Newbie First Post

Hello!

I decided to join the forum before buying the car. On a previous forum I enjoyed, everyone bought first and then found the forum. Then, they wished they had the knowledge first.

Time to do things right. I'll be lurking most of the time, except to ask "stupid" questions. Know gassers inside out, time for TDi.

Spent my early years figuring out how to make hot rods fast, middle years trying to make big trucks stop, and now plan to learn how to use the least amount of fuel.

Dave,
Welcome!
Read every Stickie, FAQ, and How To. You may never have to ask a 'stupid' question if you lurk enough.....

Good luck!

Bill

Contango Dave said:

Hello!

I decided to join the forum before buying the car...

Click to expand...

Welcome to TDIClub!

I read/searched the forums from first to last, the members here are masters of all things TDI.
If your intent is to buy it new, pick one, buy it. There are a few left in TN. Are there many TDIs at the local dealer(s), have you driven a TDI?

Welsome to the club. If you can sift through all the BS, there is a wealth of useful info here. The FAQ is a good place to start.

Wecome and Enjoy!

Contango Dave said:

Hello!

I decided to join the forum before buying the car. On a previous forum I enjoyed, everyone bought first and then found the forum. Then, they wished they had the knowledge first.

Time to do things right. I'll be lurking most of the time, except to ask "stupid" questions. Know gassers inside out, time for TDi.

Spent my early years figuring out how to make hot rods fast, middle years trying to make big trucks stop, and now plan to learn how to use the least amount of fuel.

Click to expand...

Hi Contango,
Wecome to the TDI forums I'm sure you will find it an indispensible resource when you take the plunge. I'm on my 4th VW, first TDI and love the cars having also put my kids into VWs as their first car and maintained and repaired them. The TDI is my second VW Diesel the first having been an 80's Rabbit Diesel L that I gave to my daughter when it had 230,000 miles on it. She drove it for another couple of years befor it was a write off when it was stolen.

I purchased my new 06 Jetta TDI in April after having to spend over $300 a month for gas in my Mazda B2200 pickup in my daily 90+ minute freeway commute. I was amazed at the mileage I was getting having 20 minutes a day on rural roads at 50MPH and 70 minutes at freeway speeds around 75MPH.

My best tank using economical driving techniques did better than 48MPG with an average in the 46s which is amazing for a car that weighs over 3,000lbs and still performs well without mods. 700 miles to a tank freeway driving is possible with the PD engine and many are getting significantly more with the older TDIs.

Whatever your choice for model and year will not dissapoint.

If you buy used be VERY careful. I wasn't and got one that needed everything
Its GREAT to see you made it here before buying

Thanks for the Welcome!!!

Wish I had more time to spend absorbing the info. Very fine bunch here.

My initial plan is to buy a used vehicle, probably a Wagon style, in the late fall
or spring. Moving one more time and keeping my Suburban until spring '08. I used to get 11 MPG with the Sub, until thet re-re-reformulated the juice, and now it's 10 on a good day with a perfect tune, or 13 downhill at 55MPH.

Anyway I will be looking for a fine used wagon as new as I can afford, to be followed later by a new one if I like the car and have more funds available. Probably in the $10K range first cut.

I over-maintain everything and am a stickler for proper care.

I just moved to Austin so if there are any local events and somebody reads this, let me know.

Austin - home of runonbeer and others. Good place for a tdi!

Tweeeeet!!! 5 yard penalty, inappropriate avatar!

Welcome aboard. Ask away. Just use that little search button above before you ask. Most times, the answer is easy to find.

Welcome,

Ask when you have problems, these people here have saved my butt and answered all my questions. I don't quite now how to pay them back.

Tripp

Avatar

The avatar is only partially inappropriate. That's an Autolite TF 50 plug, after a single quarter mile run on Nitro. After the electrode burns off, the engine can still fire off the molten glob for a bit before it drops the cyl.
It symbolizes my transition from spark ignition to Diesel.

Diesel (C12H26+) has 18000 BTU/lb and Nitromethane (CH3NO2) has 42.7 MJ/kg. One of these days I'll do the math to the same unit to compare.