If you are considering buyback which cars are you looking at as replacements?

toneman

Veteran Member
Joined
May 6, 2004
Location
norcal
TDI
2011 JSW
I bought a Subaru Crosstrek while I wait for my Tesla Model 3 with dual motors. Couldn't find anything as perfect as my A3 hatchback but the Subaru is small and pretty nimble, and is great in the snow, has ok gas mileage, and is a similar size. If Audi offered the A3 in a hatchback I probably would have bought another, but they've only got it as a sedan. I was hoping the M3 would be available before the end of the buyout period, but that's looking pretty unlikely, so I decided to get the buyout over with and find something I could live with through next winter. I think I'll like the Subaru, and will enjoy the features that will be new to me (backup camera, carplay, blind spot, etc), and I'm sure I'll love the Tesla, but until I have a sporty electric hatchback some day in the distant future, I'll never love a car as much as I loved my A3 TDI.
I imagine you considered the A3 e-tron? Lack of quattro a no-go?
 

specificibex

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2011 Audi A3 TDI
I imagine you considered the A3 e-tron? Lack of quattro a no-go?
More the serious depreciation - they seem to have awful resale value and I'm not entirely sure why. I don't want to spend $40K and then have it worth $10-15K less a year later.

With snow tires my FWD A3 TDI has been fantastic, but I'd definitely rather have quattro/AWD.
 

russdawg24

Active member
Joined
Apr 21, 2018
Location
Pittsburgh
TDI
'13 Passat SEL w/DSG
We sold back our 2013 Jetta SE with about 65k miles on it, last January. We actually needed two vehicles so we used the buyback money to pay off the remainder of the loan, purchase a C6 A6, and purchase a B6 Passat Wagon (4-Motion 3.6). It was nice to have no car payments for a while. Now we have a '13 Passat TDI SEL that I picked up last week on the A6 trade in.
 

MyTDIRocks

Active member
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Location
New England
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI - Sold back to VW Snif :(
I'm also on the fence...

Buyback would pay slightly more than what I paid for the car new but...

.... what to replace it with?

I researched for months and looked at all cars before deciding to get the TDI. Best car I ever drove, hands down but my criteria were and continue to be the following (non-negotiable):

1. Manual transmission
2. Great fuel efficiency
3. Great driving performance (I'm not a race car driver but need a responsive car)
4. Sunroof
5. Navigation

Anything else is gravy. Unfortunately right now, I can't find anything on the market that has all this (except for my current TDI). I even searched for "fixed" 2015 TDI's, nothing out there for now.

Buyback = I essentially got a "free car" to drive for 6 yrs (excl fuel, insurance, minor maintenance) and I could get a "new" car for the amount of the BB. And IF (big IF) I can find a new replacement, I get to start from scratch (ie. no maintenance for another 3-5 years) BUT I can't find anything close to what I have now! Driving something I don't like would make me very unhappy.

Fix = I get to keep my amazing car that has all the features I want & love (with only 38K miles on it) BUT maintenance costs will start adding up in the near future and IF I sell the car a few years down the road = big loss (even with restitution fee)

For now I'm going to hold out as long as I can to decide in case I find something that works as a replacement otherwise I don't know what I'll do...

I'm totally stuck.
 

ksing44

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Location
Southeast PA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
^^I kept mine and I'm glad I did, but I'm sure I'd be happy in a new GTI. I'm surprised you don't think you'd be happy in a new Jetta GLI or GTI if you were willing to switch to a hatch. It's true the mpg would be lower, but not so terrible and where I live diesel is the most expensive fuel so that would make up a bit of the difference.

For me, the buyback wasn't as good. My car is older with lots of miles, so it wouldn't have been a great deal for me on the buyback. For you, it sounds like it would be okay. I'm not really encouraging you to sell. Like you, I love my car and I'm glad I'm still driving it now. I'm just surprised you think you couldn't be happy in a Jetta GLI as a replacement for your Jetta TDI.
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
We've been on the fence about this, but are leaning toward selling back the A3 and replacing it with a CPO gasser A4--maybe wait until the fall when the 2019s come out, and pick up a CPO 2018. Though I had an A6 as a loaner earlier in the week, and they're really nice.
 

Fourplay

, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
2014 A8L
We've been on the fence about this, but are leaning toward selling back the A3 and replacing it with a CPO gasser A4--maybe wait until the fall when the 2019s come out, and pick up a CPO 2018. Though I had an A6 as a loaner earlier in the week, and they're really nice.
I would avoid the A4 Ultra (FWD) cars. I had one as a loaner and it was really awful. Revs bouncing all over the place, bad NVH, not a lot of torque, throttle pedal drove me nuts with the amount of tip-in required the car would move.

Sticker was $40k too :eek:.
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
No, not looking at the Ultras--but the regular 2.0T (available in FWD and AWD) isn't bad at all. I've rented them a few times with Silvercar (whom I highly recommend, BTW)--they're nicely equipped, peppy, adequate room, etc.

My loaner A6 was very nice, and even with the 2.0T had plenty of power, though I didn't like the mileage at all. An A4 should be better in this regard, even if it's missing some of the bells and whistles (though the adaptive cruise control was very cool).
 

Miss_Athanatos

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Location
Kansas
TDI
2015 Golf SportWagen 6-speed manual; 2016 3500 Ram Tradesman 4X4 6.7L Cummins 6-Speed manual
Not really considering the buyback, but if I had to replace my GSW, I would seek out a relatively low mileage 1997 Geo Metro hatch, with a 5-sp. manual transmission. My family are a Geo family; at one point my dad owned three Metros. I have always had a secret love for the three-door hatch. What is so super in my estimation with the Metro is how end-user serviceable it is. I could even lift the engine out unassisted to do service.

Metros are relatively peppy cars with fantastic fuel economy. I do plan to get one at some point. Nice dreaming, eh?
 

Miss_Athanatos

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Location
Kansas
TDI
2015 Golf SportWagen 6-speed manual; 2016 3500 Ram Tradesman 4X4 6.7L Cummins 6-Speed manual
I don't think many people get on the road with the intention to get into a collision. Besides, not everywhere is as "devil may care" regarding the road as Boston. :)
 

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
I'm also on the fence...

Buyback would pay slightly more than what I paid for the car new but...

.... what to replace it with?

I researched for months and looked at all cars before deciding to get the TDI. Best car I ever drove, hands down but my criteria were and continue to be the following (non-negotiable):

1. Manual transmission
2. Great fuel efficiency
3. Great driving performance (I'm not a race car driver but need a responsive car)
4. Sunroof
5. Navigation

Anything else is gravy. Unfortunately right now, I can't find anything on the market that has all this (except for my current TDI). I even searched for "fixed" 2015 TDI's, nothing out there for now.

Buyback = I essentially got a "free car" to drive for 6 yrs (excl fuel, insurance, minor maintenance) and I could get a "new" car for the amount of the BB. And IF (big IF) I can find a new replacement, I get to start from scratch (ie. no maintenance for another 3-5 years) BUT I can't find anything close to what I have now! Driving something I don't like would make me very unhappy.

Fix = I get to keep my amazing car that has all the features I want & love (with only 38K miles on it) BUT maintenance costs will start adding up in the near future and IF I sell the car a few years down the road = big loss (even with restitution fee)

For now I'm going to hold out as long as I can to decide in case I find something that works as a replacement otherwise I don't know what I'll do...

I'm totally stuck.
Your criteria doesn't seem difficult to me. You want a 2015 Jetta SEL 6MT. There aren't tons of these cars, but they are out there and they don't cost much. I see 23 of these on Cargurus right now nationwide. Mostly in the $15k range. Several of them in New England.

Here is a 2015 with 34k for $14.9k https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...ersModified=true#listing=202120690_isFeatured

If you dropped the Nav requirement there are another 31 SE w/connectivity packages that would work as well. An OEM nav is an easy retrofit. Lots of used Navi units available for $500.
 

geodug

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
TDI
2011 Golf Wagon TDI 6MT
Replacing our TDIs has been an interesting process reading all the replies here. It could make for a sociology or marketing study to see what people go through. I have struggled for over two years since the scandal broke and decided to take the buyback and replace it for something comparable.

Well I did it. The charm of a diesel with great mileage and low-end torque was the starting point. After that it was features, reliability and the rest of the normal things buyers go through.

I thought I was going to buy a Mazda CX-5 diesel but that turned out to be a broken promise by Mazda after leading me down the garden path for a year. Then I decided to bite the bullet and buy a BMW X3 diesel but there are no new ones just yet.

So I scoured the country to see what the lightly used BMW X3 market looked like. I found a lot of high mileage units but finally found a private sale 2016 owned by a woman 600 miles from home. After over 50 emails and a flight out to inspect it the sale was made. I am posting a couple of photos. It has two years of warranty left while I ponder whether to get an extended warranty.

The hidden unicorn here is the fuel mileage. This car is rated at 33 mpg highway / 30 mpg mixed. After 1000 miles of ownership it is getting over 35 mpg mixed. I have a 18 mile stretch of flat and fairly straight freeway that I use as a test track after I fuel up that has given me over 52 mpg. I don't know why EPA ratings on gas cars are so hard to reach but diesels seem to blow by these numbers.


 

madmarty1

Active member
Joined
Jul 27, 2000
Location
South Florida
TDI
2000 Jetta sedan-gone, 2002 Jetta Sportswagen-gone, 2010 Jetta Sportswagen-gone.
Contemplating a new 2018 Golf SE, 5-spd manual, though not thrilled with any 2018 VW gas offerings in my price range.

Buyback: 2010 VW TDI Sportswagen, excellent condition--garage kept, 6-spd manual, with less than 20,000 miles (less than 17,000 miles as of 7 May 2018).
Approximate buyback + restitution: a few bucks shy of $22,000.

Other current considerations:
-2018 Honda Civic LX Hatchback, 6-spd manual---looks promising but no sunroof in the LX model.
-2018 Toyota---still researching.
-Other...still researching.

July 2018 Consumer Reports-New Cars and February 2018 Motor Trend Car Buyers Guide are proving valuable in my research, but sometimes only serve to further confuse the matter.

Received a VW reminder letter on 5 May 2018 mentioning 1 September 2018 deadline for completing and submitting claim application along with required documents.
That was sort of a kick in the rear motivator that I need to get serious soon.

But procrastinating as long as possible. Still enjoying my 2010 TDI but realize it isn't growing any younger.

Most of the 2018 gas vehicles I've researched online in my price category seem at least one step down from my TDI, especially when I walk iinto my garage and see a car sitting there that's in near mint condition both mechanically and otherwise.

Yes, I have thought about going for the fix and keeping the TDI. But considering what I'd be getting in buyback and restitution dollars, that might not be the wisest move in the long run. And in the end, it will be just a hunk of depreciating metal like any other vehicle, albeit one that I've certainly appreciated over the years.
 

JCG57

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2016
Location
Kansas
TDI
'09 Jetta
Will be turning in my 2014 Jetta in a few months. Want something with a little more room in the cabin and the trunk, more comfortable seats and a little more upscale. Also want good MPG and strong quality reputation. Leaning toward the new Honda Accord 2.0 in EX-L trim. May wait to see what the VW Arteon is like, but I suspect it will require premium gas and definitely want to avoid that.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Yes, I have thought about going for the fix and keeping the TDI. But considering what I'd be getting in buyback and restitution dollars, that might not be the wisest move in the long run. And in the end, it will be just a hunk of depreciating metal like any other vehicle, albeit one that I've certainly appreciated over the years.
Although you haven't really enjoyed the JSW, my recommendation would be to take the money and walk away. My car feels neutered and we really wish now that we could have that extra $9000.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
Although you haven't really enjoyed the JSW, my recommendation would be to take the money and walk away. My car feels neutered and we really wish now that we could have that extra $9000.

We're in the opposite camp— but that's one of the reasons we're dong the buyback. The Passat will be 5 years old in July, and we are happy with it in every way, problems have been few and handled by warranty. And it would be very hard to take if the fix were to make things worse. On this forum anecdotes about the fix have been mixed, but when we can take 5 year old car with 80K on it and turn it in for only a few thousand less than we paid, it's too good to turn down.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
There was a big break in the buyback values of the 09s and 10s versus the other years. My total buyback on the JSW would have been around $14,000 while the buyback on my 11 Golf came in about $10,000 higher. Having just bought a new truck, we thought we would be better off taking the $5100 fix money and keeping the JSW. Most of that money went right back into the car. Partially planned (120k service with timing belt) but mostly not. I had a leaking DSG that required replacing the mechatronics module to the tune of over $2000.
 

madmarty1

Active member
Joined
Jul 27, 2000
Location
South Florida
TDI
2000 Jetta sedan-gone, 2002 Jetta Sportswagen-gone, 2010 Jetta Sportswagen-gone.
RE: "Although you haven't really enjoyed the JSW...." What makes you think I haven't REALLY enjoyed my 2010? I've enjoyed it immensely. Just because I don't have 100,000+ miles on the vehicle doesn't mean I appreciate it any less. Having no car payment since I took delivery of the TDI in Sept. 2009 (paid in full on day of delivery) has been very nice. In my case, other than routine maintenance costs (oil changes, fueling, auto insurance, etc.), replacing the battery in 2015, and once having a punctured tire repaired, expense of keeping my vehicle hasn't been overly taxing. Car is still riding on original tires and they're in decent shape. For me, it's about quality of time spent in a vehicle, not quantity, or taking immense pride in the colossal mileage racked up on a vehicle. But each to his/her own.

My major fear about replacing my 2010 TDI is that my next vehicle will fail to provide me the high level of satisfaction my TDI has. But that's a fear I'm prepared to face.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
To most of us, the enjoyment of owning these cars is driving them. I bought mine about 6 months after you did and have around 130,000 miles on her. To many on here, I'm a light user. I agree with your comment though, "each to his/her own"
 

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
My major fear about replacing my 2010 TDI is that my next vehicle will fail to provide me the high level of satisfaction my TDI has. But that's a fear I'm prepared to face.
Take the $22k. And go buy a lightly used 2013 or 2014 JSW for $15k or so. You'll have the same car only newer and about $7k in spending money.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
To most of us, the enjoyment of owning these cars is driving them. I bought mine about 6 months after you did and have around 130,000 miles on her. To many on here, I'm a light user. I agree with your comment though, "each to his/her own"

I bought my 2010 Jetta August 2009, it had 140K when it went back to VW last june, if i still had it come this Sept it'd prob have closer to 160K. Enjoyed every mile I drove it.

Sadly the wife won and got her AWD which was nice for the handful of snowy days this past winter. I just wish she got mid 30's on the highway instead of 29-30.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Take the $22k. And go buy a lightly used 2013 or 2014 JSW for $15k or so. You'll have the same car only newer and about $7k in spending money.

I think it'd take some time and patience to find a cherry 2014 with 20K or so. People buy these cars to rack up the miles and now were talking about a 4+ year old car.
 

DieselMann99

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Location
Westchester County NY
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI w/ Premium, DSG (Buyback Nov 2018); 2013 Jetta TDI (bought Dec 2018); also, bought a CPO 2017 Passat TSI (Nov 2018)
Take the $22k. And go buy a lightly used 2013 or 2014 JSW for $15k or so. You'll have the same car only newer and about $7k in spending money.
That's pretty much what I'm planning on doing. I don't have a JSW though. I'd be swapping a 2013 sedan for a low mileage (< 30k) 2015 CPO sedan with 70k less miles and a CPO warranty + ~$6,000 change. Maybe a Jetta, maybe a Passat.

Might even take that $6,000 and put it towards an older Porsche Boxter as a summer fun car, which I can buy for $10k - $15k.
 

ChimneyJim

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Location
Northern Illinois
TDI
'15 SportWagen SEL
I had my buyback in December ‘16. At that time we wanted a plug-in and got a Volt. When time came to get another car we decided to come back to VW. Picked up an Atlas with 2.0 in April. Loved it until May 4. Connecting rod bearing disintegrated. At least now I have fresh engine. ? Hopefully get more than 704 miles from this one.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DieselMann99

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Location
Westchester County NY
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI w/ Premium, DSG (Buyback Nov 2018); 2013 Jetta TDI (bought Dec 2018); also, bought a CPO 2017 Passat TSI (Nov 2018)
. . . decided to come back to VW. Picked up an Atlas with 2.0 in April. Loved it until May 4. Connecting rod bearing disintegrated. At least now I have fresh engine. ? Hopefully get more than 704 miles from this one.

Well, obviously that's an outlier, especially for VW (maybe not for a Detroit car).
 

STRANGETDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2001
Location
East Hampton, CT
TDI
2013 Audi A3 S-Line Premium Plus Quattro - APR Stage II
For my 2013 Audi A3 Quattro replacement, I got the ECU tuned with APR Stage 1, as well as the TCU last Wednesday. It has become a little rocket when you put your foot down. 261 hp and 317 tq (at the crank); 236 and 303 at the wheels. A 71 hp and 101 tq increase over stock (based on their charts). And with a 15% Memorial Day Sale discount.
I am a happy camper, even though I am filling up more. Averaging 31 mpg.
 
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