Done Deal
The short story is that the deal and the trip were pretty much flawless, and I now have an '04 GLS TDI Wagon in my garage. Thanks to everyone who gave advice, it was appreciated.
I'll put the long story here; it's probably going to be long-winded.
First, getting there. The car's (former) owners live in the Daytona Beach, FL area, and I'm in southwest Michigan. Direct flights, last minute, one-way, were ridiculously expensive. So I found a cheapie on AirTran out of Chicago-Midway, to Orlando, where the sellers agreed to pick me up at the airport. My wife and kids have sports & other activities that keep them busy, plus they still thought I was totally crazy to go that far to get a car, so a ride to the airport was out of the question. I took a commuter train into Chicago, then the Orange Line out to Midway. The train broke one of its rooftop electrical contacts - you know, the one that rubs the wires above the tracks, so we were delayed by an hour. Good thing I built my itinerary with plenty of margin for error! At the airport, I expected to be thoroughly examined by security, since I was flying single, on a one-way ticket purchased at the last minute. To my surprise, no problem.
Second, the deal. Met the sellers at the airport in Orlando. They, too, laughed that it was almost like a drug deal: meeting a stranger at night (after 10PM) in the airport, and prepared to exchange a large amount of cash for "the merchandise". Good people, it was a pleasure to meet them.
We went to a nearby Denny's. The parking lot was well lit, and I had a two-page checklist to go through. Top to bottom, inside and out, electrical, mechanical, body fit-and-finish. At one point, the seller, a little frustrated that I was being so thorough, asked whether I intended to look under the car, too. And I did – it was on the checklist! Took my flashlight and did an upside-down shimmy as far underneath as I could. And it made me smile. Remember, I’m from the snowy north, and even after just a year or two, I expect to see rust and corrosion. But this was clean as the day it was made – even the muffler & pipes were still shiny.
Everything on my checklist was A-OK, so we went into the restaurant for some coffee and to do the paperwork. By midnight, it was a done deal.
Third, the drive home. With the original two keys plus the valet key in hand, I was on the road. The fuel tank – can’t say “gas” any more – showed full, but the odometer hadn’t been reset, so I couldn’t be sure. On the Florida Turnpike, I only stalled it once pulling away from a tollbooth. Gotta remember that the torque curve is different on the TDI than on my ol’ gas Jetta. Made it past Atlanta – 504 miles – before taking a break. The rain and rush hour traffic were really tiring me out. Pulled into a truck stop, folded down the back seat, and unrolled the sleeping bag. Planned to sleep 3-4 hours, but after only one, I was awake and ready to go.
Circled the “auto” pumps a couple of times looking for the diesel, and couldn’t find one. I guess that’s a sense I will have to develop now. Crossed the street to another station, found the diesel, and filled up. Loved the double take of the guy on the other side of the pump, filling up his diesel F-350. He muttered something about “diesel fuel for that tiny thing?”
The road through Chattanooga, Nashville, and Louisville was uneventful. Looked like I picked a good time for a snooze, there had been quite a bit of freezing rain at some of the higher elevations. But for me, the road was clear and dry; just covered with a whole lot of salt. There was a salt-dust cloud where the semis stirred it up. Got to the point where I could even taste it on the back of my tongue, seeing as I had the sunroof vent open. Continuing north, I got stuck briefly in rush hour traffic around Indianapolis, but no big deal. 20 years ago when I lived there, that town was a whole lot smaller!
Now the fun part begins. I was watching the odometer. 600 miles since the last fuel stop; then 620; then 640. Would I achieve the legendary 700-mile tank? Well, no. When the fuel light came on, I scooted into the first station with diesel. It was getting dark, and I haven’t had this thing long enough yet to know how far it will go between “fuel light on” and “out of fuel on the side of the road, you moron”. I calculated 47.5 MPG. I’m happy, considering that a) my gas Jetta once got 35 MPG under perfect circumstances; and b) there was a lot of up-and-down in the hills of TN and KY, plus the stop-and-go rush hour in Indy.
Close to the house, I ran the wagon through a car wash, and then hurried home to show her off to the family. 1,227 miles (and 19 ½ hours drive-time) from pick-up, I’m happy; my wife loves the heated seats; and the kids think the Monsoon sound is awesome. Would I do a long-distance buy again? Yep; but give me a while for this old body to recover from the road trip.
To RunningSnail: Although I live near Kalamazoo, I don’t plan to use the local dealer for parts / service unless absolutely necessary. My experience with them has been “mixed”, too. But it’s still better than my experience with the Holland VW dealership, who neglected to tighten bolts after replacing an alternator, which caused the AC compressor to fall off its bracket and drag on the ground until I could stop. They wouldn’t even acknowledge that it was their fault! I already made arrangements to have my local VW guy (NOT the dealership) do the 80K service and look it over tomorrow. This shop is good; anyone around Holland, Michigan who’s interested can PM me, and I’ll tell you who (if you don’t already know).
Now I’ll have to start lurking around the other forums. First modifications planned: a skid plate for the underside, and monster mats inside.
