Hey Guys, I\'m new here
Well guys, I thought I'd never own a diesel, but here I am. I never had any negative thoughts about diesel engines in cars, its just that I didn't think it was available. But anyway, on with my Story:
I just purchased a 2001 Jetta GL TDI and I couldn't be happier with it. It has 37K miles and I bought it on the 18th of August and I must say it is a little boring not having to go to the pump so much!
I used to own a 97 Limited FWD 4Runner before I bought this vehicle. I never did like Sport utility vehicles very much, but I decided to give it a try and I never liked this very much. Then I went to Spain to study for 6 months. I also visited many other places in Europe too, including Germany. But I was always envious of the Volkswagens on the Autopista because I was always driving my Girlfriend's 90's Ford Fiesta which wouldn't go faster than 120km/hr! Maybe that is part of the reason I decided to get a VW! But when i got back, having paid the very high prices of Gas, I felt sinful driving the 4Runner, because it only got (at the best) 19 MPG, and at 65k miles, I realized that vehicle wasn't going to last me very long, not like another vehicle could. So I sold the 4Runner for 16.5k and set out looking for a new car. I was in the mindset of buying a small Japanese car for the reliability and the lower price. A standard transmission was a must since I developed a taste for it in Europe. Looking in the Car lot, I spotted a 97 TDI with 75k miles on it for 15k. I thought this was too high. Besides, it had an Automatic transmission. This was really bad for me, though, because I had my mind set on a new Japanese car. I became terribly unsure if that is what I wanted, because that car looked so cool. I had yet to discover how it drove or the quality of the interior, but I was drawn to it immediately.
Let me interrupt here to give you an idea of the timeframe here. I sold the car on Thursday around noon and had to move to school on Monday, so I had very limited time to purchase a car. When I got home that night I decided to look up TDIs on the internet and found one reasonably close at around 3 hours away. I called the man and the price was 14,5k. I felt like this was a good deal, since the dealer trade-in value was higher. I told the man that I would take it! At this point I hadn't even seen the car, or been on the inside of the Jetta yet! Although my friend who was driving me assured it was a good car. I test-drove a standard 2002 TDI at the dealership and was decided that it was the right choice. I also did the online carfax report also and found it to be clean. Off we went to the man to purchase the vehicle. I was satisfied and paid the man. It was empty, so I had to fill it up. Initially I had trouble finding a station and a diesel pump that I knew how to operate, but I found one and I was off. I drove 2 hours home and 3.5 hours to school and about 1 hour on another trip all on a tank of gas. Plus, I was only about 7/8ths empty! I loved it. I feel like I am redeeming my self for burning all of that gas in the 4Runner.
A couple of weeks later, I am still happy and haven't found any bad surprises. I've become a diesel nut, and have really enjoyed reading these pages. I'll never get a gasoline car again. I'm also interested in biodiesel, but I'm a little scared of putting anything I make into my new baby! Although I only have 37,000 miles, I am thinking of taking it to a dealer to have the 40k checkup done soon and request that the timing belt be changed, since I know how important it is. The car itself is as tight as a drum! I had no idea that Volkswagens had the same German engineering feel as BMW! I feel like I'm riding in a 14.5k$ BMW! I feel I couldn't have gotten a better car for the money. The only thing that disappointed me was learning that the car was made in Mexico. Are the Mexican Volkswagens worse than Germans? I relize that this would be expected, but has anyone evedince of this? The car runs very smoothly and has no rattles. The only undesirable noise is from the A/C when I recirculate the air. It is a slight whistle. Also there is some considerable tire noise, but I'm thinking of changing the tire soon anyway.
Now I have a REAL question for you smart guys. I am planning on moving to Germany in May for 12 months and would love to bring my TDI with me. I know that vehicles aren't necessary there, but it is very convenient having one for trips, etc. Also, my driver's license is from MS, which is a state that has the reciprocity agreement with Germany, so I'd only have to pay a small fee to have a German license. I have thought that I could possibly buy a very cheap car there for the cost of importing and exporting, but I would really like to bring it along rather than having it sit for a year. The only problem is the cost. I was wondering if you guys knew of the cheapest possibility of getting myself and my car to Germany? I had possibly considered riding in the transport ship. I realise that there are actual "Freighter Cruises" that take pasengers, but that is expensive. Something more spartan won't bother me at all for the Atlantic crossing. Maybe I could work up a deal with the transporter? ; ). But, this is my serious question. How can I transport it cheaply. Ideally, I would like to be able to do it for less than 1000, both ways. I don't know much about this, but I hope it's possible. If I could go on the boat with the car that could be as high as 1,700 both ways. What do you guys think? I'm really interested in driving my car in Europe when I live there. Its really sad knowing that you own a car and that you can't use it! Especially if it is a TDI! I would really like some info on this. Thanks a lot.
Michael
Well guys, I thought I'd never own a diesel, but here I am. I never had any negative thoughts about diesel engines in cars, its just that I didn't think it was available. But anyway, on with my Story:
I just purchased a 2001 Jetta GL TDI and I couldn't be happier with it. It has 37K miles and I bought it on the 18th of August and I must say it is a little boring not having to go to the pump so much!
I used to own a 97 Limited FWD 4Runner before I bought this vehicle. I never did like Sport utility vehicles very much, but I decided to give it a try and I never liked this very much. Then I went to Spain to study for 6 months. I also visited many other places in Europe too, including Germany. But I was always envious of the Volkswagens on the Autopista because I was always driving my Girlfriend's 90's Ford Fiesta which wouldn't go faster than 120km/hr! Maybe that is part of the reason I decided to get a VW! But when i got back, having paid the very high prices of Gas, I felt sinful driving the 4Runner, because it only got (at the best) 19 MPG, and at 65k miles, I realized that vehicle wasn't going to last me very long, not like another vehicle could. So I sold the 4Runner for 16.5k and set out looking for a new car. I was in the mindset of buying a small Japanese car for the reliability and the lower price. A standard transmission was a must since I developed a taste for it in Europe. Looking in the Car lot, I spotted a 97 TDI with 75k miles on it for 15k. I thought this was too high. Besides, it had an Automatic transmission. This was really bad for me, though, because I had my mind set on a new Japanese car. I became terribly unsure if that is what I wanted, because that car looked so cool. I had yet to discover how it drove or the quality of the interior, but I was drawn to it immediately.
Let me interrupt here to give you an idea of the timeframe here. I sold the car on Thursday around noon and had to move to school on Monday, so I had very limited time to purchase a car. When I got home that night I decided to look up TDIs on the internet and found one reasonably close at around 3 hours away. I called the man and the price was 14,5k. I felt like this was a good deal, since the dealer trade-in value was higher. I told the man that I would take it! At this point I hadn't even seen the car, or been on the inside of the Jetta yet! Although my friend who was driving me assured it was a good car. I test-drove a standard 2002 TDI at the dealership and was decided that it was the right choice. I also did the online carfax report also and found it to be clean. Off we went to the man to purchase the vehicle. I was satisfied and paid the man. It was empty, so I had to fill it up. Initially I had trouble finding a station and a diesel pump that I knew how to operate, but I found one and I was off. I drove 2 hours home and 3.5 hours to school and about 1 hour on another trip all on a tank of gas. Plus, I was only about 7/8ths empty! I loved it. I feel like I am redeeming my self for burning all of that gas in the 4Runner.
A couple of weeks later, I am still happy and haven't found any bad surprises. I've become a diesel nut, and have really enjoyed reading these pages. I'll never get a gasoline car again. I'm also interested in biodiesel, but I'm a little scared of putting anything I make into my new baby! Although I only have 37,000 miles, I am thinking of taking it to a dealer to have the 40k checkup done soon and request that the timing belt be changed, since I know how important it is. The car itself is as tight as a drum! I had no idea that Volkswagens had the same German engineering feel as BMW! I feel like I'm riding in a 14.5k$ BMW! I feel I couldn't have gotten a better car for the money. The only thing that disappointed me was learning that the car was made in Mexico. Are the Mexican Volkswagens worse than Germans? I relize that this would be expected, but has anyone evedince of this? The car runs very smoothly and has no rattles. The only undesirable noise is from the A/C when I recirculate the air. It is a slight whistle. Also there is some considerable tire noise, but I'm thinking of changing the tire soon anyway.
Now I have a REAL question for you smart guys. I am planning on moving to Germany in May for 12 months and would love to bring my TDI with me. I know that vehicles aren't necessary there, but it is very convenient having one for trips, etc. Also, my driver's license is from MS, which is a state that has the reciprocity agreement with Germany, so I'd only have to pay a small fee to have a German license. I have thought that I could possibly buy a very cheap car there for the cost of importing and exporting, but I would really like to bring it along rather than having it sit for a year. The only problem is the cost. I was wondering if you guys knew of the cheapest possibility of getting myself and my car to Germany? I had possibly considered riding in the transport ship. I realise that there are actual "Freighter Cruises" that take pasengers, but that is expensive. Something more spartan won't bother me at all for the Atlantic crossing. Maybe I could work up a deal with the transporter? ; ). But, this is my serious question. How can I transport it cheaply. Ideally, I would like to be able to do it for less than 1000, both ways. I don't know much about this, but I hope it's possible. If I could go on the boat with the car that could be as high as 1,700 both ways. What do you guys think? I'm really interested in driving my car in Europe when I live there. Its really sad knowing that you own a car and that you can't use it! Especially if it is a TDI! I would really like some info on this. Thanks a lot.
Michael