99 Golf Variant 5spd TDI

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
~$8800US. Yeah, pricey, but with the Synchro and less than 100k miles, I'd still call it a good deal. I'd suggest that you'd never have any trouble getting your money back if you chose to sell here in the USA. Depends too where you'd plan to live on your return. AWD is certainly a plus if you end up anywhere near the snow belt, or the wet roads of the Pacific
NorthWest. It certainly looks immaculate in the photos.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Boise,
FE= Fuel Economy. The 1.4l with a 5 speed should push 70+mpg on the highway. After posting I dug up some specs,
a bit smaller all round than a Golf, and lighter. Lol, also slower, 0-60mph was ~ 12 secs. For out of the box performance
the Golf GTDI is the winner IMO (In My Opinion).

For unique, one of the A2 Audis would have to be the winner. The AWD "Rabbit" possibly the most useful, and resellable, with the factory setup. You'd get a premium for that if the body's in good shape.
Do you think the GTI TDI would outperform the BMW? I’m asking out of curiosity as I don’t know enough about either.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
~$8800US. Yeah, pricey, but with the Synchro and less than 100k miles, I'd still call it a good deal. I'd suggest that you'd never have any trouble getting your money back if you chose to sell here in the USA. Depends too where you'd plan to live on your return. AWD is certainly a plus if you end up anywhere near the snow belt, or the wet roads of the Pacific
NorthWest. It certainly looks immaculate in the photos.
Agreed! I could probably knock another $1,000 off once I got to the table but still think it’s worth it. I mean look at how much new cars cost nowadays?! =)
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Do you think the GTI TDI would outperform the BMW? I’m asking out of curiosity as I don’t know enough about either.
Perform differently is probably more accurate than outperform. I don't know what engine (or fuel system, more importantly) that BMW has, but it's a front engine/rear drive car so it's going to drive entirely different than the front drive GTI. Probably a matter of preference as much as anything else.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Perform differently is probably more accurate than outperform. I don't know what engine (or fuel system, more importantly) that BMW has, but it's a front engine/rear drive car so it's going to drive entirely different than the front drive GTI. Probably a matter of preference as much as anything else.
Yes I can agree with that 100%. Right now I’m going to work on getting the red Golf and if that doesn’t work out I’m going to snatch up the BMW. It has a 2,0 Ltr. - 100 kW 16V Turbo Diesel KAT motor (not exactly sure what all that means). It would cost 2150 euro less so actually a really good deal. Said to get about 40mpg average.
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Boise,

Well you sparked me into kicking some tires myself. Got a chance to have a look & drive of an Audi Q7.

Fully loaded with the V6TDI. Beautiful vehicle, nice to drive with all the whistles and bells, but the maintenance/repair costs have got me worried.

I've come to the realisation that long term running expenses and availability of experienced mechanics is more important to me than leather heated seats and a Bose sound system. The BMW has the cachet, but my bet is the Golf Synchro will last longer. Depends on what you care about, and a budget you're comfortable with over the long haul.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
That BMW is a lot simpler than anything that's been assembled in the last 10 years. But still, it'll be sure to cost more to maintain. And parts availability would be a bigger challenge in the US both because that drivetrain wasn't brought here in any form and because BMW is pretty aggressive about obsoleting parts. After 10 years things get challenging fast.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Boise,

Well you sparked me into kicking some tires myself. Got a chance to have a look & drive of an Audi Q7.

Fully loaded with the V6TDI. Beautiful vehicle, nice to drive with all the whistles and bells, but the maintenance/repair costs have got me worried.

I've come to the realisation that long term running expenses and availability of experienced mechanics is more important to me than leather heated seats and a Bose sound system. The BMW has the cachet, but my bet is the Golf Synchro will last longer. Depends on what you care about, and a budget you're comfortable with over the long haul.
Im leaning the same way you are right now. I wouldve been perfectly content with the BMW but I think longterm it could get more expensive to maintain, especially after taking @IndigoBlues input into consideration. The Golf for me also just seems to check more boxes. Its beautiful, rare, and more versatile. I can throw one of those big cages on top and take it up camping and haul all kinds of stuff. I contacted the dealer and just waiting for him to send a contract to reserve it until after all this covid crap. Lol

Loving that Audi, are you going to spring For it?
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
That BMW is a lot simpler than anything that's been assembled in the last 10 years. But still, it'll be sure to cost more to maintain. And parts availability would be a bigger challenge in the US both because that drivetrain wasn't brought here in any form and because BMW is pretty aggressive about obsoleting parts. After 10 years things get challenging fast.
Your input is ALWAYS welcome and agreed on the rarity of BMW parts in the future. It sure looks like a fun car though! Wouldnt it be nice to bring them both back!? Maybe if I can talk the wife i to selling off her Honda Fit. 😈
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
"Loving that Audi, are you going to spring For it?"

No, I'll stick with the "05 Jeep CRD. It's got a real 4x4 drive system, not the AWD of the Audi. Looking for opinions at Clubtouareg about the Q7 the above comment was greeted with howls of laughter and derision from the converted.

The Audi is a fancy luxury SUV that has all the status and bling, but I'll take the options and control for real offroad conditions that the Jeep is capable of. Same kind of reasons you're seriously considering the Golf over the BMW, cost and availability of parts and service. The 2.8l VM TDI diesel that's in the Jeep has its quirks, and problems, but all the running gear and body parts are readily available. Brakes/rotors all round with new tires was less than a $1k. We ran into problems with one of the calipers, my guru checked with his local parts guy and they had one in stock, IIRC (if I recall correctly) it was mebbe $50. Rebuilt auto tranny with upgraded torque converter was close to $3k. Drives great on the highway, and was a revelation after a recent 8" snowfall. No problem! It's a little truck/tractor that suits me and my purposes. Lol, Idparts even has a lot of the bits and pieces for the motor, what's not to like about that.
lostjeeps.com is a forum that has good information and resources, not as good as Fred's here for the VWs, but well worthwhile. Driving old vehicles, you need all the help you can get.


Even with a rebuild of the motor, it'll still be less than the Audi. Don't get me wrong, the Q7 is a really nice vehicle,
if you can afford the freight. I'm surprised Oilhammer hasn't chimed in here, his low opinion of the Audi/touareg platform played large in my decision to avoid the vehicle.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
"Loving that Audi, are you going to spring For it?"

No, I'll stick with the "05 Jeep CRD. It's got a real 4x4 drive system, not the AWD of the Audi. Looking for opinions at Clubtouareg about the Q7 the above comment was greeted with howls of laughter and derision from the converted.

The Audi is a fancy luxury SUV that has all the status and bling, but I'll take the options and control for real offroad conditions that the Jeep is capable of. Same kind of reasons you're seriously considering the Golf over the BMW, cost and availability of parts and service. The 2.8l VM TDI diesel that's in the Jeep has its quirks, and problems, but all the running gear and body parts are readily available. Brakes/rotors all round with new tires was less than a $1k. We ran into problems with one of the calipers, my guru checked with his local parts guy and they had one in stock, IIRC (if I recall correctly) it was mebbe $50. Rebuilt auto tranny with upgraded torque converter was close to $3k. Drives great on the highway, and was a revelation after a recent 8" snowfall. No problem! It's a little truck/tractor that suits me and my purposes. Lol, Idparts even has a lot of the bits and pieces for the motor, what's not to like about that.
lostjeeps.com is a forum that has good information and resources, not as good as Fred's here for the VWs, but well worthwhile. Driving old vehicles, you need all the help you can get.


Even with a rebuild of the motor, it'll still be less than the Audi. Don't get me wrong, the Q7 is a really nice vehicle,
if you can afford the freight. I'm surprised Oilhammer hasn't chimed in here, his low opinion of the Audi/touareg platform played large in my decision to avoid the vehicle.
I wouldve done the same thing! You can’t go wrong with a Jeep that has a TDI in it. Plus Jeeps have one of the better resale calues out there AND they are just plain fun as you found out, I love jeeps! Lastly, they have a cult following similar to TDIs. Do you have any photos?
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Ayup! A 2" hitch fits the 50mm ball, though check the adjustment of the locking mechanism, don't ask how I found out
that it could use a little tweaking for a secure connection. Safety chains work!

Here's the Jeep, high mileage, 250k miles, so I got it cheap, $4k. One owner, an engineer, commuted to work with it and kept it garaged in MD, so just out of the rust belt, and it was well maintained. No rust. Ez resale and a bit of a cult associated with 'em. Drives better than expected.





Here's the grille I made for the external tranny cooler after the rebuild and upgrade of the automatic transmission, the only fly in the ointment. No good options for a manual transmission. Lol, a bit of bling out the front, though eventually I'll likely paint it black.


The bullbar is a really good idea, I can't believe how many of the Touaregs and Audis suffer major damage if they hit a deer. Required equipment in outback Australia where they're called Roo Bars.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Very nice! I’d have no issues driving that around! You could also plastidip the bull bar, but I agree, black would look much better.

The first thing I want to do when I get the golf is install a skid plate but I’m not sure if anyone makes them for the MKIIIs. Also, I’ll remove the hitch unless I’m actually using it. To me they are dreadfully ugly! Lol

The dealer sent me the sales contract so I just need to sign that, send a deposit and wait for this dumb lockdown to end! Lol

From the contract I saw the motor model is an AHU.


Ayup! A 2" hitch fits the 50mm ball, though check the adjustment of the locking mechanism, don't ask how I found out
that it could use a little tweaking for a secure connection. Safety chains work!

Here's the Jeep, high mileage, 250k miles, so I got it cheap, $4k. One owner, an engineer, commuted to work with it and kept it garaged in MD, so just out of the rust belt, and it was well maintained. No rust. Ez resale and a bit of a cult associated with 'em. Drives better than expected.





Here's the grille I made for the external tranny cooler after the rebuild and upgrade of the automatic transmission, the only fly in the ointment. No good options for a manual transmission. Lol, a bit of bling out the front, though eventually I'll likely paint it black.


The bullbar is a really good idea, I can't believe how many of the Touaregs and Audis suffer major damage if they hit a deer. Required equipment in outback Australia where they're called Roo Bars.
 
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BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
In re-investigating this, even though mk3 has a steel oil pan I think a skidplate is better than not. Unfortunately it seems nobody is making them now. :( Does anyone know if mk3 skidplates are sold anywhere?

MKIII cars have a steel oil pan which is much stronger than the aluminum ones on MKIV cars.
 
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