I guess I qualify as an old-timer now. Reading TDI page since the late 90's, and finally got my first TDI in 2002. My 83 (non-tdi) Diesel Rabbit just kept rolling along, so out of respect for the page, I was a lurker rather than a member of the club until I actually had a TDI.
I've seen lots of names come and go, and I admit I have periods of inactivity on this site, but I've always enjoyed the TDI CLUB community. We are a breed of unique people, some geeky in our obsessions whose eyes glaze over as we start reciting our TDI facts to anyone who is unlucky enough to ask "Is that a Diesel?" at a gas pump, to other members somewhat misguided, and a few flat out nut cases.
I can only wonder after the buyback how many people we will actually have on TDI club going forward.
There have been some great discussions on this board, some for enthusiasts like me, others that talked about ECU reprogramming with special codes and perimeters that I had no clue about. Others giving great advice on cleaning your snow screen in the middle of summer. Still, I read the boards with interest, often agreeing, sometimes correcting misconceptions, and watching the great debates go on and on.
I've commented, argued, and I've sold cars for a dealership here on "the club" when my passion turned into a career, and even started a "You know you're obsessed when..." thread that had a boat-load of views before the server replacement that pretty much started old threads view counts over again.
Although I"ve never attended any GTG's or TDIFESTs I have met quite a few TDI club people over the years by chance, many when I worked at 3 different dealerships in 2 states.
In my VW Diesel driving history my cars have included:
a Used 1980 Rabbit shared with my sister as our high-school car.
a used 1983 Rabbit- my very first 'hopefully it will make it through highschool, and maybe college car" that I kept as a daily driver until it was wrecked when I was 31.
A hand-me-down 1989 Jetta Diesel that my father gave me after driving it 602,000 miles, I had it another 2 years, and at 623,000 it met it's end when a buick ran a red light.
A new 2003 Jetta TDI
An inherited 2000 Jetta TDI when we had to take the keys from dad due to declining health.
A VERY USED and neglected 2005 Passat Wagon TDI- with a horrible habit of going into transmission limp mode that I bought from a repair shop just because it was a Passat Wagon. I sold it a few months later.
A 2011 Jetta Sportwagen- (Wife's car. We actually met at my dealership and were married about a year later). Sold back to VW
A used 2013 Jetta Sportwagen- Sold back to VW (hated to, but they offered stupid money, well above anything I could hope to get in private party sales).
As our buyback date approached my wife's worst fear was realized. Life without a TDI. She had become hooked on TDI's on her daily 35 mile highway commute each way to work/home. We prepared to sell our cars back in June of 2017..
Then, when VW's 2015 Stop Sale order was cleared, thus clearing the way to sell their remaining 2015 stock, in May 2017 we found "Little Red" a red Golf Wagon that my wife wanted, and the dealership only had a Passat and Beetle convertible left-- So I leased them for the $8500 credit, and have bought them outright since.
A few months later I spotted a VW Fleet Owned 2015 Passat at a local lot
(
https://www.donohooauto.com/used-in...ype=&saveFacetState=true&lastFacetInteracted=)
that had 802 miles on it, and surprised my wife with it. (More like "YOU DID WHAT??!!!-- you're such an IDIOT sometimes!!) So in a house with 2 drivers, we now have 4 2015 TDI's.
I don't plan on having to buy a new car for at least 20 years with my current rotation of 4 cars, by which time I'll be.. wow.. Really old. But nonetheless I'll forever be a TDIClub reader who like many wondered why a true diesel/hybrid was never mass-produced. (Ok, the XL1 sort of qualifies).
I need to lay off the caffeine when I write these kinds of posts. Sorry to write a book. But you know-- I'm obsessed.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=58130 (TDI CLUB-- "You know you're obsessed" link).
