HELP chose next car to MOD!

[dieselfury]

I currently have a 2005 BEW 5spd manual with a kerma tdi tune however, I am moving to downtown houston and think I need an automatic for that type of traffic and so my friends can occasionally drive. If I buy used I am more than likely mod it to its reliable limit. What years do you guys recommend because I know that some had horrible transmission issues. I am leaning towards a 2004-2006 automatic non-DSG because of their issues with the dual mass fly wheel. Also whats a realistic reliable power goal. Like I said if its used and in good shape I don't mind dropping some money into it 2-6 grand. I am slightly considering a 2012-13 tdi passat but I am not a fan of the newest emissions equipment as I know many who have had issues with it on new diesel trucks and due to there overwhelming complexity. I like the body and slightly larger size of the 06 but I hear the BRM's have serious cam issues after 100k+ is there anyway around that? such as a new cam and if so what would that cost? I also like the 2004 since it is the full mechanical ALH, I have always been a fan of fully mechanical injection.

 

[dieselfury]

I am also considering a 335d. Please help me make and informed decision!

 

[LNXGUY]

335d blows away anything VW offers. That's an easy choice.

 

[dieselfury]

The 335d is nice but I fear not being able to find parts for it much less anyone to work on it when it goes out of warrenty.

 

[witchcraftz]

Why not buy a MK7 and be one of the first to start tuning it?

 

[dieselfury]

mostly because if I am going to spend 35k on a new car because the new passat is the only one that interest me as far as new VW's, I might as well go to a 335d for a few more grand that I would not need to mod and could go heads up with a 5.0 mustang. I don't mind spending that kind of money but if I can achieve close to what I want with a 04-06 auto for 1/3 the cost then I would much rather do that and put the rest of my money else where.

 

[dieselfury]

I wish I had more input on this subject. I really wish I knew what the 04-06 automatics could take hp wise. Also regarding BMW does anyone know if they have plans to release the triple turbo 6 cylinder in the US? I am really taking this serious.

 

[LNXGUY]

You won't put even close to the amount of power down with a VW that you would with the 335d. It's a no brainer.

 

[dieselfury]

yeah but that not the only thing I'm weighing......I am an engineer so I assign qualitatively weighted values i.e. Price per performance. I mean I could go get a 335d for 30-40k or could i get a 04-06vw for 10-15k with 5-7k in mods. I recognize that the 335d will be more expensive to maintain and more difficult to find people to work on though and will depreciate much more than a VW. Realistically I want a moderately reliable and quick <14sec 1/4mile even if its a 13.9 that's good enough for me, car with decent fuel mileage 30+mpg. I am all ears open and will be making a decision in the next 3 months for certain.

 

[tothemax]

You won't put even close to the amount of power down with a VW that you would with the 335d. It's a no brainer.

X2.. .+ there are some amazing tunes available for 335d's that will turn it into a rocket.... speak to newTDI about this..... no rods, turbos, injectors, IC or other BS upgrades required.... just get a simple tune and turn the 335d into a rocket...

It's a no brainer for sure... I am considering it as well for my next car ... + AM tired of spending all my spare time messing with turbos, injectors, rods, pistons, ported heads, cams, block girdles, and all the other BS required to make the TDI's go fast ... + tired of taking my engines apart...just wanna drive the pi$$ out of it and enjoy it without all the headaches and work..

I found out ...(after the fact ) that buying a grandma car and trying to turn it into a fast car is not a good use of time or $ ... Ha Ha Ha... (laughing at myself here) If I knew then what I know now I would have bought a 335d to start with and saved a whole lot of time and a $hite load of $$$$ ...LOL

PS... no need to spend 30K or 40k for a new one... best to buy a 2009 ... the newer models are not as fast or as easy to tune. Tons of them on craislist coming off lease now ... they are a few years old but look new and you can pick up for a great price...

 

[dieselfury]

^tothemax thats some of the type of advice I am looking for. Thanks! Does anyone in the US make tunes for the 335d? I am really hoping they release the triple turbo bmw in the US. The only other car I really like the new ford shelby mustang but between the cost of insurance and the price of 91+octane fuel and its 14-24mpg, and a manual in downtown Houston I can't really justify it.

 

[LNXGUY]

BMW doesn't plan on offering the F30 platform with the 335d, so I doubt we'll be seeing it anytime soon.

 

[tothemax]

........... Does anyone in the US make tunes for the 335d?..........

Just PM NewTdi he drove one recently that scared the $hit out of him... he has the details on the tune... you will most likely need to get it from Europa but no big deal.... most high performance components and cars come from there anyway... If you are truly interested, you can also PM me and I can give you his phone number...

Let me know if you buy one... a few of us here on the West coast will most likely get one as well..

BTW I corrected what I wrote above... it's the newer models which are not as fast or easy to tune... from my research the 2009 models are best for power and tuning...

Good luck...

 

[dieselfury]

Man, I can't seem to find one with 300 miles of me to test drive :-/

 

[loudspl]

I think some are knocking on 500ft./lbs. with existing hardware + tune on those..

Def. a no-brainer if you have the funds. I don't think there's an easier option for big power in a diesel car in NA at least

Here's one in Florida off Ebay

 

[O.C.TDI]

I recently added a 2009 335d to my stable of diesel vehicles... Currently I am at 6, and hoping to have one of my Cummins sold this weekend.

I will try to compare it against the 04' in my signature and my wife's 09' JSW.
The fit, finish, and driving experience in the BMW is hand down better than the VW.
It is much more pleasant to commute in. It is an auto compared to my VW's which are both 6 speed's. I do have to say it is a fantastic auto trans.

So far I have gone from 46-49mpg commuting the 04' to about 30mpg in the 335d.

My 04' is much more aggressive and feels more powerful. (which make sense since the 335d is rated 245/440 at the crank, and the 04' has put that to the wheels before.)

The auto trans in the 335 is really nice to drive, one of the best auto tranny's I have driven. My foot, leg and back don't miss the heavy clutch in traffic.
The 335d is balanced very well front to back, and handles quite well. I do have the sport package, so springs and struts are OEM but not the standard option. The Jetta is not as balanced and is not as tight. RWD is quite a nice change... I haven't had a RWD car since I sold the last of my muscle cars back in 2000.

I haven't had to do any maintenance yet but am sure it is coming. It appears to be on par with what my modified 04' costed for parts to maintain. I'll use the dealer for the final year of warranty, but I am not sure after that, probably DIY most of it. I have been on the U.S. BMW forums reading up, but most of them are where we were in the TDI's 8+ years ago, but without anything like VCDS.
I am not really interested in doing much more than a tune, still don't really like the boxes that are available. I still have 8 months of warranty left on it and will wait till it's out before I start tuning. Of course as a commuter it really does't need a tune, it has plenty of usable power.

Interior space is on par with a mkV Jetta.

I hope do drag race the 335d and my Jetta side by side. It will be a close race but I think the Jetta will prevail.

I don't like that the BMW doen't have a spare tire. Run-flat tires.
While I like the look of staggered wheels on the sport model. I dislike not being able to rotate.

Bottom line. If you can afford the 335d... do it. It is nice.

Good luck
O.C.

 

[dieselfury]

wow thanks for the right up! if only this forum had the thanks button. Yeah I really want something powerful and fun to drive. That kinda stinks you can't rotate tires as it seems that means you would have to purchase new tires notably more often, does it have a timing belt or chain? Also do you know what an auto jetta might take regarding hp in the good transmission years? Is the 335d really on get 30mpg, I was under the impression it got a little better than that? is that mixed/city/hwy? Thanks again!

 

[62Lincoln]

Does anyone in the US make tunes for the 335d?

True DDM tunes are offered by Renntech out of Florida and Evolve through their dealer in Chicago, VS Motorsports. Keep in mind that you'll have to pull the DDM and send it to either tuner for them to install the tunes. Both can turn around the computer fairy quickly. Tuning via OBD is not available for the 335d.

 

[dieselfury]

^# Renntech makes a tune that takes it from 265 to 346!!! wow

 

[Fix_Until_Broke]

I test drove a 2011 335d at the dealer back in December (before my engine split a piston) and WOW sums it up nicely.

It drives very well, handles very well, has gobs of power, ZERO lag, etc. The auto trans was a little confused sometimes, but I'm a pretty picky auto trans critic. Interior room felt a little more cramped than my MKIV Jetta, seating position was not as comfortable (right shin on sharp edge of center console). Did I mention it had gobs of power?

I didn't buy one because of the significant hit in MPG's as well as the $42k (starting) price tag - I couldn't justify it (this was before my rebuild). Maybe I'll look for a used 09 and see what they're going for.

 

[tothemax]

4
My 04' is much more aggressive and feels more powerful. (which make sense since the 335d is rated 245/440 at the crank, and the 04' has put that to the wheels before.)

.....
I hope do drag race the 335d and my Jetta side by side. It will be a close race but I think the Jetta will prevail.

Bottom line. If you can afford the 335d... do it. It is nice.

Good luck
O.C.

Hey Travis,

For the benefit of the OP, it would be great if you should answer these questions to really give him some true quantitative data to analyze:

1- How many 2009 335d's could you buy today with the sum total what you have invested in the 2004 Jetta?

2- What is the unit cost per HP output (total cost/ total HP) of the 335d Vs the 2004 TDI? I am betting that the unit cost per HP of the Jetta is 3 to 5 times higher than that of the 2009 335d "as is"?

BTW congrads!!! on the new purchase... Did you post some pics anywhere?

 

[O.C.TDI]

I don't see any VAG auto handling more than 180-200hp

The 30mpg is my mixed commute, the same commute I have made with the Jetta for years. The original owner of the 335 lived in downtown Seattle. It spent a lot of time idling. The car is starting to clean itself out a bit more now that its actually being driven I expect the milage for my commute to end up around 32-35mpg. Pretty much the same as my CR TDI does. I got 40mpg on the highway driving it home from Seattle. I will be headed to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving and hope to see some solid 40+mpg tanks.


I spent just over $30k for the 335d with sport package. I had 20k miles on it.
I spent $20k for the Jetta with 2500 miles on it back in 04'. I have added my receipts up for it and came out over $60k in mods and maintenance. That includes everything, interior, suspension, brakes, engine, trans, wasted money on crap parts. That is also with no labor.
So I could have bought 2 335d's for 30k and spent 10k each on mods for them and broke even. Except the 335 didn't come to America until I had already started my build.

The 335d is exactly what I wanted from my Jetta build. After driving the 335 for a few weeks I have no doubt that the Jetta could never be what the 335 is.

No I haven't posted pics... This is the first time I have even mentioned it online.

I will try to take some pics and maybe update my Jetta thread soon.

O.C.

 

[62Lincoln]

^# Renntech makes a tune that takes it from 265 to 346!!! wow

The Evolve tune gives about the same power. Both tunes also produce torque that approaches the published limit of the transmission, which is 520 lb/ft.

 

[dieselfury]

nice... well you have thoroughly convinced me its the car for me so over thanksgiving break I believe I am going to go to dallas fort worth area to find one to test drive and possibly buy as early as then.

 

[tothemax]

......The 335d is exactly what I wanted from my Jetta build. After driving the 335 for a few weeks I have no doubt that the Jetta could never be what the 335 is.

No I haven't posted pics... This is the first time I have even mentioned it online.

I will try to take some pics and maybe update my Jetta thread soon.

O.C.

Tnx for providing this review and your thoughts on the 335d. This really put it into perspective. Although I do not have as much invested in my Golf as you in your Jetta, I know I have way more invested than the cost of a new 335d + ..

Would love to see pics... maybe start a new thread with a buncha photos of your new 335d

Good luck with it.

nice... well you have thoroughly convinced me its the car for me so over thanksgiving break I believe I am going to go to dallas fort worth area to find one to test drive and possibly buy as early as then.

Good luck with it.. Keep you eye on the Dallas Craigslist.. They currently have one 2009 on there w/ 39,000 MI for $30K.. Also I plan to use http://www.searchtempest.com/ to search all Craiglist at the same time.