When it is time to buy your next vehicle?

Just a curiosity where our 2001 Jetta has just turned 350,000 miles, it is still going strong but it will not last forever. When that time comes, what will some of you be buying to replace it? A primary concern for us is that we cannot think of a single vehicle out there that is a fuel efficient as our TDI, and still has enough power to competently tow a 1,000 pound camp trailer?

Bill

Another 99.5-03 Jetta?

You can't think of a better vehicle, because, in my humble opinion, there isn't one. My '02 Wagon is about to hit 360K miles, and I plan to drive it indefinitely. My sons both have '02s (one Golf, and one Jetta Sedan) and love them both.

Don't think about the value of the vehicle, just invest in it to keep it in top condition, and enjoy it.

The common rail tdi's should be available on the market for quite a few more years. I plan to keep my '11 for another 5 years/150k miles. Who knows what options will be around at that point.

I would have been looking at one of the new left over 2015's to save on the side for the eventual retirement of your current car.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

My '02 Wagon is about to hit 360K miles, and I plan to drive it indefinitely.

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I'm within 2000 miles of that mark myself. Plan to drive it as long as I can - also a member of the "drive it till the wheels fall off, then put on new wheels and keep going" club.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Don't think about the value of the vehicle, just invest in it to keep it in top condition, and enjoy it.

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This.

I'm around 445,000 and have been having the same thoughts. I'm pretty much sold on a new Jetta with the 1.4t if I have a major failure. Have to wonder when things like the original clutch, IP, turbo etc are going to go on me.

There are not very many 1000 lb camp trailers available unless you are referring to a small teardrop or a home built. My Golf is rated at 1000 lb but that does not allow for any load if your trailer weighs that much. I have thought about the same question and have been considering a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a diesel or the GM mid size trucks with diesels (Chev Colorado and GMC Canyon) which get good reviews. But they are going to get mid to high 20s for mpg and can have a MSRP of 40k! I read that GM is targeting us folks who are going to be coming out of VW diesels.

I have exactly the same miles on all 3 of the DDs in the yard: my wifes '03 Jetta wagon, my K15 6.5TD and our gasser V70 spare car - 315,000 kms. I guess I have some time left to worry about it, but I honestly don't know WHAT I will buy. Might have to find a sound body of an A6 Allroad in southern US and buy a donor 3.0 TDI in Germany and build from scratch. Actually, now that the clock is ticking, I could just buy a complete, low miler in Europe, along with a T4 syncro LWD TDI manual.

Here is a comparison of a new Chevy Cruse diesel vs. old- 2002 VW Golf Diesel.

https://youtu.be/XHZmNU-De3A

diesel beemer

Jetta SS said:

I'm around 445,000 and have been having the same thoughts. I'm pretty much sold on a new Jetta with the 1.4t if I have a major failure. Have to wonder when things like the original clutch, IP, turbo etc are going to go on me.

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I got me one of those.............attempting to parallel the MPG my JSW TDI 6M consistently logged.

So far it's been surprisingly close.



ez sends

wjfyfe said:

Just a curiosity where our 2001 Jetta has just turned 350,000 miles, it is still going strong but it will not last forever. When that time comes, what will some of you be buying to replace it? A primary concern for us is that we cannot think of a single vehicle out there that is a fuel efficient as our TDI, and still has enough power to competently tow a 1,000 pound camp trailer?

Bill

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Actually the 1000 pound towing limit for NA Jetta's is wrong. The gasser version has a 2000 pound towing limit and is less capable at towing than the TDI is. Look in the owners manual. At least that is the case for a 2006 Jetta.

If you tow at the 2000 pound limit, get an EGT gauge .

We have been towing a Chalet LTW A-frame folding trailer for over 10 years now, yes, the TDI has proven itself quite capable. When reading reviews we are skeptical in purchasing a 2004 or newer TDI and are on the lookout for another ALH to just possibly pickle and store for future use.

Bill

My 2001 Jetta has 268,000 miles and I plan to drive her until I can drive her no longer; as long as no longer is at least 500,000 miles. My plan is to find a low mileage ALH in need of "minor" restoration--preferably a JSW--and use that to tow the pop-up trailer I want to purchase.
The Dad of one of my students has a paint and body shop, and is willing to give an Educator a break on the price to R&R the body and paint and then shoot three coats of clear. The driver's seat has just started to fabric split in the seat (butt) portion of the driver's seat and the rest of the interior is very close to 8 out of 10 points. I know my Jetta will tow a pop-up trailer without problem and still deliver stellar FE and power compared to any other mid-compact car I could drive. Of course the best part is I have no payments and cheap insurance on my Jetta.

I just traded my 2006 Jetta TDI Package 0 for a 2018 Golf SE 5-speed manual. I really considered keeping the car longer but at 204K I started noticed more issues that would need attention. Plus, my only trusted diesel mechanic in my remote area died. I realized that cars don't last forever. I have kept cars past their expiration date and lived to regret the unreliability even if the repair expenses are less than a new car.

So far I have been very happy with the Golf. I get 37 mpg on my 35 mile commute, 33 around town. At the much lower gasoline price here in PA I am paying about the same per mile as the Jetta. Amazingly, USAA only increased my insurance $44/year (I assume due to the improved safety features).

Driving has been a nice upgrade in smoothness, quietness, and handling. The 8.5" screen with Apple CarPlay is a real pleasure. So, while I miss the diesel torque overall this seems like a nice upgrade. I got the car before the trade at $21.5K which was $3K less than sticker.

When the wife says I'm not driving that POS anymore.

I am in the same boat, 99.5 TDI with 380,000 miles on it. Still run and drives fine but rust is starting to become an epidemic. Interior plastic is all faded and shot, rubber door seals shot, ect.

Considering the car has been a daily driver/road warrior for the past 18 YEARS is nothing short of incredible considering how well it is still going but is getting old.

Going back and fourth on a few thing, one of them is trying to find a clean MK4 to swap the motor into but those are getting rare now since they are all old cars. Other thing is to start doing major renovations the car now and keep it going another 5-10 years.

Much as I dislike Click and Clack because they were somewhere between clueless and malevolent about diesels, I think one of their best pieces of advice on when to get rid of a car is "when you no longer have confidence in it". It's one thing to fix stuff that breaks or wears out after 15+ years; it's another to wonder if it will leave you stranded somewhere inconvenient or even dangerous.

Steve-o said:

I think one of their best pieces of advice on when to get rid of a car is "when you no longer have confidence in it". It's one thing to fix stuff that breaks or wears out after 15+ years; it's another to wonder if it will leave you stranded somewhere inconvenient or even dangerous.

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Very good point. There is pride in keeping a car going. Additionally, I reached a point where I didn't enjoy the agita of hoping the car stays together and works when I need it. I no longer have the financial necessity to keep an old car on the road, My 2018 is such a joy to drive I didn't realize how worn out everything was in the 12-year-old car. As my buddy said "It's like going from old, worn-out shoes to new ones."

I had this conversation with my son on Saturday. His '02 Golf seems to be consuming a (very) small amount of power steering fluid, and I suspect at some point it'll need a rack. 354K on the car, due for a timing belt in 6-8K, leaks a little oil around the valve guide seals when it sits. And the brake master cylinder may be getting tired. However, we agreed that even if we have to replace the rack and refresh the head it's worth it. The car runs excellent, is cosmetically OK (very little rust) and has been dead reliable for him. Sure, it needs attention now and then, but even if we have all those repairs done it'll cost less than any kind of suitable replacement.

There are two factors in replacing a car, financial and emotional. You can almost always make the argument that keeping an old car running will cost less than buying a newer car. Very old cars, though, reach a level of very little value as a whole. My 12-year-old Jetta was a fine looking car but if I totaled it I would not have gotten more than $2K from the insurance. If you can keep a car going with your own labor the financial point of no return gets extended.

There is always a cheaper car. Many of us are often we are told that driving a TDI is not financially sensible in terms of fuel and operating costs. But our responses usually deal with the emotional aspects of driving something different, having more torque, or being able to use biofuels.

The emotional side of keeping or replacing a car is strictly personal. We each do our own pros and cons about the importance of driving with all the newest features or unique aspects of a vehicle. In the end, the time to buy your next vehicle is when you want to (as long as you can afford it).

I agree with a lot of the post above. I don't think most people base their auto choice purely on cost. In fact I believe few people (myself included) even know the actual total cost of owning their car.

Someone asked me how old my Wagon was the other day. I heard myself describing it as my "forever" car. I've concluded that as long as I'm willing to fix it, I can keep it, major accident notwithstanding.

I've usually sold cars when I grew tired of them. Hasn't happened yet with this one.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I agree with a lot of the post above. I don't think most people base their auto choice purely on cost. In fact I believe few people (myself included) even know the actual total cost of owning their car.

Someone asked me how old my Wagon was the other day. I heard myself describing it as my "forever" car. I've concluded that as long as I'm willing to fix it, I can keep it, major accident notwithstanding.

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When I bought a new Golf TDI in 2003, my plan was to drive it until 2010 and then hand it down to my niece when she got her license. 2010 came and went; there were new TDIs available but I didn't want monthly payments, so she ended up driving something else. When the odometer rolled past 500k miles, I started to wonder what I'd do when it hit a million kilometers and the odometer stopped working. Fortunately, I have Eric who is a great mechanic and he fixed that for me, turning it back by exactly 400k miles. So the next time the odometer shows 600k miles it will have exactly one million miles. (VCDS will verify.)

And that is my goal. About 308k miles to go and I can do that in about five years -- assuming the Golf and I both stay healthy enough to keep driving 200 or 250 miles a day, five days a week.

If I wanted it to last forever, I'd park it in a garage and only drive it on sunny Sunday afternoons.