Looking at getting back into a TDI

Sold my Mk6 back a couple of years ago and I've been driving a 2005 Outback XT (turbo) since. Getting tired of 16 mpg and questionable reliability, and I deeply miss my TDI.

My biggest criteria are: Wagon and manual. I'm really leaning towards an SEL, probably mainly because of the seats. Here's where it becomes unicorny. I'd really also like a lighting package car as my Mk6 had the AFS bi-xenons and I thought they were great.

Am I asking for too much, should I forget about finding a lighting package manual SEL? I'm not really a sunroof guy afterall.

Being that Diezelgate has happened and VW isn't selling new diesels anymore and the only thing available now are the buyback cars being recycled, I think you may be out of luck. Getting what you are asking for would be a stroke of luck. You might be able to get a wagon but everything else you may have to sacrifice. Go look on cars.com and see what you can find.

Within 100 miles of you:

https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searc...51683&yrId=56007&zc=43537&localVehicles=false

I searched for a few months for mine and bought it in January. I was even pickier than you. I needed a manual, SEL wagon with BOTH lighting and driver's assistance packages. I also refused to get either of the silver colors.



As time goes on it's going to be tougher and tougher to find one. TBH, there are so many good aftermarket lighting options, I was willing to give up the lighting package knowing I could upgrade. If you find a manual SEL in a color you like without the lighting, I'd jump on it.



Having just did a 2500 mile round trip in mine, the seats are well worth it. I almost settled on an SE with both optional packages, but the second I sat in it, the seats were a deal breaker for me.

Follow Cargurus and Autotrader daily, be willing to travel to get it, be a little patient, and you should be able to find exactly what your looking for. It took me a couple of months to find a manual Tungsten silver Golf SEL with lighting package and reasonable mileage, but it wasn't too bad. I had to fly and drive it 900 miles back home, but it was the exact car I was looking for.

I did a quick search on Cargurus and there are eleven of them listed with at least four of them having lighting package. I didn't check them all.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...=true&modelChanged=false&filtersModified=true

You have to filter for manual, diesel, and SEL.

Cars are still out there. I think auction activity has slowed a bit this winter, but I'm betting more cars will appear as the weather improves. And some dealers have pretty big inventories. I also think pricing will continue to fall. Let's face it: the audience for these cars is pretty specific and they're getting older as they sit, causing values to fall.

But some people are using this as an opportunity to get into a market they couldn't afford to before. Some of the prices of these cars are very good deals. Prices will continue to fall just as they do with any other cars. The warranty clock also winds down as they sit making them somewhat less attractive. If you want one now is the time to start looking. People used to post pics of some of the storage areas for the buy back cars. Wonder what they look like today? Any one close with a drone and camera setup? Just wondering what he bought back vs resold ratio looks like.

Yeah I've been looking at cars.com, cargurus, and autotrader quite a bit lately. There's a good bit of SEL manuals out there but hard to tell if they have the lighting package or not, I don't think it's always listed in the descriptions. I forgot about the drivers assistance package. I would say that's less of a priority. Is adaptive cruise only available with the DAP?

Also, hoping to stay away from white, black, or red...but really if it comes down to finding the specific options I want, I'll take whatever color I can get lol

bhazard said:

Yeah I've been looking at cars.com, cargurus, and autotrader quite a bit lately. There's a good bit of SEL manuals out there but hard to tell if they have the lighting package or not, I don't think it's always listed in the descriptions. I forgot about the drivers assistance package. I would say that's less of a priority. Is adaptive cruise only available with the DAP?

Also, hoping to stay away from white, black, or red...but really if it comes down to finding the specific options I want, I'll take whatever color I can get lol

Click to expand...

Just look at the pictures, the HID headlights look very different than the standard halogen headlights. The HID's have the square look to them because of the square LED daytime running light.

This one has the lighting package.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...=false&filtersModified=true#listing=226290057

This one does not.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...ersModified=true#listing=231875710_isFeatured

Yep, I see that now. I see a few listed but they are all priced higher of course with higher miles as well. Hoping to stay under 50,000 if possible. Just gonna have to keep watching over the next few months I guess.

I really wanted red or blue [actual colors instead of shades] and a light colored interior. It had to have a sunroof, DSG, and the lighting package. I found a new one in Orlando in Sept 2017 and drove it back here to Anchorage. It was a great break-in road trip. Keep looking - you'll find it. Hopefully it's a long plane trip away so you can have a blast driving it home.

You can also tell if the car has the drivers assistance package (DAP) from the pictures if there is a good enough picture of the front end. The DAP cars have a square cutout in the lower front valence for the DAP sensor. This car has DAP. It's not a manul, but it has a good picture to use as an example.


https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...=false&filtersModified=true#listing=232108507

Man that one is such a good deal...too bad it's a dsg.

Is the adaptive cruise only on DAP cars or is it standard on certain trim?

Adaptive cruise is part of the drivers assistance package so any car with DAP will have it.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

CGR said:

Adaptive cruise is part of the drivers assistance package so any car with DAP will have it.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

DAP on a 2015 is weak. No ACC, no blind spot, no emergency breaking... just has forward and rear parking sensors. VW added the good stuff in 2016


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahhh so no adaptive cruise on any of these cars then basically? Bummer

bhazard said:

Ahhh so no adaptive cruise on any of these cars then basically? Bummer

Click to expand...

Correct. DAP is only parking sensors and collision/distance warning.