What would you replace your TDI with????

Well me and my supermodel girlfriend and I are picking out one of these.



Then I woke up from my dream. It's paid for, running great, low miles, still love driving it.
Sticking with the TDI another 5 years.... at least.

gmcjetpilot said:

Well me and my supermodel girlfriend and I are picking out one of these.

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i328/gmcjetpilot/DSG transmissions_zpso0yvpjas.jpg

Then I woke up from my dream. It's paid for, running great, low miles, still love driving it.
Sticking with the TDI another 5 years.... at least.

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Well, if we're dreaming... (Caution thread derail in progress)

Some dream worthy cars :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaAQW8lVaRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MDTcXGsjuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szyUN5GlQ7c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChE1YUeKRV0


Cars I can actually afford one day and wouldn't mind owning (as a second car):
BMW E39 M5
BMW E46 M3

Still more then happy with my VDub with no intentions of replacing it

Went from my '01 Golf TDI, to my 2010 Golf TDI, then moved really close to work and swapped the 2010 for an FJ Cruiser Trail Team, got bored of it, now I'm in an E60 M5 (dat V10 wail), and now looking for another ALH to beat on. Full circle!

seth1065 said:

Hey folks just a quick question if your car blow up today or was totaled as mine was almost today ( thank you Mr BMW for running the light, good thing one of us was paying attention) what would you replace it with? I thought about this driving home, would I want to buy a new TDI knowing a new one would be coming In 12 months ( I do not think I am brave enough to buy the frisy year new model out of the box at full retail to boot ) and get the last of this cycle or go in another direction?? I still drive a ton ( at least 30,000 a year ) but no longer pay for my fuel thanks to my company so should I care about MPG ??? So what would you replace your TDI with if you needed a new car tomorrow ?

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Simple... Something with NO payments. Cars are NOT investments, they are expenses. Pay Cash.

I used to work with a group of bankers who said the opposite. Their advice was "buy what appreciates, lease what depreciates." The point was you shouldn't tie up capital on something that's going to lose value. Instead you should rent it by paying for the depreciation as it occurs.

Of course I don't follow that advice.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I used to work with a group of bankers who said the opposite. Their advice was "buy what appreciates, lease what depreciates." The point was you shouldn't tie up capital on something that's going to lose value. Instead you should rent it by paying for the depreciation as it occurs.

Of course I don't follow that advice.

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Nor do I. I paid cash (plus the trade-in value of my Mk VI TDI) for my new Golf TSI. And I didn't owe anything on my trade-in either. I expect I'll do the same for my next car. It does require some discipline, and giving up dreaming about a loaded GTI and buying something more down to earth, but at least the base Golf doesn't feel like a penalty box like a stripper Corolla or Civic would.

I like not having payments. It gives me much more flexibility as I'm retired, and I'm finding without car payments, I am needing to withdraw less from my retirement account than I had planned on.

Whether you lease, or buy for cash works out to more or less the same. Either you're paying interest to the lessor, or you're denying yourself interest/income from your investments. The only way to avoid it, is to not buy a car!

Possibly Chevy Volt. The A3 e tron doesn't have the range I need (17). Or maybe wait for the Tesla III in 2 years.

97B4TDi said:

Another TDI or a 1.8/2.0T Passat Wagon

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A rational answer.

These exotic car answers are interesting. But I think equitable price point is assumed.

I am sure there are lots of cars I would buy if money was NOT an issue.
The Passat Variant would involve at least $5000-$7000 more than my JSW if it were available (I'd take a 1.8T gasser).

http://www.volkswagen.es/es/models/nuevo-passat-variant.html

BMW 228I with track package, sport seats, no sunroof and a 6-speed. Euro Delivery. Just a little bit more than my Jetta and probably a lot more fun. MPG would take a big hit but I would just drive my MK5 more often to work.

A crew cab dually pickup to tow my track car

Reasonable: new GTI with autobahn pkg and the performance pkg.
Unreasonable: Alfa Romeo new Giulia Q version...white.

I love driving diesel and am torn on what to get next. A Camry hybrid or another diesel or, since I will be retired, an electric car. I might get a gasser but then I will need dark windows to hide my shame.

Funguy said:

I love driving diesel and am torn on what to get next. A Camry hybrid or another diesel or, since I will be retired, an electric car. I might get a gasser but then I will need dark windows to hide my shame.

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Doesn't retirement come with warm climate and electric car w/golf clubs as standard features?

akjdouglass said:

Doesn't retirement come with warm climate and electric car w/golf clubs as standard features?

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Mine came with hiking poles, snowshoes and a mountain in winter, and bikes in summer

I never could figure out golf (the game, not the car!). I'm so bad at it, that I keep score not by number of strokes, but by number of lost balls. If I still have golf balls left at the end of the game, I shot below my par

I hear that lawyers have their own scoring system... it's known as a Par of Attorney...

Y.

I usually buy cars in August or in the fall, at the end of the model year. I haven't in several years and the itch is getting to me. On top of that I sold two cars this year. So I've been thinking about what I'd like, in part waiting for 2016 TDIs to get released from the ports. I've been waiting for the Mercedes C-Class diesel, as well as the GLC which is supposed to offer a diesel. Oh, and the 2017 Audi A4. And I've been looking at 2004-2006 E320 CDIs. As you can see I'm all over the map.

I was trying to sort my preferences this morning and came up with (1) Got to be diesel, unless it's a track day car; (2) Manual preferred, although I'd get an auto if I had to (Audi A4 or C-Class comes to mind); and I'd prefer new, as I'd rather not pick up after someone else's care of the car, or lack thereof.

Golf Sportwagen S is probably the leading contender, since it is diesel, manual, and has those all important cloth seats. And no sunroof. Jetta TDI is a close second, but it would have to be an SEL with the lighting package because that's the only Jetta TDI with a temperature gauge and a non-LED fuel gauge.

Then I pull into my garage and see my really nice looking B4 sitting there. And wonder why I'm looking at all.

akjdouglass said:

Doesn't retirement come with warm climate and electric car w/golf clubs as standard features?

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I never learned to golf. Maybe that time is coming. I hear people can golf almost year round in this area.

As far as warm climate, I think not having to work outside in the cold will be good enough for now. So if I choose to hike or snow shoe or ice fish it will be my choice OR I can hop in the diesel and head south if the bones get too cold.

The wife wants me to fix up the house, especially the kitchen. I will need to learn that new skill set also. So much to think about.......

PlaneCrazy said:

Mine came with hiking poles, snowshoes and a mountain in winter, and bikes in summer

I never could figure out golf (the game, not the car!). I'm so bad at it, that I keep score not by number of strokes, but by number of lost balls. If I still have golf balls left at the end of the game, I shot below my par

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Sounds like my kind of retirement. I can't imagine spending all my time in a hot climate chasing a golf ball around, either.
If I am able to retire in your climate (spent 10 years in Alaska and loved the weather), I'd probably replace my TDI with an Audi TDI or a 4-wheel drive pickup.

Until then, I'll continue to drive my Jetta and work in the heat. My commute is ideal for a Nissan Leaf or something similar, but at the time of purchase I wasn't interested in paying $10K more for electric.

timmyc4 said:

Simple... Something with NO payments. Cars are NOT investments, they are expenses. Pay Cash.

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I'd go along with this............

I'm kind of nuts about my TDI.

"Stealth mode" outcome still in doubt.

A possible alternative (outcome still in doubt, right?) would be the GSW with a 5-speed bolted to it's gasoline 4-banger.

Not as nifty as a current oil-burner but (outcome still in doubt) - - - it's an alternative.


ez sends

ezshift5 said:

I'd go along with this............
I'm kind of nuts about my TDI.
"Stealth mode" outcome still in doubt.
A possible alternative (outcome still in doubt, right?) would be the GSW with a 5-speed bolted to it's gasoline 4-banger.
Not as nifty as a current oil-burner but (outcome still in doubt) - - - it's an alternative.
ez sends

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I have the hatchback alternative (Golf TSI, 5-speed) and it is far from a penalty box, even in base 5-door Trendline+ trim. It's quicker than a TDI, far quieter and smoother, and the fuel economy hit isn't all that bad considering it burns RUG. The torque curve is also fairly TDI-like, 184 lb-ft from a very low 1600 up to 4200 rpm. Not as much as a TDI, but it keeps it up longer.

In summer I'd average around 5.0 L/100 km with my TDI; my previous-to-last tank in fall with snow tires, on the TSI was 6.2 (hand-calculated), or 38 mpg, mostly highway of course. Most recent tank had more local driving and 7.0 average or nearly 34 mpg. I can't complain. No timing belt, no DPF, no EGR that gums up the intercooler, no HPFP that grenades. I'm pretty sure overall cost of ownership will be lower than a TDI, given the $3k lower purchase price (on the Trendline trim), except maybe for resale value, which is up in the air for TDIs at the moment.

It's great value for the money at under $21k (CDN) and given recent events and the tons of troubles I had with my TDI, I'm not sad I made the switch. I did prefer the Mk VI's handling though but that's got nothing to do with the engine. But the rest of the car, including drivetrain, I much prefer over my TDI.

If my Golf got totaled for whatever reason, I think I would probably go look at the Golf or JSW with the 2.5 5cyl engine. Sure they might drink a bit more gas, but I do like the power they have, (Mom has a 13' beetle with the 2.5) and don't have a timing belt. Not sure what my financial state will be in 5 years but the 2.5's appear to require less maintenance than the TDI engine.

WolfsburgGolfTDI said:

If my Golf got totaled for whatever reason, I think I would probably go look at the Golf or JSW with the 2.5 5cyl engine. Sure they might drink a bit more gas, but I do like the power they have, (Mom has a 13' beetle with the 2.5) and don't have a timing belt. Not sure what my financial state will be in 5 years but the 2.5's appear to require less maintenance than the TDI engine.

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The 1.8 TSI has the same power and more or less the same torque, but a much better torque curve; like a TDI torque peaks at 1600 rpm and stays flat until 4200 rpm. It is also much quieter and fuel efficient. It also doesn't have a timing belt.

Whether it is any more durable remains to be seen.

Well I was going to replace my 2011 Golf TDI with a 2016 Golf R 6MT with DCC and navigation. I had a deposit on one and was just waiting for the boat to sail in, when Dieselgate 2015 sprang to life. As the due date grew closer, the scandal kept getting deeper, and my trade in value kept plummeting. The car showed up at the dealer a couple weeks ago and now my trade in is magically worth $4k less now than in September and the dealer really doesn't even want to deal with it. The next guy in line snatched that car up. It will be very difficult to find another one at this point, as most mk7 Golf R's are already taken before they reach the dealer. So I'm stuck with this unreliable turd of an engine a while longer until there is some kind of resolution. The only things left to break are the HPFP and turbo, and if one of those goes it could total the vehicle. The engine/emissions reliability has been appalling, but the rest of the car has been fantastic aside from a few annoyances like the seats fraying and the poor door seals. It's just my luck...

I dream about a golf r occasionally, but it's just too expensive for a vdub. I'd be happier with a lightly used bmw 335d anyhow, and could get one for far less than a golf r. But my '11 golf 6mt has been super, and with my mods and CP3 pump it should have hundreds of thousands of reliable miles left in it.

engineered2win said:

Well I was going to replace my 2011 Golf TDI with a 2016 Golf R 6MT with DCC and navigation. I had a deposit on one and was just waiting for the boat to sail in, when Dieselgate 2015 sprang to life. As the due date grew closer, the scandal kept getting deeper, and my trade in value kept plummeting. The car showed up at the dealer a couple weeks ago and now my trade in is magically worth $4k less now than in September and the dealer really doesn't even want to deal with it. The next guy in line snatched that car up. It will be very difficult to find another one at this point, as most mk7 Golf R's are already taken before they reach the dealer. So I'm stuck with this unreliable turd of an engine a while longer until there is some kind of resolution. The only things left to break are the HPFP and turbo, and if one of those goes it could total the vehicle. The engine/emissions reliability has been appalling, but the rest of the car has been fantastic aside from a few annoyances like the seats fraying and the poor door seals. It's just my luck...

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Glass half empty much? Has your turbo or HPFP failed? If not, what made your engine an unreliable turd? There are lots of people here that have had many, many trouble free miles with CJAA engines.

I'd love to have a Golf R, mostly because it would be an awesome track day car. But my rule is that if you drive a car on the track you have to be willing to total it and walk away with no insurance payout. That would be a hard pill to swallow with a $36K vehicle. And I honestly think I would like my old TDIs better as daily drivers.

Maybe my TDI replacement is a MKV or VI TDI. If prices fall enough. Sellers aren't ready to bite the bullet on values...yet. I sold my '12 Golf back in April and wasn't sorry to see it go. But if I could buy a nice '10 Jetta or JSW for half as much...

akjdouglass said:

Sounds like my kind of retirement. I can't imagine spending all my time in a hot climate chasing a golf ball around, either.
If I am able to retire in your climate (spent 10 years in Alaska and loved the weather), I'd probably replace my TDI with an Audi TDI or a 4-wheel drive pickup.

Until then, I'll continue to drive my Jetta and work in the heat. My commute is ideal for a Nissan Leaf or something similar, but at the time of purchase I wasn't interested in paying $10K more for electric.

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Drove the TSI to the mountain, my wife and I went hiking; parked at 400m level trailhead and climbed up to 910m (just short of the summit, the trail was closed beyond).

Coming down, slipped on an icy rock, broke one of my poles, and landed on my back with my backpack containing my Nikon D7100 in it. Fortunately the camera survived, but my back is now plenty sore. Was grateful for the heated seats coming back down to Earth. Have to head into the city tomorrow so will pick up new poles and new crampons at the same time. The spikes on my current ones are pretty rounded. I guess I should have changed them before the start of the season.

Maybe taking the Golf to go play golf would hurt less

The good news was that gas in the town (near the US border) was still 99.9 cents per liter (less than $3.79/gal; a bargain for Canucks) so even though I had over 300 km to empty, I topped up. Hand-calculated 6.8 L/100 km (weather is colder, snow tires, lots of short trips this time, typically see around 6.2 average). It's hard to hand-calculate mileage with this car as it's hard to figure out where to stop topping up. I can typically get an extra 5 litres in after the pump auto-shuts. Like "venting" in the good 'ol TDI days. More than I could squeeze into a CR TDI (about 2.5 litres). Good for an extra 90 or so km highway miles.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Glass half empty much? Has your turbo or HPFP failed? If not, what made your engine an unreliable turd? There are lots of people here that have had many, many trouble free miles with CJAA engines.

I'd love to have a Golf R, mostly because it would be an awesome track day car. But my rule is that if you drive a car on the track you have to be willing to total it and walk away with no insurance payout. That would be a hard pill to swallow with a $36K vehicle. And I honestly think I would like my old TDIs better as daily drivers.

Maybe my TDI replacement is a MKV or VI TDI. If prices fall enough. Sellers aren't ready to bite the bullet on values...yet. I sold my '12 Golf back in April and wasn't sorry to see it go. But if I could buy a nice '10 Jetta or JSW for half as much...

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I have two relatives with Mk6 TDI's and they have been problem free.
However, the engine/emissions components on mine have been the most unreliable parts I've ever experienced on any vehicle. I have literally had every single emissions component fail at some point. Intake air throttle failed on day 1 resulting in a tow. It's had exhaust valve, 2 HP EGR valves (the second clogged the DPF), intake manifold flaps, and the N75 turbo actuator valve all fail in $70k miles. It was only after the DPF delete and reflash, which removed said failure prone components, that the vehicle became dependable. The main tradeoffs being that it smells like an old school bus now and is even less emissions compliant than with the whole dieselgate cheating problem.

Until I can find an EV with 800-mile range and a 10-minute recharge time, I'll stick with my MT '11 Golf TDI. At 5 years and 83,000 miles, its "unreliability" has cost me a grand total of $105 (my extended warranty deductible, plus tax)...incurred just a few months ago when a bad O2 sensor showed up after the 2306 re-flash. Has it been back to the dealer for anything else? Yes, but everything has been taken care of quickly and under warranty, and the car is running as well (or better) now as it was when it was new.

People, what's with all the whining about 130,000-mile(!) cam belt changes when we all knew, going in, that this engine had a belt cam drive? Sure chain cam drive is usually preferable, but there are numerous examples of unreliable chain drives out there, as well...and when they let go, it's a more expensive proposition to deal with than simply maintaining our belt. Noise? Seriously? Certainly, a TDI sounds different than a gas engine, but there's no way that it's appreciably louder. I replaced my bone-stock mkIV R32 with my Golf TDI, and the TDI is flat out quieter...and I'm not even talking about the exhausts, just the mechanical noise throughout the cars.

I think we're hearing about these non-issues now because people are panicking about...what, exactly? I haven't figured out yet why everyone's hair is on fire. There is going to be a solution to the emissions problem. Just calm down and let that happen. After it does, all this sleep loss and hand wringing will fade from everyone's memories and our car's values will return to (very near) normal. The only people who will lose substantial money because of this debacle will be those who sell/trade their cars now, at the zenith of the panic.

Offering up the TSI as a viable replacement for the TDI is a joke. You may be able to live with a TSI, but do not expect it to perform like a TDI. You'll be disappointed. The reasons that we all chose TDIs in the first place are still valid, and the TDI engine is the main reason I chose my Golf. Yes, the Golf is a very good car, but guess what...if you're willing to settle for gas-engine performance, then there are lots of other very good cars out there to choose from. Nothing will deliver the day-to-day, real-world driving performance of a TDI, and that's why we're all here now. Trust in your original choice, and then let VW correct their mistakes. JMO...

2016 escalade premium for the wife since I'm back to commuting with my suburban (10 miles vs 50 miles to work without $15 in tolls), and the VW never gets used anymore.

Too bad I can't trade, sell or get anything out of it to offset the price so I'm stuck with it sitting in the driveway costing me insurance every month.

PlaneCrazy said:

The 1.8 TSI has the same power and more or less the same torque, but a much better torque curve; like a TDI torque peaks at 1600 rpm and stays flat until 4200 rpm. It is also much quieter and fuel efficient. It also doesn't have a timing belt.

Whether it is any more durable remains to be seen.

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You have a good point. I guess it would be between the 2.5 and the 1.8 on what I could find that has the features I want, price, and the mileage the car has. I told myself after I was finished with the Honda Civic that I had previously that I would want to get a TDI. It's a good conversation starter now too! I also LOVE the sound the TDI makes. When I used to live/visit Germany, it brings back lots of good memories. After experiencing the torque from the TDI, I'm not sure I could ever go back to a Honda or Toyota..