Hey,
I am doing a little writeup on my quest for another TDI. I don't entirely know why I am posting this, maybe because I can't make up my mind.
I have been driving diesel VW's for 16 straight years, half of my life. My MK4 Jetta 1.9 MT is at 430000km with some transmission issues. It currently runs and drives great, but I ran the transmission low on fluid and damaged the diff bearings. Lots of play in both shafts. It's still functioning, but I can hear a minor whine now above 100km/hr... I could do the tranny swap, but it starts to get really time-consuming to maintain a car with km's like this.
I have been looking at all the auctioned off Sportwagen TDI's for the past 3 months but have not pulled the trigger on one yet. Either the dealers are asking too much, they are in terrible condition, or I cant find the right configuration for me. I limit my search pool by seeking a manual transmission.
I have performed most of the maintenance on my MK4, so I understand the additional maintenance costs associated with these cars.
Sportwagen TDI Pro's
- Great fuel economy
- Manually transmission pairs great with the TDI, very nice to drive.
- Tons of space and the seats fold down flat! MK7's do not fold flat.
- Decent warranty
- Bit of a unicorn, not much out there for fuel-efficient wagons.
https://owners.vwmodels.ca/pdf/VW_2L Gen 1_v2_CAN EN_FINAL.pdf
Con's
- Less power and fuel economy than before fix.
- Less tech options, no android auto.
- Generally higher maintenance costs than with a Japanese car.
- Hard to find one in good condition.
Notes on these auctioned off tdi's.
- Tires are always crap, even the vw dealers will sell them CPO with poor tires. Or they toss on some noname brand tires.
- Brakes are usually bad.
- Found water damage on 3 cars.
- sometimes the sunroofs dont close. I think if you want the sunroof you need to be diligent about maintaining it.
- There seems to be a big market for the wagons in Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Too bad they will no longer make them.
- Manual transmissions seem to be in higher demand.
- I have walked away from 8 of these cars due to body damage. I take a towel to dry off wet cars and will only look at them with daylight.
- Vw dealers may offer certified pre-owned (CPO) but they will still leave the rusty brakes and tires on the cars. I don't see a huge advantage of buying CPO unless they have replace tires, brakes, battery, fluids, etc.
Questions:
1. Will the rusty breaks wear in properly?
2. Is 2014 the most desirable year to buy? Any reason not to go with 2011-2013?
3. Did I miss the boat on high-quality TDI's? Are the auctioned off vehicles only going to get worse?
4. Any thoughts on a 2013 white sportwagen manual (good body), base model, smells like dog, 93000km, 2018 rims/tires, no sunroof, asking $14kcad, thinking about offering $11k and maybe settling at 11.5-12k with a full detailing.
- https://vancouver.craigslist.org/pml/ctd/d/coquitlam-2013-volkswagen-golf-tdi/7035558387.html
5. Anyone in the lower mainland with a dealer's license willing to take me to one of the Thurday Adesa auctions?
I have had a good run with the tdi's, hopefully I can keep it going, but I am getting tempted to switch to a subaru. I would like to say thanks to all of the dedicated users in this community for all the time spent helping others.
Happy Holidays
Dawson
I am doing a little writeup on my quest for another TDI. I don't entirely know why I am posting this, maybe because I can't make up my mind.
I have been driving diesel VW's for 16 straight years, half of my life. My MK4 Jetta 1.9 MT is at 430000km with some transmission issues. It currently runs and drives great, but I ran the transmission low on fluid and damaged the diff bearings. Lots of play in both shafts. It's still functioning, but I can hear a minor whine now above 100km/hr... I could do the tranny swap, but it starts to get really time-consuming to maintain a car with km's like this.
I have been looking at all the auctioned off Sportwagen TDI's for the past 3 months but have not pulled the trigger on one yet. Either the dealers are asking too much, they are in terrible condition, or I cant find the right configuration for me. I limit my search pool by seeking a manual transmission.
I have performed most of the maintenance on my MK4, so I understand the additional maintenance costs associated with these cars.
Sportwagen TDI Pro's
- Great fuel economy
- Manually transmission pairs great with the TDI, very nice to drive.
- Tons of space and the seats fold down flat! MK7's do not fold flat.
- Decent warranty
- Bit of a unicorn, not much out there for fuel-efficient wagons.
https://owners.vwmodels.ca/pdf/VW_2L Gen 1_v2_CAN EN_FINAL.pdf
Con's
- Less power and fuel economy than before fix.
- Less tech options, no android auto.
- Generally higher maintenance costs than with a Japanese car.
- Hard to find one in good condition.
Notes on these auctioned off tdi's.
- Tires are always crap, even the vw dealers will sell them CPO with poor tires. Or they toss on some noname brand tires.
- Brakes are usually bad.
- Found water damage on 3 cars.
- sometimes the sunroofs dont close. I think if you want the sunroof you need to be diligent about maintaining it.
- There seems to be a big market for the wagons in Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Too bad they will no longer make them.
- Manual transmissions seem to be in higher demand.
- I have walked away from 8 of these cars due to body damage. I take a towel to dry off wet cars and will only look at them with daylight.
- Vw dealers may offer certified pre-owned (CPO) but they will still leave the rusty brakes and tires on the cars. I don't see a huge advantage of buying CPO unless they have replace tires, brakes, battery, fluids, etc.
Questions:
1. Will the rusty breaks wear in properly?
2. Is 2014 the most desirable year to buy? Any reason not to go with 2011-2013?
3. Did I miss the boat on high-quality TDI's? Are the auctioned off vehicles only going to get worse?
4. Any thoughts on a 2013 white sportwagen manual (good body), base model, smells like dog, 93000km, 2018 rims/tires, no sunroof, asking $14kcad, thinking about offering $11k and maybe settling at 11.5-12k with a full detailing.
- https://vancouver.craigslist.org/pml/ctd/d/coquitlam-2013-volkswagen-golf-tdi/7035558387.html
5. Anyone in the lower mainland with a dealer's license willing to take me to one of the Thurday Adesa auctions?
I have had a good run with the tdi's, hopefully I can keep it going, but I am getting tempted to switch to a subaru. I would like to say thanks to all of the dedicated users in this community for all the time spent helping others.
Happy Holidays
Dawson