The whole new car buying trend is a pile of Fail, really. Really sad. Every single vehicle I own has no direct, same, apples to apples equivalent.
Starting with my oldest:
1979 Transporter
1982 Vanagon (diesel even!)
-- no VAG Transporters since the Eurovan left in 2003, and even then, the last few years were all gasser chain chucking VR6s bolted to a rando-fail slushbox while Europe enjoyed (and still does enjoy) some fantastic TDI engines bolted to manuals. We get nothing. We did briefly get a slap in the face (well, more like a stomp on the scrotum) in the Routan.
1991 Jetta
diesel , simple, sturdy, reliable, roomy even for a small (tiny by today's standards) car, and a little sedan that still manages a GIANT truck. Lifetime windows, locks, gearbox, sunroof.... you name it, it still works. The most electronic thing on it is the radio, which was incidentally made by Clarion in Japan, and STILL works great, tape deck and all.
1996 F150
Last of its kind. 6 cylinders in a row, ancient tech, but solid and reliable, back from when Ford knew how to build something simple and tough. And it has three pedals. There is not been a manual Ford truck available here for nearly a decade now. I suppose the base 2019 F150 would be comparable, but I doubt its 3.3L 24v DI V6 will last as long, and I am certain the 6sp slushbox it has won't work as well as the Mazda M5 box my truck has. And let's face it, my truck LOOKS far better.
My ALH Golfs
Bad enough we can no longer buy any diesels, but a diesel Golf is really about the perfect blend of economy, fun to drive, great utility, decent room, and cute good looks... but now the Golf itself may be going away soon. Sad.
My 2004 Passats
No [real] Passats for us in a long time, the B5 was unique in its solid shared Audi platform. Great engines (except the W8
), both my TDI and my 1.8t continue to drive great even after 15 years and 200k miles. And one is a wagon and AWD, which I suppose I could replace with an Audi A4 Allroad, but the cost would be a jaw dropper, and I doubt that EA888 engine in the new one will work as well as my AWM still does.
2016 Sprinter
The last of its kind, only a three year run for us here with the mighty mite OM651 2.1L engine. A 10 passenger van that rolls along at 80 while turning only 2600 RPM and can tag 27 MPG? And it cost about the same as a tarted up minivan? No new 4 cyl. And all the new passenger vans are high roof only. They did at least grace them all with th 7sp though.
So yeah, pretty depressing, but I will be taking good care of my small fleet. They are all somewhat special and unique to me in some way.