I've owned 4 TDIs, going back to the '96-97 B4 Passats, and loved them all. Not anticipating a successful fix, I reluctantly turned in my 2010 manual Jetta SW in the "dieselgate" program.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a CPO 2014 BMW 535d X-drive at a price I was willing to pay. I love the car. The engine is an absolute beast and it has given me 37 mpg in pure highway driving, sensibly done. It's a really nice combination of comfort, performance and mpg.
Nevertheless, I'm thinking of selling it. I find that the upkeep is a little rich for my blood. The cache of driving a BMW means nothing to me; the cost of tires, cv boots and oil changes does mean something to me. (Obviously, I'm not handy with cars.) With the car needing nothing, I could sell it with a clear conscience.
The other thing is that I miss driving a stick. The plan would be to replace the 535d with a nice, low-miles CPO 2015 manual Passat TDI. I'd be giving up some crazy torque, but am I correct in assuming the TDIs still have their peppiness, even with the fix?
Otherwise, I'll just hang on to the 535d until someone invents the electric car I would buy.