ESP *dilemma* 2004 w/o esp OR 2005 w/esp ??

Hi, we are in a quandry here and because of the feedback read on other posts, we feel assured you can help us with this problem.... rite now we can purchase a 2004 Jetta wagon TDI with all options including the colour we truly want, BUT it has NO ESP which is a feature (tho we've never had it) that we truly would want on the vehicle we purchase.

We had thought to buy a 2005 fully loaded with esp & all options, but it will not be available to us until late November IF AT ALL due to the number allocated to Canada for this particular model. soooooooooo..........

The difference between the 2004 w/o esp and the 2005 with esp is ~ 1400.00 Canadian. Do we purchase the sure one on the lot or do we wait and HOPE we can get the 2005 with esp later? The dealer shows there are approx 9 2005 tdi wagons with esp/fully loaded due to arrive from Europe within two months...our dealer would have to approach whichever dealer the vehicles are designated for and there are NO guarantees we would be able to acquire one.... so waiting & not buying the one in the lot may be a risk just for esp....

The 1400.00 is rather significant to us as well, we are taking money against the house to buy the car...and would still get winter tires (we are in Northern Ontario where ice and snow for 6 months is the norm)... Your thoughts would be greatly accepted/appreciated as we are wavering back & forth on this ourselves. Thank you in advance !

You pose a tough judgment call question. Having lived in Ontario for a number of years, I would say ESP is far more important a feature than say for Massachusetts or points south. The feature is akin to airbags in your situation. The car will operate fine without it and likelihood is it will seldom if ever make a critical difference. The exceptions however may be life and death issues. In contrast, a bird in hand is worth many in the bush and it sounds like there is fierce competition for these cars. If the allocations are down to a handful of cars for the whole country, I think I would grab the car in hand. ESP is a great feature that should be standard but fortunately the Jetta's have so many good safety features that I would go ahead with what you have. IMHO

Don't get a new car without it!! (Watch the three animated demonstrations, but first make sure it's in English via the little blue banner at the very top of the page).

According to a recent article in "GermanCarFans," ESP saves 800 lives per year in Germany.

I'm going to suggest you go ahead and buy the 2004 without the ESP. And here's why.

You live in northern Ontario, right? You know your road conditions, you know how to drive on ice and snow, and you slow down. So do your neighbors.

I think ESP would be much more useful to folks who live in the ice and sleet zones, where they have less experience in driving under hazardous conditions. IMO this zone would include Atlanta, Memphis, and Dallas. They don't get much snow, and they don't really know how to drive in it. They get more rain than snow in the winter, but freezing rain at 30-32 degrees Fahrenheit is more dangerous, I think, than snow at 10 above or 20 below.

If you need a new car now, buy the 2004. If you can wait a few months, then wait. Get one with ESP, if you can. But the Cold Weather Package would be an essential option for you, I think.

I lived in Detroit for 8 years. This time included countless trips deep into Ontario in all the seasons. I've experienced surprise sheet-ice roadways in the dead of winter. I look at ESP as a very cheap life-insurance policy for you and your loved ones. My next car will have ESP even though I now live in sunny Southern California. It's not that I can't drive, its merely added insurance and the latest in available technology. It is simply humanly impossible to exert the level of control over your car in ALL driving conditions as ESP can.

tibbar,

I completely understand your dilemma. My husband and I just had the very same issue and we too live in Ontario, GTA to be more specific. Should we get the 2004 Jetta without ESP or get an 2005 with ESP. As I have a 45 minute commute to work (in normal weather conditions) we figured that the ESP was definately a benefit and worth it in the long run. Where abouts are you located in northern Ontario? I know that Autohaus VW in Orangeville already has some 05 Jetta wagons, and my 05 sedan arrived last week. This was after several other dealers told me that they wouldn't have any 05's until October. Autohaus had mine at their dealership in less then 1 week.

I'd suggest going around as many dealers as you can to find your Jetta Variant before the dealer you saw at first.

You may get a better price and ESP...

If you don't try you won't know.

Hi again and THANK YOU all for taking time to reply and trying to help us resolve this issue..... we decided to wait for the 2005 w/esp instead of the 2004 w/o. Thanks again, at least this way we won't be second guessing if we should have waited two years down the road... can't wait to post our pics when we get the car!!!!!! )) stay well

Just to toss in my 2 cents' worth - I just traded a 2001 Jetta Wolfsburg on a 2004 Golf TDI w/out ESP. First car had it, this one doesn't. So far I don't miss it. I used to try and see what it did for me and I shut it off occasionally, got lots of wheelspin w/ the 1.8 turbo. Don't get wheelspin with the Golf...I shopped 5 dealerships in this area and I ended up buying from the same dealer both times. Started negotiations with $1000 off list and went from there. Then I leased it! Don't get screwed by visiting only one dealer - the warranty does not have to be serviced by the selling dealer and you can pit one against the other for the lowest price.