Thinking of selling my TDI!!!!

Hear is what I am thinking, I have a 2003 Golf TDI with 53000 miles on it. The car is paid off and I have never really liked it. I bought it as a commuter for work and it is perfect for just that reason but as I said I just don't feel comfortable or really enjoy the car. I'm seeing the crazy prices on Ebay that I could get for it, basically what I paid for it. So with that been said I am thinking about selling it and getting an old Mercedes diesel which it seems I can pick up a pretty nice one for around 3-4K. I figure I can get a couple of years out of that and by then hopefully there will be some more diesel powered vehicles to chose from. Let me know what you think about this idea?

Thanks,
Flick

You don't like your '03 TDI and think you'll like a late 80's Mercedes diesel instead? lol


You should upgrade.... to something like the E320 CDI

original quote by: D Flick
The car is paid off and I have never really liked it. I bought it as a commuter for work and it is perfect ...
.... Let me know what you think about this idea?

Thanks,
Flick

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I'd dump the Jetta in a hurry. If you're not pleased with how it looks and how it feels ...I'd dump it as fast as possible seeing the present demand for economy cars.

E320 5-cylinder 5 speed auto 1998!

M.D.

I think if you can find a nice one, a W124 diesel would make an excellent car. Much nicer than a Golf IMO.

Hear is what I am thinking, I have a 2003 Golf TDI with 53000 miles on it. The car is paid off and I have never really liked it. I bought it as a commuter for work and it is perfect for just that reason but as I said I just don't feel comfortable or really enjoy the car. I'm seeing the crazy prices on Ebay that I could get for it, basically what I paid for it. So with that been said I am thinking about selling it and getting an old Mercedes diesel which it seems I can pick up a pretty nice one for around 3-4K. I figure I can get a couple of years out of that and by then hopefully there will be some more diesel powered vehicles to chose from. Let me know what you think about this idea?

Thanks,
Flick

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What don't you like? Lack of power? sick of having some ricer blow you away?

clutch job + injectors + rcIII + new struts & springs = profit

If you don't like the car and can afford to give up 45MPG, then sell it. Your reasons are your own so don't worry about what anyone here thinks.

MB diesels return about 35MPG tops. I do not recommend the non-turbos as they are just too slow and the mileage is not much better than the turbo models.

If you want a newer MB diesel, look for a 1998/1999 E class. The price would be about what you would get for your VW.

201s (C class size, 1984 to 1993), 123s (E class size, 1977 to 1985), 124s (E class size, 1986 to 1995), and 126s (S class 1981 to 1991) are easy to work on and parts are plentiful and cheap.

A mint 201 can be had for $3000 to $5000. Everyone wants the 1987 because it had the turbo motor so that year commands a premium. A mint low mileage 123 can be had for $5000, tops. A mint 124 for $5000 to $10,000 (124 diesel wagons were only imported one year and good examples command a premium). A mint 126 between $5000 to 10,000.

Stay away from the 90-91 126 300SDL. These cars had an odd ball 3.5L engine that is prone to severe engine failures. Stay away from any 140 (S class 1992 to 1998). These big over-engineered monsters will break you for any kind of maintenace.

When shopping a used MB diesel, you are shopping the owner as much as the car. You need to see service records, lots of service receipts. A poorly maintained MB diesel can break you.

Here is a web site that lists most MBs by their chassis numbers so you know what 123/124/126 are. MB by chassis number

Good luck in your search.

I don't know what golf you have (GL or GLS, 2 or 4 door) but my guess is it's worth 12-14K. That's probably less than you paid for it. A person who posts here has tried twice on eBay to sell his '01 golf and got to 11.5K or so and bidding stopped-didn't make reserve He had a buyer on the first auction who dropped out.

So if you have an immaculate GLS and can get 14K for it, you may be able to find a good Mercedes, make any necessary repairs, and be 6-8K ahead.

I think you missed the boat on the very high tdi prices. After the knee jerk reaction that people had....maybe they started to do the math........"I can buy a 2 year old car and pay more for it than it sold for new..........and it will only take me......how long to make up the difference.......wow.... and if gas comes back down to 2 bucks...how smart I would have looked" Yea, I think that is over.

My own experience with a MB diesel (1985 300CD, a very pretty and nice coupe) is that it was a great-driving car but maintenance was continuous and fairly expensive, and the mileage was not that great. I decided to sell mine when it needed AC work again. It also needed to have all the vacuum lines and valves replaced. These are fairly small items, although the cost for AC work can be high, but I didn't care for the frequency of repair needed. I ended up getting a 140,000-mile 1985 Jetta td, which was a great car that needed virtually no maintenace other than one injector replacement and oil changes. Then I got the '01 Golf, which was also great for about 50,000 miles.

I am also wondering what your problem is with the Golf, assuming it has not yet succumbed to the power loss so many seem to experience eventually. Even with the extreme power loss, mine is still a nice car on the highway, as long as I don't have to pass anyone, and it still gets around 48 mpg. But, as the previous poster said, your reasons are entirely your own and it's not really any of our business.