just the financial planner in me coming out.
I don't know the US models are ranked but it sounds like you are looking at the top end model for a good price.
I also don't understand why diesel costs more than unleaded gas in the US. In Canada its the other way around.
Personally I'm not a fan of hybrids - I think they cost too much right now (I'm sure that this will improve over time) at least in Canada.
-I would buy mine again though its only been 6 months.
-I am only having a problem with my Bluetooth connectivity. After 20 minutes it disconnects on phone calls. But I haven't narrowed it down. It could be my phone that is causing the problem.
-I think I paid C$28,000 for a "highline" which has everything but the Nav package (I know my way around enough to skip it). Leather wasn't available without waiting a while - came with leatherette instead.
-I used Consumer Reports new car buying site to work out what the dealer's real cost was and split the difference between that and the sticker price. Didn't get extra warranty. None offered.
-Average economy seems to be about 5.2 liters/100km but gets as high as 6.7 liters/100km if I don't get out on the highway enough.

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I've lived quite frugally for the past 5 years in my bachelors program and have saved enough money to pay cash for the new car. Otherwise, it would definitely not be possible or feasible for me to buy this car. I'm married so living on campus in a dormitory is, "out of the question" lol. If I live 30 minutes away from school, there are some cheap housing available to make up the costs of travel. But perhaps, I should consider something cheaper. I already have an 03 jetta tdi that is in great working condition and has been reliable. But, I doubt that it will go for another 5 years trouble free. I keep up on the maintenance meticulously and use only the best materials but it's still an 8 year old car.

We tax diesel in the US because all of the truckers use diesel and most everyone else uses gas powered cars. The only reason it's higher is because of taxes placed on diesel that is meant for truckers and other commercial uses of diesel. It's stupid that we have to brunt the price of diesel even though we drive cars.

TDI_Timmy said:

Well, I say get what you want to get.
23,600 seems like an excellent price for a fully loaded DSG TDI Jetta.
I think I paid 24,500 for mine and it is a manual - granted only one in my area and none coming in for months. Still haven't found many manual trans TDI's w/ Nav here.
Only thing that could bite you is HPFP (now I don't want to start a scare tactic) if you fill with RUG (regular unleaded gasoline) by accident or it simply fails. I did a Geico mechanical break down warranty with mine - cheaper than what dealer was offering
DSG needs to be serviced every 40K.
I am sure other things could fail and break but you are at least covered for 3 years/36K miles granted you don't fill with RUG.
You also have to be ok with not being cheaper over 6-7 years. I bought my TDI because I simply love diesels - and yes I love the fuel mileage. Just got back from a 300 mile trip that cost me $28 dollars in fuel. Averaged 44 mpg (hand calculated - computer said 48) going between 75-85 with a heavy foot and AC on the whole time. I want to own the car until it is done and worn out.
Buy what you want to buy. Any purchase comes with risk.

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Yea it was a good deal, here is the link for it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0730849347&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

It looks like he already sold it.

Dodoma said:

If your aim is to cut fuel cost and expensive fixes, I recommend you to buy a gas hybrid. My 2006 Civic hybrid easily gives 42+ mpg on regular gas. The car now has 98k trouble free miles and with original battery. With regular gas costing almost $.45 less than diesel fuel, even with the talked high diesel mpg, my hybrid is costing less than TDI. On the other hand, my 2002 TDI with almost same miles had many issues that luckly I was able to fix using this site. But for a person without time, facility, or extra car, repairing costs would have been horrendus. I like my diesel simply because I can fix most problems but with fuel price disparity and narrowing of mpg disparity, I will be reluctant to buy another diesel car now or in future.

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You have some very good points. I used to have a corolla and it was very reliable and got 35+mpg and many times close to 40mpg. It would be a much cheaper initial investment and I could probably find a good used one for cheap. It's weird how used 2009 2010 TDI's are priced very closely to the 2011's and sometimes even more expensive than new ones. Corolla's on the other hand are more common so I could probably find a very nice newer used corolla for between 10-14k about half the cost of a tdi. This thought has been lurking in the back of my mind for a while but has been covered by my love for TDI's. I see now that it is the more wise decision for the moment to go for a corolla. But! when I graduate and pay off my 450k student loans then I will get a new tdi I probably shouldn't hold my breath.

I would get the 6spd manual tranny. The DSG has a maintenance cost that is a bit higher compared to the manual. Except that there is really no major maintenance issues.

If I were you, I'd keep the $$$ as it might come in handy during the next few years. Then finance/lease a cheap Hyundai Elantra or Accent Hatchback or a Civic for 3~4 years.

Then after you've graduated you can then get the Passat TDI or an Audi A6 TDI?

I've gone totally Diesel and have no regrets.
If I were to get a gasser I would get a Lexus CT200h. It's a reasonably priced Hybrid giving 4.5L/100KM and all the luxury you need starting at CAD$30K+.

Buy it again?

Yes- I would buy my 09 JSW again... as soon as VW fixes the hpfp issue and when they get off the bottom of Consumer Report's customer satisfaction list.

Not a bad price.. Not a great price. The one in the link above has no nav. I paid 24000 for 11 jetta tdi dsg w nav and protection package. Sticker was $26495. Sold @ $24000.

Honestly I would keep saving until ride your 03 tdi till it dies.

4) If you feel comfortable about it, how much did you pay out the door(before tax) for your car and what options did it come with?


The best deal that I've seen thus far on a new 2011 is a silver, black leather, navigation & bluetooth, DSG automatic, Sunroof for $23,600.
I'd appreciate your responses!

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After seeing the ebay link I would just point out that the Nav package isn't/wasn't on that car. That is the Premium 8 Satellite Radio. The seats aren't leather, they are leatherette (vinyl with tiny perforated holes). It also has the 16 inch wheels as opposed to 17s. Oh, and no KESSY (keyless entry).

rezmarian said:

But! when I graduate and pay off my 450k student loans then I will get a new tdi I probably shouldn't hold my breath.

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Ouch! That is some student loan. I wish you a very busy and profitable dental practice.

Highline Driver said:

After seeing the ebay link I would just point out that the Nav package isn't/wasn't on that car. That is the Premium 8 Satellite Radio. The seats aren't leather, they are leatherette (vinyl with tiny perforated holes). It also has the 16 inch wheels as opposed to 17s. Oh, and no KESSY (keyless entry).

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Yeah I noticed that too. Unfortunately or fortunately, however you look at it, no (in US) Jetta TDI sedan comes with 17" wheels unless you get them extra.

1) Would you buy your car again if you had the choice?

In a heartbeat. Love the car. Fun to drive right out of the box and I'm getting 42 mpg highway at 75-80 mph. (Matches my cousin's Prius' mpg at that speed.)

I formerly had a Nissan Altima Hybrid (supposedly the sportiest of the hybrids in 2008.) I lowered it to improve handling, but I struggled to maintain 33 mpg on the highway at 75+ mph (typical speed for that open stretch of highway on my commute.) If I kept it to 55-60 mph and used hypermiling/drafting, I'd get 37-38 mpg. My TDI easily gets 42+ on the highway at 75+ mph without really trying... and it's a lot more fun to drive. Also, with hybrids, there's the cost of battery replacement later, and I'm not certain how long I'd want to keep a hybrid. The TDI is a long term keeper... and that its resale value is strong is also nice.

2) Are there any known issues about this car that I should be aware of before buying?

Infrequent reports of High Pressure Fuel Pump failures (as compared to number of cars sold/made). Search the forums for this as it can be costly.

Whistling mirror - supposedly dealer has a fix, or you can fix yourself with some clear silicone caulk.

Wind noise around A-pillars. Dealer will replace your door seals if this is an issue.

Squeaks in interior trim and behind instrument cluster. Dealer sprays silicone lubricant on the seals. I added a UNIbrace subframe connector which has helped to reduce some of the torsional flex of the chassis.

3) What Issues have you had on your car?

None. After 12,200 miles, the car has been fantastic.

4) If you feel comfortable about it, how much did you pay out the door(before tax) for your car and what options did it come with?

If I recall correctly, I paid $24,250 before tax and license on my 2011 Jetta TDI with Nav and DSG.

5) Did you have any luck haggling? Or, getting extra warranty etc... for free?

I negotiate as part of my job, so I almost always have luck negotiating. Trick is to find a dealer that is willing to work with you. The dealers usually are more anxious at the end of the month or on rainy days. Going with the Internet Manager and pointing out TrueCar.com pricing or Costco pricing will save you some negotiating hassles. Or you can go with the one or two dealers on this website as their pricing is pretty darned good from what I've seen.

Extra warranty for free means that they're making that cost back from you on the price of the car. I suggest you negotiate these things separately. Again, the one or two dealers on this site can probably provide you with the extended warranty at a good price without having to haggle.

6) What's your average MPG's?

You can see it in my signature - about 39 mpg at about 20 - 25% city driving. I've seen 47.4 mpg over 75 miles of pure freeway driving at about 65 mph.

Just be forewarned - driving a TDI is just a hoot and I find that I enjoy that torque a bit too much in my street driving. Plus, unlike my former Altima Hybrid, the Jetta TDI seems to call me out to play on the twisty mountain roads.

Tough call. On one hand my '10 JSW TDI at 18K mi has been all I expected, only probs being a bad antenna amp and sticky rear seat ski door watchamacallit, both replaced NC. I do feel it is a bit lower in build quality than my A3 and MkV GTI, both which were German-built, but still very good. You sound like you are in it for the long haul which I gather from these pages is what TDIs excel at. I too want to keep this one for awhile and so, against my general principles, got extended warranty (partly in hopes of it covering an HPFP failure.) BTW I bought mine end-of-year and got it at invoice. (Had to take what was on hand but shopped around via the internet first so got pretty much all I wanted.) Just saw 46mpg indicated on a recent trip, 70-75mph, air cond running.

On the other hand, my 21yo daughter wants a used TDI, but I think we've settled on a 2-3yo Mazda3 for exactly the reasons noted by others ie for maximum reliability buy Asian.

I think in the end you pick what you think best fits your needs, understanding that your crystal ball may turn out to have been a little cloudy on purchase day.

After all th BS I've put up with from the car, the dealers and VWoA, I'll never buy a new VW again. It just wasn't worth it.

mo_focus said:

I would get the 6spd manual tranny. The DSG has a maintenance cost that is a bit higher compared to the manual. Except that there is really no major maintenance issues.

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If I were to buy, I'd get the DSG but buy the tools to do all of the changes myself(or find someone who has the tools and rent them!)

DC-IT said:

If I were you, I'd keep the $$$ as it might come in handy during the next few years. Then finance/lease a cheap Hyundai Elantra or Accent Hatchback or a Civic for 3~4 years.

Then after you've graduated you can then get the Passat TDI or an Audi A6 TDI?

I've gone totally Diesel and have no regrets.
If I were to get a gasser I would get a Lexus CT200h. It's a reasonably priced Hybrid giving 4.5L/100KM and all the luxury you need starting at CAD$30K+.

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Yea, I've come to the conclusion that buying a cheaper car is more beneficial right now. The extra cash could come in handy. My wife and I had almost 9k of medical bills this past year, for relatively simple procedures and that was after insurance paid! She just had her shoulder tendons tightened up because it would come out of it's socket easily. I had an appendectomy. So you are right saving the money is probably the best choice. I'm thinking of either a newer civic or corolla S around 15k with low miles. I also like Lexus... the is250 is my favorite sedan but I'd buy a TDI over a lexus anyday.

upsbroke said:

Yes- I would buy my 09 JSW again... as soon as VW fixes the hpfp issue and when they get off the bottom of Consumer Report's customer satisfaction list.

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It seems as though they have fixed the issue(or at least made it slightly better) in the 2010 and 2011 models. They should make it right though to all of the 09 owners for screwing up the original designs.

The67beast said:

Not a bad price.. Not a great price. The one in the link above has no nav. I paid 24000 for 11 jetta tdi dsg w nav and protection package. Sticker was $26495. Sold @ $24000.

Honestly I would keep saving until ride your 03 tdi till it dies.

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Yea, it looks like a good deal for a new tdi with dsg is around 23-24k.

Highline Driver said:

After seeing the ebay link I would just point out that the Nav package isn't/wasn't on that car. That is the Premium 8 Satellite Radio. The seats aren't leather, they are leatherette (vinyl with tiny perforated holes). It also has the 16 inch wheels as opposed to 17s. Oh, and no KESSY (keyless entry).

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Ah, I see. I assumed it had the nav package just because of the touch screen... I'm surprised it doesn't have keyless entry. My parents focus comes with keyless entry lol. I looked into it and I think I'd prefer the leatherette simply because it is very durable.