Why do You Still Have Your MK4 TDI?

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
My wife doesn't get it. Why spend money on a 20 year old car... let's start with the obvious, no monthly payment, a replacement turbo-which likely was likely my fault-timing set-2 so far-last done at 298,000, currently 299,000. She is mechanically sound, has a custom 24 PSI tune, she is a blast to drive, and let us not forget unmatched fuel economy. Now all I need to do is to replace the front seats.
 

03TDICommuter

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Location
So. Cal
TDI
01' NB, 5spd
I regretted selling my 03 Jetta after buying my '19 eGolf. Love the eGolf, don't love the range, insurance cost, and because of covid, racking the miles up on it. Just picked up a, 01 NB 5spd to be my 100 mile a day commuter. I'm happy again! Easy to work on, great fuel economy.
 

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
My wife doesn't get it. Why spend money on a 20 year old car... let's start with the obvious, no monthly payment, a replacement turbo-which likely was likely my fault-timing set-2 so far-last done at 298,000, currently 299,000. She is mechanically sound, has a custom 24 PSI tune, she is a blast to drive, and let us not forget unmatched fuel economy. Now all I need to do is to replace the front seats.
The seats do suck, along with those door switches, but I still tolerate them....so far
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
I have 2 free front seats for you, black cloth
First thing, thank you so much!
My current ones are gray, but for free I can be a little less picky about color. :)

Nor Cal sort of where?
What about the Covid thing.. No coughing on the seats and then bagging them. LOL
 

rwthomas1

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2002
Location
Wakefield, RI
TDI
'03 Jetta
I recently "invested" about half the "value" of the car, maybe more, in the rebuilding of the HVAC box in my 03 Jetta. Could I have done it myself? Probably, I've done other cars, but it sucks, I have no time, and so I pay the price. Kraftwerke did the job, and did it masterfully. I'm quite sure 99% of the public would think that certifiable, but I don't live for them. Good for another 300K. Love the car, it ain't ever getting sold. RT
 

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 recently "invested" about half the "value" of the car, maybe more, in the rebuilding of the HVAC box in my 03 Jetta. Could I have done it myself? Probably, I've done other cars, but it sucks, I have no time, and so I pay the price. Kraftwerke did the job, and did it masterfully. I'm quite sure 99% of the public would think that certifiable, but I don't live for them. Good for another 300K. Love the car, it ain't ever getting sold. RT
Chris did the same for my red Golf earlier this year. I was more than happy to have him do it. Now I have heat, and no fogged windshield.
 

rwthomas1

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2002
Location
Wakefield, RI
TDI
'03 Jetta
Chris did the same for my red Golf earlier this year. I was more than happy to have him do it. Now I have heat, and no fogged windshield.
Oh I had heat. Just not on my feet, and mostly singeing my eyebrows. Last winter was annoying, more than happy to let Mr. Hill take care of it. First time I met him, he's an "interesting" character. There are "car guys" and there are "CAR GUYS", and then there is Chris Hill! His shop is like TDI nirvana.

RT
 

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 usually have a car there for one thing or another. Chris is a local treasure. I often say I probably wouldn't still have my Wagon if it weren't for him. He's kept it running flawlessly all these years.
 

irvingj

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Location
Etna,NH
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon TDI (PD/BEW)
...And Peter, where is this guy located..? I have a local guy that I'm pretty sure can handle it, but I'm approaching TB time again (152K). Don't dare do it myself.
 

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
Walpole, MA. There's also a great shop in Lowell, MA, KMH Motors. Keith Harley is the owner.
 
Joined
May 29, 2019
Location
PEC-Ontario
TDI
Jetta GLS Mk4 2005 PD
I still have (since new) my Mk 4 Jetta TDI because:
* I like the Mk 4 Jetta body style
* great mileage (of course)
* It has become my ‘retirement’ drive, only 5.0km per year.
* It’s in ‘like new’ condition after 19 years and over 300.0 km
* I get new M-Benz ‘blue-tec’ SUV owners’ attention… some want to buy it.
* …and finally.. I just love driving around , cruising in a Mk 4 TDI legend.
 

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
I discussed my '03 Tornado Red Golf TDI earlier in this thread, back in August 2018. It now has just over 797k miles and lit up the CEL earlier this week -- probably glowplug-related, but is running better than ever with lots of smooth power and gets about 44 MPG on average. Its vitals are in my signature.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5429866&postcount=64

I also mentioned my '03 Indigo Blue Golf TDI, which now has about 147k miles. My nephew was driving it in November when the turbo bit the dust, pumping oil through the intercooler, engine, catalytic convertor and out the tailpipe. I feared for the worst, but the engine died immediately from lack of air (IC filled with oil), and it cleaned up nicely with no engine damage. Now it's got a new VNT17, 3-bar MAP, Malone tune, cat-free downpipe and straight pipe. It runs nice but will slip the clutch if pushed so I can't do that yet. But it returned over 49 MPG on a holiday road trip to southern Illinois.

Lastly, this past summer I picked up a rust-free Candy White '03 Jetta TDI wagon that came from Washington by way of Texas. It had lots of issues that were unknown when I received it, and I've probably got over $8000 in it at this point. I'll know in another 300k miles whether this purchase was a good one or a mistake. Right now my sister and brother-in-law down in Iowa are using this one. The suspension is fine for now but I'll probably lift it a few inches at some point.

All three TDIs have VNT17s or the equivalent; all have Malone tunes and upgraded Bosio nozzles; two of three have VR6/G60 clutch/flywheel combos and the other will probably get that in a few months; all have Dieselgeek Panzer plates; all have Nicktane filter heads and Cat fuel filters. None are show cars but all are good runners.

I am not even thinking of buying any more TDIs at this time. But if I hear of any that look like they're worth owning I'll spread the word.
I retired the red Golf shortly after it hit 1,000,000 miles. Sold the blue Golf to my nephew, who passed his own Jetta sedan down to his younger brother. I sold the white Jetta wagon to Doug Lindee over in Wisconsin; I think we were both happy with the deal. I bought a silver Jetta wagon from Nero Morg in Portland Oregon in April 2022, then went back to Portland in January 2023 for an indigo blue Jetta wagon from Sackman. So now I have two distinctly different rust-free West Coast '03 TDI wagons and at some point I might even downsize to only one TDI. But I consider that would be a risky move because what if something happened to it, then what would I do?
 

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
So now I have two distinctly different rust-free West Coast '03 TDI wagons and at some point I might even downsize to only one TDI. But I consider that would be a risky move because what if something happened to it, then what would I do?
Exactly why I have my '99.5 Golf. IBW is still my daily, but I don't think I would be happy if I couldn't drive a MKIV TDI every day.
 

TDI_FNG

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Location
Kirkland, WA
TDI
2004 Jetta
I get the same MPG as the wife's Geo Metro, but with creature comforts. Hate automatic transmissions. With the taller 5th gear, makes for an excellent road trip vehicle. At 392K, I think the engine is broken in now. Most minor maintenance I can do, I gladly pay someone else for the heavy lifting (timing belt, etc). The South Bend stage 2 clutch should out live the rest of the car. And I still love the way it pulls when I step on it (Malone 1.5). More smiles per mile than anything else I've driven, except for maybe the Challenger with a Hemi. Good thing the boss was paying the fuel bill on that one.

Plus my son already called dibbs on the car when I die.
 

PakProtector

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Location
AnnArbor, MI
TDI
Mk.4's and the Cummins
The herd keeps growing. Wanted an 'impractical' 2D, and found one. Then from about the same area came a 4D Golf with only 53k miles on it. Fettling in process. The 2D got swiped by my wife who directed me to arrange parting with her Mazda 3. These puppers get me where I want to go, and remove the 'how much is fuel on this jaunt gonna cost me' thinking. Priceless. Have had my daily/primary '04 Jetta since late 2017. A one-owner '02 came to me and I learned the manual swap on it. The still working Auto went to keep a member's mom behind the wheel of hers. These things are jus' too entertaining. LOL

Need to expand the spare bits shelf. One each ALH/BEW belt kit. A set of Cupra-R bushings for the next one, TT LCA's, oil cooler seals...

Douglas
 

hey_allen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Location
Altus, OK
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI
Mine just keeps going...
I'm casually hunting for a wagon, but now out in the rural southwest, with few VW of any sort around, much less ALH powered ones!
 

GP_RZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2022
Location
Alliston, Ontario
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon 5 speed
Bought the 03 wagon for commuting and saving the wear and tear on my f150, really enjoy the car and have spent more on it then its worth....really a fun car to drive and great on fuel.
 

mittzlepick

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2001
Location
union maine
TDI
2004 jetta wagon (365k)2001 wagon tire burner 6spd 2003 wagon(417k)
had a mk7 sold to a friend. have a mk6 still driving not so thrilled with the mpg. love my mk 4 wagons. golf gtd getting on the road this spring. they represent the beginning of the end of good and simple.
 

sisyphus

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
It’s the devil I know. Buying another used car of another brand, it’s just buying a different set of someone else’s problems.
 

mittzlepick

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2001
Location
union maine
TDI
2004 jetta wagon (365k)2001 wagon tire burner 6spd 2003 wagon(417k)
Made it myself. Hard to find a long door. Got a autotragic gti. Installed my racedup alh with 6 speed limited slip. 180 hp says previous owner. The wagon it was in died of cancer
 

shoebear

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2002
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
TDI
1998 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon, 2005 New Beetle, 2013 Sportwagen
Spite against gubment regulations and war against diesels.

My other name is Cheapskate McTightwad, and it's much cheaper to keep this car in good shape than to pay the equivalent of a major repair expense every month for a new car. It has 375K miles, and I won't get my money's worth until I hit 500K.

My car doesn't communicate with Volkswagen or the gubment and can't be disabled remotely.

My ALH is simple, easy to work on, and economical.

After some mods, it's fun to drive.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Spite against gubment regulations and war against diesels.

My other name is Cheapskate McTightwad, and it's much cheaper to keep this car in good shape than to pay the equivalent of a major repair expense every month for a new car. It has 375K miles, and I won't get my money's worth until I hit 500K.

My car doesn't communicate with Volkswagen or the gubment and can't be disabled remotely.

My ALH is simple, easy to work on, and economical.

After some mods, it's fun to drive.
Wow! I love it...... Cheapskate McTightwad............................ Me too!

I've done maintenance on a friend's 2001 Jetta TDI for close to 20 years (all the timing belt jobs, plus other work).
It has over 465k miles on it.
Anyway, I crunched some numbers to get a "ball park" cost to own and drive it.

I estimated total cost (everything) to be roughly $80k. That's about 17 cents per mile (about $3500 per year)

I used an average of $3.75 / gallon for diesel fuel
Average of 48 MPG
Initial cost of $20k
Average insurance over 22 years at $500 per year (about right for my neck of the woods)
Tires at 6.6 sets tires based on 70k miles per set ($500 a set on average here, more expensive now than 20 years ago)
And, a good chunk of Miscellaneous expense.

Anyway, I'm doing the same with my 03 Jetta at 350k on the engine and 275k on the body.
My formerly owned 2000 Jetta is at 390k miles. My son owns it.
 
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