JackSoot
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2000
- Location
- Gurnee, IL USA
- TDI
- 2011 Golf TDI, 2012 Jetta TDI, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon (Son's car)
Hi There All!
I've been lurking for about 18 months, enjoying the banter, and planning for my TDI. I put a "request" in for my car (no ordering allowed http://forums.tdiclub.com/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif) with Sam Tomaino at West Suburban Imports, Maywood, IL, the first week of July 2001. My car was entered into the VoA production system as a Pre-Sold vehicle on August 28, and was on the production line the first or second week of September. It arrived at the dealership on October 28:
2002 Jetta GLS TDI-5 speed, Cold Weather Package; White with Black Velour. Just enough. Just right.http://forums.tdiclub.com/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif
I've done business with Sam before and he agreed ahead of time to get me the car I wanted for $100 over invoice. He, and his sales manager, Dave Wagge, honored that agreement at delivery with no fuss. Other dealerships in the Chicago Area are having no trouble "dealing" at MSRP on TDIs (and wanting you to be grateful for that), so I considered this a good buy. The "Invoice" I was shown consisted of the following:
2002 Jetta GLS TDI, 5-speed: $17,646.00
Cold Weather Package: $133.00
Delivery / Destination Charge: $550.00
Co-Op Advertising: $200.00
Floorplan Interest: $92.00
Port Fee: $25.00
Total Invoice: $18,646.00 (my deal was for $18, 746.00 + T.T. & L.)
MSRP on this vehicle was $19,650, so there is only a difference of $1,004.00 between the revealed "Invoice" and the MSRP. I put the quotes around "Invoice" because I continue to wonder, in the current age of readily available price data, if the auto manufacturers and dealers haven't figured out a way to continue to hide the true cost of the product from the consumers, while letting us BELIEVE we know something "secret." Then again, another friend in the car business (BMW) tells me that the dealer doesn't profit on the sale, per se (except Z-8s, but that's another story), but rather counts on the payback after the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) Survey. He says that a good CSI score nets an additional 5% of MSRP back to the dealer.
1 - Good Surprise:
My car caught the running change in radios. Standard audio system now is the AM/FM/Cassette with Single in Dash CD Player, with overall better design and better buttons & layout. Very Nice.
1 - Bad Surprise:
At about mile 100, on the first full morning of ownership, a very nasty ripping / shredding / tearing sound (about 7-10 seconds worth - two times in about 5 minutes, then the noise went away) came from the front - right of the engine compartment. I could not see anything evident or obvious, and the car was back to normal. It was Saturday, noon, all the techs were gone, but Frank Dieter, the VW Service Manager at West Suburban was still there when I got there at 1:30 pm, and he spent another hour trying to isolate the problem. When he pulled down the bottom cover it was obvious: on top of the cover were the shredded pieces of about 1/4 to 1/3 of my serpentine belt. They sent me home with a loaner, and on Monday, they found my engine had a defective pulley - which had to be FEDXed from somewhere.
I'm new to this forum, but not to VWs or VW diesels. My VWology:
1972 (?) Type III Squareback Sedan
1973 Bus
1981 Rabbit Diesel
1986 Golf Diesel
1995 Jetta III GL 2.0 (still running great; 130,000 miles)
2002 Jetta IV GLS TDI
By the way, my fuel choices near my home base consist of a heavily used, but filthy Citgo (lots of local trucks, spilled fuel, beat-up pumps, etc.), a cleaner / newer Citgo, and two cleaner & newer Clarks. None of the Amoco stations near me sell diesel. I know this has been beaten around before, but do the Chicago area members have any brief opinion about success or frustration with Citgo & Clark fuel? Using the burping sequence, I got 717 miles out of my first full tank - 46.33 mpg. I plan to check out the price of Kleen next time I'm near a Farm & Fleet.
I'll slink back into the shrubbery now. Thanks.
I've been lurking for about 18 months, enjoying the banter, and planning for my TDI. I put a "request" in for my car (no ordering allowed http://forums.tdiclub.com/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif) with Sam Tomaino at West Suburban Imports, Maywood, IL, the first week of July 2001. My car was entered into the VoA production system as a Pre-Sold vehicle on August 28, and was on the production line the first or second week of September. It arrived at the dealership on October 28:
2002 Jetta GLS TDI-5 speed, Cold Weather Package; White with Black Velour. Just enough. Just right.http://forums.tdiclub.com/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif
I've done business with Sam before and he agreed ahead of time to get me the car I wanted for $100 over invoice. He, and his sales manager, Dave Wagge, honored that agreement at delivery with no fuss. Other dealerships in the Chicago Area are having no trouble "dealing" at MSRP on TDIs (and wanting you to be grateful for that), so I considered this a good buy. The "Invoice" I was shown consisted of the following:
2002 Jetta GLS TDI, 5-speed: $17,646.00
Cold Weather Package: $133.00
Delivery / Destination Charge: $550.00
Co-Op Advertising: $200.00
Floorplan Interest: $92.00
Port Fee: $25.00
Total Invoice: $18,646.00 (my deal was for $18, 746.00 + T.T. & L.)
MSRP on this vehicle was $19,650, so there is only a difference of $1,004.00 between the revealed "Invoice" and the MSRP. I put the quotes around "Invoice" because I continue to wonder, in the current age of readily available price data, if the auto manufacturers and dealers haven't figured out a way to continue to hide the true cost of the product from the consumers, while letting us BELIEVE we know something "secret." Then again, another friend in the car business (BMW) tells me that the dealer doesn't profit on the sale, per se (except Z-8s, but that's another story), but rather counts on the payback after the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) Survey. He says that a good CSI score nets an additional 5% of MSRP back to the dealer.
1 - Good Surprise:
My car caught the running change in radios. Standard audio system now is the AM/FM/Cassette with Single in Dash CD Player, with overall better design and better buttons & layout. Very Nice.
1 - Bad Surprise:
At about mile 100, on the first full morning of ownership, a very nasty ripping / shredding / tearing sound (about 7-10 seconds worth - two times in about 5 minutes, then the noise went away) came from the front - right of the engine compartment. I could not see anything evident or obvious, and the car was back to normal. It was Saturday, noon, all the techs were gone, but Frank Dieter, the VW Service Manager at West Suburban was still there when I got there at 1:30 pm, and he spent another hour trying to isolate the problem. When he pulled down the bottom cover it was obvious: on top of the cover were the shredded pieces of about 1/4 to 1/3 of my serpentine belt. They sent me home with a loaner, and on Monday, they found my engine had a defective pulley - which had to be FEDXed from somewhere.
I'm new to this forum, but not to VWs or VW diesels. My VWology:
1972 (?) Type III Squareback Sedan
1973 Bus
1981 Rabbit Diesel
1986 Golf Diesel
1995 Jetta III GL 2.0 (still running great; 130,000 miles)
2002 Jetta IV GLS TDI
By the way, my fuel choices near my home base consist of a heavily used, but filthy Citgo (lots of local trucks, spilled fuel, beat-up pumps, etc.), a cleaner / newer Citgo, and two cleaner & newer Clarks. None of the Amoco stations near me sell diesel. I know this has been beaten around before, but do the Chicago area members have any brief opinion about success or frustration with Citgo & Clark fuel? Using the burping sequence, I got 717 miles out of my first full tank - 46.33 mpg. I plan to check out the price of Kleen next time I'm near a Farm & Fleet.
I'll slink back into the shrubbery now. Thanks.
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