If not a diesel, then what would you daily drive...

[Poor King]

My desire to own a diesel swapped MK2 began at the age of 19 but the right car never fell my way. I always kept the gassers close to their stock form to the best of my abilities.

However if diesel MK2's were not an option today, indeed it was T1 Touaregs which won my heart when they made a splash with a V10. But I knew better once I saw one squeezed into a rav4 sized engine bay. They are an OK VWoa product with the traditional bugs and boogie man issues.

 

[TurboABA]

5th Gen Golf R drivetrain swapped 1984 Rabbit GTI

 

[Hinzipwo]

ALH swapped mk1 gti with haldex

 

[Poor King]

5th Gen Golf R drivetrain swapped 1984 Rabbit GTI

It has to be '84 like a bday thing?

ALH swapped mk1 gti with haldex

Imo Mk2's surpass the weight limit for an AWD drivetrain mated to an alh unless it's wildly boosted so the mk1 is definitely ideal.

 

[TurboABA]

It has to be '84 like a bday thing?

I'm not that young... it has to be an '84 because it's the last year of the MK1, with the Square lights, red accent, Recaros, yaddy, yaddi, yadda........

 

[TurboABA]

This... (on the outside)

 

[Hinzipwo]

This... (on the outside)

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

[Mozambiquer]

Currently what I'm working towards is a TDI swapped early westy caddy. That's been my dream for a while, so when I found an early westy caddy with 86k original miles and no rust for $2500 on marketplace, i tried to jump on it... Couldn't get ahold of the guy for a long time... Listing went down and then I saw it come back up for $1500 needing an injection pump! I was on that thing like a chicken on a June bug and got the guy to deliver it for another $100! The 1.5 diesel engine was very tired, and had a lot of blowby, which ended up killing the engine faster than I was planning, but I have an ahu that I'm slowly building for it, then I'll swap a .622 fifth gear and a few other little things like that and give it a nice paint job... For now I drive my tdi Passat wagon and TDI golf or my diesel Ford ranger...

 

[Hinzipwo]

Currently what I'm working towards is a TDI swapped early westy caddy. That's been my dream for a while, so when I found an early westy caddy with 86k original miles and no rust for $2500 on marketplace, i tried to jump on it... Couldn't get ahold of the guy for a long time... Listing went down and then I saw it come back up for $1500 needing an injection pump! I was on that thing like a chicken on a June bug and got the guy to deliver it for another $100! The 1.5 diesel engine was very tired, and had a lot of blowby, which ended up killing the engine faster than I was planning, but I have an ahu that I'm slowly building for it, then I'll swap a .622 fifth gear and a few other little things like that and give it a nice paint job... For now I drive my tdi Passat wagon and TDI golf or my diesel Ford ranger...

ive always thought about doing a alh ranger swap, i have a spare engine in the garage, now i just need the truck

 

[Poor King]

Currently what I'm working towards is a TDI swapped early westy caddy. That's been my dream for a while, so when I found an early westy caddy with 86k original miles and no rust for $2500 on marketplace, i tried to jump on it... Couldn't get ahold of the guy for a long time... Listing went down and then I saw it come back up for $1500 needing an injection pump! I was on that thing like a chicken on a June bug and got the guy to deliver it for another $100! The 1.5 diesel engine was very tired, and had a lot of blowby, which ended up killing the engine faster than I was planning, but I have an ahu that I'm slowly building for it, then I'll swap a .622 fifth gear and a few other little things like that and give it a nice paint job... For now I drive my tdi Passat wagon and TDI golf or my diesel Ford ranger...

The amount of TDI enthusiasts on here is almost unvelievable because I can have weeks go by before I see a diesel appliance on the road. No one drives them here other than pickup owners.

 

[Mozambiquer]

ive always thought about doing a alh ranger swap, i have a spare engine in the garage, now i just need the truck

I want to do a BHW in a ranger maybe even a BHW ALH hybrid...

The amount of TDI enthusiasts on here is almost unvelievable because I can have weeks go by before I see a diesel appliance on the road. No one drives them here other than pickup owners.

Here in my area I see them daily. There are a lot of people who have them, and then when you see them for sale, they're very expensive... I have to go to other areas to get good deals.

 

[Hinzipwo]

The amount of TDI enthusiasts on here is almost unvelievable because I can have weeks go by before I see a diesel appliance on the road. No one drives them here other than pickup owners.

most of the mk4's i see around here are mostly 2.slow, a couple 1.8ts but not enough tdi's. i think a lot of them have been sent to die rather than try fixing it. or the kids that heavily modify them and completely ruin them. i work at a scrapyard and i see so many tdis with egr deletes and "cold air intakes" sad

 

[Poor King]

most of the mk4's i see around here are mostly 2.slow, a couple 1.8ts but not enough tdi's. i think a lot of them have been sent to die rather than try fixing it. or the kids that heavily modify them and completely ruin them. i work at a scrapyard and i see so many tdis with egr deletes and "cold air intakes" sad

But it's not only specific to mk4's that I am speaking of. For example, I've yet to see a bmw 540d xi or a Blutech Mercedes which they offer on many platforms. @Mongler98 mentioned it on another thread and it is true: this is the only country where people no longer opt for diesel's. Europe to date is still strong in diesel car sales.

 

[Hinzipwo]

But it's not only specific to mk4's that I am speaking of. For example, I've yet to see a bmw 540d xi or a Blutech Mercedes which they offer on many platforms. @Mongler98 mentioned it on another thread and it is true: this is the only country where people no longer opt for diesel's. Europe to date is still strong in diesel car sales.

i agree its sad, a lot of people dont even know diesel cars exist

 

[TurboABA]

The amount of TDI enthusiasts on here is almost unvelievable because I can have weeks go by before I see a diesel appliance on the road. No one drives them here other than pickup owners.

That's because........
62.3% can't drive theirs due to the fact that they are "in some stage of a build" or a "planned swap"......
35.7% have newer CRs that are just sitting at dealerships while they are fighting with VW corporate for Emissions Warranty coverage....
...... and the one dude can't find an OEM air filter for his so he's damaged his MAF as a result

 

[nwdiver]

i agree its sad, a lot of people dont even know diesel cars exist

I bought my 2003 Jetta TDI because in 2009 50mpg was incredibly good efficiency. In 2021 50mpg isn't even decent efficiency. Anything that gets <70 mpge isn't even worth my consideration these days.

 

[TurboABA]

I bought my 2003 Jetta TDI because in 2009 50mpg was incredibly good efficiency. In 2021 50mpg isn't even decent efficiency. Anything that gets <70 mpge isn't even worth my consideration these days.

 

[nwdiver]

Been pretty real fo the past 8 years. Almost 190k miles now.

 

[Hinzipwo]

I bought my 2003 Jetta TDI because in 2009 50mpg was incredibly good efficiency. In 2021 50mpg isn't even decent efficiency. Anything that gets <70 mpge isn't even worth my consideration these days.

really? id say even now 50mpg is pretty darn good compared to most other vehicles out there

 

[ticaf]

.... mpge ....

why compare mpg with mpgE ?

 

[nwdiver]

why compare mpg with mpgE ?

It's the same thing, E is for Equivalent. ~34kWh. Just to avoid confusion that I'm not referring to diesel.

 

[nwdiver]

really? id say even now 50mpg is pretty darn good compared to most other vehicles out there

Numbers disagree... most people chose diesel over gasoline 10 years ago because diesel used ~20% less energy per mile vs gasoline. Why would the same logic not also apply to electric over diesel since it uses ~70% less energy per mile?

 

[TurboABA]

why compare mpg with mpgE ?

I actually missed the "e", but it's irrelevant anyways since whatever he's saved in diesel costs he's more than spent on tires.....

@nwdiver
Tell us good Sir, how many sets of tires have you burnt up in 190k miles? And how much do those run-flat 20s (or 21s) cost each time?

 

[nwdiver]

I actually missed the "e", but it's irrelevant anyways since whatever he's saved in diesel costs he's more than spent on tires.....

@nwdiver
Tell us good Sir, how many sets of tires have you burnt up in 190k miles? And how much do those run-flat 20s (or 21s) cost each time?

~3? I still get ~50k miles per set of tires... even compared to a car getting ~50mpg I've saved ~$12k on fuel and I've spent <$4k on tires. And it's not like my Jetta also didn't require tires. Then there's also other things I no longer have to worry about like new EGR coolers, timing belts, glow plugs, oil changes, clutches, brake pads, etc, etc.

 

[TurboABA]

I would like to see some actual supporting data (mostly because I love to argue with people)

I will even go as far as to guess that if you did a comparison of "cost of ownership" and "fuel cost savings", a TDI would've saved you money based on the amount of driving you do (unless you do it all in the city, which is highly unlikely).

A TDI would've been cheaper to purchase and it would've been well suited to your mostly freeway use (yes, I'm assuming that based on your yearly milage), where it would tug along at low rpms not performing active regens.
Your Tesla's superior efficiency isn't that big of an improvement at constant freeway speeds, and it eats both electrons & rubber at accelerated rates during this kind of use..... it also cost considerably more to purchase....... not to mention additional costs (once again, assumed) like home rapid charger & install and the fact that you would've received additional "damages" from Dieselgate, and the "perceived" savings diminish even more......

I'll bet it's all brand placebo effect for you! (but it would be interesting to see a true comparison for sure)

I can tell you that I'm at 280k (km) on my '10, and I've only done routine spending (tires, pads, one TB, a sensor, a clamp, filter changes, etc) since buying it new. All other big ticket items have been covered under dieselgate (minimal stuff.... glow plugs, sensors, flaps, etc) and I'm still on original clutch...... oh and my '16s are almost "free" in comparison.

P.S. VW also gave me a little over $8k CAD back due to Dieselgate. (and I still have coverage on it for another 7 months\30k or so)

 

[nwdiver]

A TDI would've been cheaper to purchase

In 2012 sure. But we have cars like the Chevy Bolt and ID.4 now. A used Bolt or ID.4 in a few years are going to be a far more economic proposition even if the TDI was free. I also don't see another diesel-gate type scenario coming along anytime soon from VW... unless they snuck a TDI into the ID.4...

 

[Poor King]

Numbers disagree... most people chose diesel over gasoline 10 years ago because diesel used ~20% less energy per mile vs gasoline. Why would the same logic not also apply to electric over diesel since it uses ~70% less energy per mile?

Could you elaborate on the bolded part.. Not sure if you are implying that electric vehicles are 70% greener than diesels C02 emissions.


And yes for some oddball reason I actually like the Bolt, but not the Volt

 

[nwdiver]

Could you elaborate on the bolded part.. Not sure if you are implying that electric vehicles are 70% greener than diesels C02 emissions.

I'm stating that EVs use 70% less energy per mile. 70% less energy is 70% less energy.

How 'green' they are is going to vary wildly depending on energy source. From close to the same emissions at the wrong time of day in West Virginia to effectively zero emissions if they're charged during a period of renewable curtailment. Can't get any 'greener' then using wind or solar that would have been wasted because it had no where to go.

 

[taleAwaggin]

Probably a 1.4t or 1.8t wagon. The problems with electrics are that the vehicle is so expensive relative to an equivelent level gas car. Which in turn means your insurance is higher, your registration is higher. And I don't know about you guys but my insurance and registrations costs MORE yearly than my fuel bill in my TDI despite the fact that the dang thing is ten years old. The total cost of ownership of a vehicle, the portion of that which is fuel is small. Try getting a Tesla's door locks or something minor repaired and then get back to me on how much money you save a month versus a 50mpg prius or 1.4t or TDI....

 

[nwdiver]

The problems with electrics are that the vehicle is so expensive relative to an equivelent level gas car.

I've seen used Bolts for ~$15k. I'm sure used ID.4s will be similar in 3-4 years.