Is it worth Owning a TDI anymore?

hey my dad and i came up with this spread sheet when we where comparing different cars, right before he just bought his brand new 2011 tdi 6speed in graphite.
http://www.tempfiles.net/download/201104/154981/CarCompare-(Autosaved).html

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok, I decided to check with a couple of dealers as far as trading my 09 in since it has over 102k miles on it and the upcoming maintenance will be expensive. They come back with trade in allowances of $11,000.00 and the other at $13,000.00. I thought these numbers seemed low for a car that i paid over $24k for.

Any ideas?

Why would you trade the car in? No way I'd throw away that much money, I'd keep on driving it and enjoying it.

It probably is worth more selling outright, though.

straightliner said:

Ok, I decided to check with a couple of dealers as far as trading my 09 in since it has over 102k miles on it and the upcoming maintenance will be expensive. They come back with trade in allowances of $11,000.00 and the other at $13,000.00. I thought these numbers seemed low for a car that i paid over $24k for.

Any ideas?

Click to expand...

They trying to low ball you,then they turn around and sell 15k to 17k.
Just keep it and do maintenance and keep going down the road.

Timing belt service (which is still 20K off) may run as much as $800 from a good independent mechanic. And even if you also need DSG service (don't know if your car is manual or auto) and, say, brakes, you could spend well under 2K and drive the car another 100K. That seems pretty economical. If you like the car, why not keep it? Well maintained TDIs don't seem to get any less reliable as miles accumulate, at least not in my experience. You're probably already in the category of having so many miles on the car at a young age that it takes a hit on value. At the rate you drive I'd keep it until it was no longer reliable or safe.

.02 cents a mile!!!!

All I can say to the op is ... I vividly recall a VW ad from the 1960's in which a (Paul Revire) fellow , in a bug, going down the road yelling out the window ... "2 cents a mile --- 2 cents a mile --- 2 cents a mile!"

Now adays, setting aside the maintainance issues ... the milage of my 06 Jetta ... AND the 81 Rabbit pickup ... is right at 47-50 miles per gallon ... that on a diesel cost of 4.00 comes out to the "8 cents per mile" region.

Oil change in my Jetta ... at 25K plus ... ain't done once since the 10K one. AM using the filter addon system that can use the synthetic oil up to 35k +-; not one drop low now than at the 10k change. Only cost there ... the 507 case of oil I got back in 07 ... sitting on the shelf collecting dust these days.

Tires ... still on the factory ones ... so that's a non cost issue ... so far ... due in another 5-10 K it looks like.

Rabbit p/u diesel ... not really a different issue. Has nearly 200K on it ... and average from 45 to 52 mpg per trip to town. Oil ... no usage ... but do try to change it at about 5K.

So all in all ... from my perspective ... keeping the diesel units are ... IMO ... a smart move, and only wish I had done it 50 years ago when first married.

Just my '2 cents' comment.

Well, It seems we have a deadlock. I looked at 2 cars, 09 TDI and 09 Prius... Guess which won? LOL As for oil changes... Free for Life, Same for Tires too.

Not a bad exchange...

As for reliability, this cars goes to our first born in 14 years... or she buys one....

Resell value was not a consideration and is still not. What is, the safety of the vehicle for the family and that the TCO is not prohibitive. And for that everyone has a different opinion. Hell, My father sold his Volvo Diesel Manual and my Mom still has never forgiven him.

Good news: Diesel is finally coming down in price! I have been fortunate to pay less than $4.00 per gallon in my area

Oilhammer has it nailed. The additional cost of today's TDI ($5,000 to $7,000 more) completely eliminates any other potential cost savings - and then some. I will stick with my 2004 Jetta TDI with 160,000 miles. I wanted a new one until the quite simply analysis screamed no way. It's a shame that VW is stripping any advantage from the TDI for their own coffers.

Depends on whether you see a cost savings long term.... Moving from our SUV to the 2009 TDi is showing a cost savings long term. And short term in Fuel costs as well...

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Timing belt service (which is still 20K off) may run as much as $800 from a good independent mechanic. And even if you also need DSG service (don't know if your car is manual or auto) and, say, brakes, you could spend well under 2K and drive the car another 100K. That seems pretty economical. If you like the car, why not keep it? Well maintained TDIs don't seem to get any less reliable as miles accumulate, at least not in my experience. You're probably already in the category of having so many miles on the car at a young age that it takes a hit on value. At the rate you drive I'd keep it until it was no longer reliable or safe.

Click to expand...

I'm driving mine to 200k or until it becomes a money pit. Either way a few thousand on maintenance is way better then another car loan and not having a car payment is a beautiful thing.

I don't think the maintenance is really that steep if you consider everything. Including tires, I've spent a total of $1,053.76 on my 2009 Jetta's maintenance. I'm at 73K.

In comparison, my wife and I have put 85K on our 1998 Nissan Altima (purchased in 2006), and I've spent $3,271.50 on it. That includes tires as well. I'd say the Altima still runs fairly well, though it does need some care since it's at 245K.

Most people would consider the KA24DE engine to be a lot simpler and less prone to breakage than the CBEA engine I think. And really I haven't had that many problems with the Altima, just a few fairly expensive ones.

Now, I'm not in the P-D crowd with their bad camshafts and balance shafts and other internal engine components that couldn't last, but I'd say I'm totally satisfied with the amount I've spent on the Jetta.

After reading 8 of the 11 pages here I either haven't hit the mileage where all this stuff starts breaking or I've been lucky so far.

I just hit 90k.

Maintenance items have included oil, filters, fluids, wipers, 1 set of tires, 1 set of rear brakes, headlight bulbs, one parking light, and timing belt (I did it myself, oilhammer, and my valves survived!!!). I'm struggling to remember if there was anything else. I've never owned a car that has cost this little to maintain. To be fair, I don't have anything to really compare it to since it's the newest car I've owned by 8 years, haha. I'm not counting my Jeeps since they're toys, but my 2000 Wrangler's only downfall in over 130k miles has been MPG. That thing gets a kind of whooping no Jetta ever will. Friggin bulletproof. But I did own those cars starting in the 40k mileage range and up to 120 or so. They needed tons of work done by this point that amounted to many hundreds of dollars in addition to regular maintenance. Most importantly, none of them were half as nice to be inside of and none of them were half as fun to drive.

This thread indicates I may be in for a world of hurt in the next 20-30k miles so I guess we'll see. By that point I had replaced my honda's transmi$$ion, cat converter ($$), radiator, cv's, etc etc etc. Don't even get me started on my Chevy or my MB 190. The Jetta has a lot of sucking to do in a short period of time to make up for its good manners thus far. It's all relative.

Is it worth it to go TDI. If it's all about the bottom line, probably not. I was looking for a combination of comfort, performance, and efficiency. I think my 2010s do a great job of fulfilling those requirements, and they are squeaky clean to boot. As Edmunds put it, "champagne performance on a beer budget". After an enjoyable commute to work I pulled into the parking garage with the MFD reading 47.5 mpg. A good way to start the day!

I just LIKE the way diesels run. I get in a gasser and there is always something that annoys me.

Ski in NC said:

I just LIKE the way diesels run. I get in a gasser and there is always something that annoys me.

Click to expand...

I agree, Had a rental chevy something or another 310miles had to stop for fuel. It felt like they used peas or something for bearings it just felt so loose with only 37000miles. Could not wait to get my car back. I have a 2004 Jetta w approx 240,000 miles same cam, timing belt replaced on schedule and due again, very easy task. I replaced front wheel bearings $17/ side. Just finally replaced brakes more because of rust than wear. 4 rotors and pads for $110 ebay. Transmission was repaired for diff bearings but I think if I was the original owner that would still be good because I would have changed the gear oil at least every 50k miles or so. Any way that was $800 . So with a little over 100000 miles and 2yrs I have maybe $1800 in Maintenance not counting oil and tires. But I still get about 50000 miles out of the tires. In the last 2months I have been in Chippawa Falls WI and all around Florida and back. What it saves me on fuel it is worth it.
I almost purchased new last week. Silver 6 speed or a DSG (drove Both) loved the car but the thought of a $10000 bill in the next year or 2 would ruin the fun and enjoyment. Warranty miles would be gone in the first year for me anyway. I have no problem thinking my car will go another 150,000miles . Maybe a cam but that looks easy and under a grand for parts . So for 4yrs of use I should have under $10k counting the purchase and maintenance. Right now easy decision . Now if VW came back and said the issues were fixed and would stand behind the HPFP for the next 200k miles then I would be thinking again ,but I know that wont happen anytime soon since they didn't even say they have a problem for sure.

My wife's 2006 Jetta TDI has around 92k miles. In daily driving she averages around 37-38 mpg. Long distance highway drives yield a pretty consistent 45 mpg minimum. We sometimes get higher numbers but I think they may be an artifact since we can't measure the fuel with much precision.

Just spent 2 weeks in Germany/Austria driving a diesel Skoda Superb Kombi, which I am informed is a rebadged Audi A6 station wagon. Effortless cruising at 100+ mph--in Germany where the autobahns are still mostly free of speed limits. Meant to keep track of the mileage but forgot to check the odometer when I turned the car in. (Absolutely moronic navigation system--could not locate street addresses and could not navigate AND play a music CD at the same time). Diesel in Germany was around $8/gal (1.45 euro/lt), a bit cheaper in Austria (chjeapest was 1.29 euro/lt)

mcguirejw said:

My wife's 2006 Jetta TDI has around 92k miles. In daily driving she averages around 37-38 mpg. Long distance highway drives yield a pretty consistent 45 mpg minimum. We sometimes get higher numbers but I think they may be an artifact since we can't measure the fuel with much precision.

Just spent 2 weeks in Germany/Austria driving a diesel Skoda Superb Kombi, which I am informed is a rebadged Audi A6 station wagon. Effortless cruising at 100+ mph--in Germany where the autobahns are still mostly free of speed limits. Meant to keep track of the mileage but forgot to check the odometer when I turned the car in. (Absolutely moronic navigation system--could not locate street addresses and could not navigate AND play a music CD at the same time). Diesel in Germany was around $8/gal (1.45 euro/lt), a bit cheaper in Austria (chjeapest was 1.29 euro/lt)

Click to expand...

Fill your fuel tank to the very top that will give you a better measurement for mpg.Welcome to the club Maple Shade here

Jetta TDI

Monster, that's how we do it. Well, till the gas pump clicks off 2-3 times. This allows a certain variability in "full". Thus a small difference in full at the start of a trip and full at the end can give you a misleading reading, either high or low, depending on which way the error went. So we have done the highway measurements on trips that used more than a single tank each way and average the results.

mcguirejw said:

Monster, that's how we do it. Well, till the gas pump clicks off 2-3 times. This allows a certain variability in "full". Thus a small difference in full at the start of a trip and full at the end can give you a misleading reading, either high or low, depending on which way the error went. So we have done the highway measurements on trips that used more than a single tank each way and average the results.

Click to expand...

Can't you fill it to the rim of the neck? After a few click offs you have to pull the nozzle almost all the way out and carefully squirt in fuel, letting the foam subside each time, until it comes right up to the top of the neck, or a tiny bit below to avoid overflow. At least that's how I do mine, and I'm assuming the '06 has the same set up. Maybe not with the vent stuff.

Ski in NC said:

I just LIKE the way diesels run. I get in a gasser and there is always something that annoys me.

Click to expand...

Amen, the day I find a gasser that gives the same combination of performance, size, & fuel economy I might buy one...............nothing close yet. With gassers you get a roller skate, a buzz box, or anemic = no thanks.

Federal tax incentives expired the end of last year, but they'll factor into the equation if they come around again. (Still kicking myself because I gave away an old truck literally days before the 5K 'Cash for Clunkers' program was announced. That plus the fuel economy tax incentives would have paid for a lot of maintenance...)

With all of the HPFP failures how does everyone feel about them now?

"All HPFP failures" is a bit of an alarmist statement. How many are there really? We don't know. How many as a percentage of cars in service? Pretty low.

I honestly don't give it much thought after a year and 14K with my '12. It's a very nice car, getting FE similar to my '02. I'm glad I bought it.

I rented a brand new focus while i was in between tdi's and I have to tell you i like some features, but it DOESN"T compare to my 2005.5. Not even close.

My avg. fuel economy on the the focus was 29 combined (i drive 64 miles of backroads roundtrip with the pedal down)
My tdi with malone stage 2 has avg. more than 42 with the pedal down and i have a grin the whole time.

straightliner said:

With all of the HPFP failures how does everyone feel about them now?

Click to expand...

Eh, just one more reason to hurry up and dump this rebadged Yugo.

Seriously, if this were the only concern with my TDI I'd probably keep it and hope for the best, and reevaluate shortly before my warranty runs out. But as it is I'm already looking for a replacement and this is pretty much the deciding factor in not getting another TDI.

I see a lot of broken Tdi's and problem cars as its my job. I have not seen one HPFP failure. Not one. In all the surrounding dealers where I know people...there were a few. Every single one had gasoline in it. So.....tell me where is this epidemic of failures?

What I don't get is why they sent a sticker to put at the fuel fill that says gasoline.

meerschm said:

What I don't get is why they sent a sticker to put at the fuel fill that says gasoline.

Click to expand...

To make sure you know not to put gasoline in the car and run it.Also to cover there butts, when a customer finds out it's not covered under warranty if you run the car with gasoline.