Why do You Still Have Your MK4 TDI?

caideN

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Location
CA
TDI
02 Jetta Wagon TDI
Just curious because there are a lot of 'better' cars out there in terms of technology and safety. Plus some of these mk4 tdi are getting to the age where people are spending thousands to maintain them. Not going to lie, I did. But I am hoping to put another 200k miles on mine.

For me, I commute 40-100 miles 4 days a week so fuel economy is quite important. I had a prius but it was just boring to drive. I do get stuck in some stop and go traffic and the torque makes the 5 speed easy to drive in those conditions.

I've had much more fun cars but they're just not the right cars for commuting and putting mileage on (People brag about low mileage on sports cars. People brag about high mileage on a tdi).

So what's your reason?
 

Mapachurro

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 30, 2016
Location
Cleveland, OH
TDI
2004 BEW Golf GLS
Good question, especially when doing cost/benefit analyses on repairs :-/

To me, these cars are a no-brainer: the fuel economy is good to great, depending on your mods and your foot, they're torquey and fun, and most of the high-mileage maintenance is relatively low cost DIY aesthetic stuff (headlights, headliners, etc).

And then, if you want 'more' out of them, the upgrades are pretty straightforward; different for the ALH and the BEW, but straightforward nonetheless.

All of this presupposes, however, that you've got one in fairly decent shape to start with, or a parts car for cheap...

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drozia

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Location
Turkey
TDI
AFN 1.9 110 hp Cordoba SX
I have a 2003 ASV Toledo TDI. Although it has an old technology it still lives longer and longer because reliable tdi engine gives too much power when tuned and saves lesser fuel consumption.

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Mike_04GolfTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
I keep mine for several reasons:

1. Out of spite. There has been a constant and deliberate attempt by government authorities in North America to keep diesel cars out of the hands of consumers. F them.

2. Simplicity. I find it easy to work on.

3. Availability of parts. Since these cars were produced in the tens of millions, there are plenty of parts.

4. 170 HP, 260 lb-ft of torque, 5.6 L/100km (42 MPG). It's tuned.

5. I won't buy a used car (someone else's problem), so as long as I can keep this going, it saves me $40,000.

6. Insurance on an old car is cheaper where I live. My car is $1300 per year, wife's 2015 Golf is $2000 per year. We have the same coverage, and same safe-driving discount (meaning if we swapped cars, the insurance would be the same for each car).

I just rebuilt the whole engine because the timing belt slipped and caused some damage. I did way more work than necessary, but now it's like new! I'll be driving it for many years to come!
 

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
I like MKIVs so much I have two:

And my two sons each drive one.
This is one of the reasons: Shot today in my Wagon after a weekend trip to NC.

I think the ALH in a MKIV is one of, if not the best, diesel car made. Ever. Super economical, fun to drive (more fun with some mods), durable, dead reliable. Not much to dislike unless you have to sit in the back seat for a long time.

I've bought a bunch of cars to replace my MKIV Wagon. I've owned that car longer, and for far more miles, than any other car. And it's still my first choice when deciding what to drive each morning.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Uniqueness, mileage, and I like the VW package overall.
Better is a relative term.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
We have 2 MkIV's, one is a 1.8T. The kids like driving them and I like not
having to worry about minor dings and being able to diagnose and fix most of
their maintenance issues. They both have over 200k miles. Gotta love that.
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
I don't own a MkIV (anymore) but I would if I needed a car and found one that wasn't totally trashed. I would especially consider Jetta wagon.

The reasons that have been listed already are excellent, especially the one comment I can totally get behind regarding government opposition to diesel.

One other thing to consider is privacy, and new vehicles with services like OnStar or built in WiFi are privacy busters to me. We already have problems with Alexa et al services invading privacy in the home, I do not want to have these types of things in the car with me and with the new cars are coming with that stuff from the factory.

Steve
 

hey_allen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Location
Altus, OK
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI
Price to buy the car, maintenance costs, and economy.


I do ~70 miles a day, plus any other traveling, so getting 40+mpg helps a lot.

I came to this car after my prior car was getting ~15mpg on premium unleaded, and the change in economy was effectively a healthy pay raise.
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Because I am stubborn and this car is paid for. It doesn't get the stellar FE it did with a lower power tune, but D2 is no longer $4.75 a gallon like it was when I bought the car,
 

Rob Mayercik

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
At least partly stubbornness on my part - why buy another car to replace this one when I haven't "used it up" yet? (yes, I'm on my 3rd 01M in 365K miles, I've filed it under "wear parts" :D)

Besides that, how many other cars are out there that are as fun to drive and simultaneously get the kind of MPG (stock or modded) as a TDI? Truly a "have your cake and eat it too" scenario.

All these years in and I'm still blown away by how hard this thing pulls on a top-gear acceleration run, all the while still making 42-43mpg. Can't quite match IBW's trip-odo shot above, but I do have pictures of two 700-mile tanks stashed somewhere.
 

McGuillicuddy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon (5MT)
Because a simple, reliable manual TDI wagon is the right tool for the job for many, many applications.

Fuel economy - check
Space in the back for hockey equipment/kid's stuff/camping gear - check
Seats fold down large enough to fit my mountain bike inside the car - check
Enough torque to be interesting to drive - check
Simple enough that can service many things myself - check
Parts relatively cheap and accessible - check
Cheap to maintain - check

My wagon is rust free and only has about 80K miles on it (was literally owned by a little old lady until I bought it earlier this year) so it is a bit of a rare bird, but I plan on driving it for at least another 6 years. I had a lovely 2013 GTI for a couple years and I sold it to go to a MK4 wagon and I couldn't be happier with the decision. The ONLY thing I miss from my GTI are the headlights. They were great and the MK4 sucks large. If I could straighten that out without breaking the bank I'd be pretty happy.
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
I'd like to get a TDI wagon one day. It's what I wanted originally, but when I was buying my Golf, the wagons were an extra $6000. I couldn't justify that.

I feel like I should own an ALH, if I were to get another TDI. How can you be a TDI fanatic and not have an ALH? Right?
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
I am still hoping a wagon only driven twice a week by a little old lady will show up for me; I know that is a really long stretch but if I find one that isn't beat up too badly I will convince the wife we should buy it. ;-)


EDIT: if I can find a Passat TDI wagon (that isn't $5000.00) I will go take a look-see at it, even if it involves a short drive to see it...
 

ktmkris

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2013
Location
monroe nc
TDI
MALONE TUNES DEALER , 2005 beetle tdi dsg, 1998 vw beetle 2.slow, 2003 beetle turbo s, 1998 beetle 2.0, 2006 beetle bew
I drive a mk4 tdi because they are cheap to drive and relatively cheap to work on. I enjoy working on cars and there is always something I can do to this bug. Plus I drive around 75 miles a day, 40+ mpg helps. Otherwise I would drive my F250 and get 15mpg
 

caideN

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Location
CA
TDI
02 Jetta Wagon TDI
I forgot to mention that I also like the fact that the wagon is my 'beater' car. I love having a car that I can drive around without worrying about scratches or another car tapping it while parking.

My other vehicle gets 15mpg as well so I can't live with that doing my commute
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
The low end pull above all, plus the stink of diesel on my clothes
 

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
There's an aspect of negative status of driving a 16 year old economy car that I appreciate. In my world I'm surrounded by Audi Q7s, Range Rovers, and BMW X5s. At this point no one even knows what the Jetta Wagon is. And I've been driving it for so long no one takes notice. Makes life a little easier.
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Why would you dump a perfectly-running vehicle when whatever might go wrong with it will cost less than two car payments, and in most cases less than one?

Oh, and it gets 50mpg on the highway and low to mid 40s in the city.

You want to give that up? For WHAT, exactly?
 

caideN

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Location
CA
TDI
02 Jetta Wagon TDI
If I took off the VW badges and the Jetta badge off of my wagon, most people would have no idea what car it is.
 

Desl Ed

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2001
Location
Lafayette, Louisiana
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat SE TDI(Buyback), 2015 Passat SEL TDI, 2013 Touareg TD!
After 18 yrs of driving it, still enjoy the car. Put 3000 miles on it in the last couple weeks and still returned 48 - 50mpg, running 75-80.

Can do all the routine maintenance myself.

Have done many upgrades that have made it my car. (Bigger Injectors, 2 1/2" SS exhaust, Stage 2 tune, Short Shift Kit, Skid Plate, Suspension Upgrade)
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
At first i just needed something better on fuel was getting tired of payinf 600 plus bucks a month in fuel for my ram 3500 cummins and love the diesel and after wanting it reliable and letting the gear-head inside me let go wild im in it triple what i paid for it bit everything is new front end turbo rebuilt timing belt water pump serp belt serp tension all fluid trans coolant oil put 18in 16 spoke wheels on it just picked up a full set of black leather seats in 9/10 consition for 150 bucks moving on to proformance stuff injectors tune intercooler ext and shoot for 180whp and 40mpg
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Twitch, your post is hell to read: no commas, periods, capital letters, opening statements, conclusion of idea. No wait there is a conclusion, spend money, save fuel, and hot rod that little 1.9 into a beast. Okay, got it. Forget everything I said.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
Literally earlier today:
Wife: So...given we don't really drive it that much, don't you think it's time we sold the...
Me: No.
Wife: But we hardly ever drive it and we don't really have room for it in the driveway.
Me: I guess it's time for a bigger driveway.
-------------------------------------------------
Here was the gist of my case: Whatever I could sell it for today (2002 Golf done up with Stage 4 tune and supporting mods, plus 6sp. MT, CarPlay stereo, etc.), I could get for it in five years. So - what's the rush? Why not hang onto it?

Plus, with the snow tires, it's a great winter car to go up and down the ski hill (I don't think she's going to want to be driving her Misano Red Pearl Audi up that gravel-pit of a mountain road in the winter :D), cheap like borscht to run and maintain, I know how to do all the maintenance, and like most on here have said - it's an absolute blast to drive! Don't get me wrong - I do enjoy driving the Audi and the 2015 GSW because of the nice, quiet, smooth ride, but there's a whole lot more fun in that '02 with 320K km on the clock.)
 
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boertje

Veteran Member
Joined
May 24, 2002
Location
Coeur d'Alene, ID
TDI
'01, '01, '03, ‘06 NB - TDIs all.
Just reacquired my daughters 2001 bug which I have maintained and updated through the years. She has 132k miles on the clock. She sports a Malone stage 2, T4 injectors, 6 speed trans, HID retro fitted lights using Morimoto projectors (they turned out as nice as the OEM VW HID), new Polk audio speakers, komfort blinker, new mahle turbo (old one was stuck since the car was subjected to short trips), tinted windows, and more miscellaneous stuff.
Why did I take this car back?
I know it’s history
I’ve done all the work.
It’s still in pretty good shape.
Uses almost no oil.
Gets 50ish mpg.
Fun to drive!
Everything works.
Oh, did I mention fun to drive?
Gives me something to do as I also have 3 other bugs to maintenance in our fleet.
These little cars have never left me stranded.
That is why I still have them.
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
I was never a "car guy". Yeah back in the 90's I replaced the spark plugs on my 87 toytoa pickup, oil changes (because broke) even replaced the valve cover gasket. 22R is a little beauty.

FF 15 years. 2006 Got my Jetta, for the next 6 years did nothing to it except let a nice shop replace the oil, and replaced my own battery once (now on my 3rd).
3 years later, Timing belt done by local guru.
I woke up and realized I lucked out. This car is great.
I love this car.

Since realizing the guys who know these cars are few and far between, I decided, well, if a 17 year old kid on youtube can change the TB, I can learn that too. And (deep breath) I'm going to. Wrenching is tough and I'm not a tough guy. So if I'm willing to put in some sweat and tears into something....
Because 1, I have zero desire for any other car. 2, I picked up a fun hobby ( I have now done serp belt, rotors and pads, various other small stuff). 3, I look at other cars, and they just look lame to be honest. And gasoline? Bleh.
I also like how they don't really "stand out". So many cars today just scream "look at me!". MK4 is like stealth cool.
But bottom line for me really is the bioD. I love the smell of hot fries in the morning:D
Economy - Longevity - Performance
 

Caddy 16v

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Location
Hazelton, BC
TDI
2000 Jetta, 2000 Golf
It refuses to die, even after being hit by a tractor last year. I'm kind of bored by it after 8 years and every nut and bolt touched but it still puts a smile on my face and has great fuel economy.
 

irvingj

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Location
Etna,NH
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon TDI (PD/BEW)
Because I'm cheap.
It is, however, fun to drive. Although it still has a bit more body roll than I'd like, it pretty much goes where you point it. And zippy. And fun. And looks nice. The 700+ miles between fill-ups is also nice. Indigo Blue has driven this one; not an ALH, but even he liked it.
PS: I kept my '72 Chevy K5 Blazer for over 30 years. I expect to do the same with my '05 BEW Jetta Wagon. Hey: I may be cheap, but I'm cheap. :D
 
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