RESALE: At 300,000 miles, this car will still fetch over $10,000 whereas any gas-powered Japanese car that lasts that long will fetch $20/ton

SAFETY: If you get t-boned by an SUV in a European-designed car you still have a good chance of living. But in a Japanese or American enono-box … not so much so. My wife is going into court as a witness for the insurance company. She was in the front of the traffic 8 months ago when a large dump-truck blew a red light at over 50 MPH and t-boned a new-model Jetta sedan. They called off the air-ambulance when they found the woman driving the Jetta was in stable shape with no serious injuries. The car was a few inches narrower, but still had the windshield in place (completely shattered) and the door and hood latches still operated. I think some of the paramedics are considering Jettas for their next vehicle after that crash….

We traveled from Raleigh, NC to Washington DC, around DC and back to Raleigh on less than a tank of diesel! It ended up being around 46mpg, and right now diesel is the same price as regular unleaded gasoline. What a great car.

Here’s our review:

http://www.automoblog.net/2009/05/18/2009-volkswagen-jetta-tdi-review/

2500 miles on Odometer.

Average 38 mpg city/ 42 mpg highway.

A rush to drive. 0-60 in approx. 8.2 sec.

Does not compare with my 70’s Rabbit desiel I once owned. (48 hp with 4 spd manual transmission)

Traded in a 2004 Honda Accord EX. 4cyl. 5 speed manual. Jetta is just as fast, maybe faster. Handles better. Same footprint as wife’s 2006 Civic but with the interior room, comfort and seating position of the ‘04 Accord. (2009 Accord is a foot longer than VW, too big.)

Great car so far.

1. They have two with Manny-Trannys; Silver and Salsa Red, both with Panaramic sunroof. Nice.
2. Both cost a little over $25K, no added markup. Nice.
3. Both come with a host of standard features, missing the $1700 navigation upgrade, which can be added later. Nice.
4. Both have interesting lease options. Again, nice.
5. The dealership guy was actually friendly and didn’t try to convince me toward another model. Sweet.
6. VW isn’t going to go bankrupt anytime soon so my warranty will be good. Nice.
7. A Jetta TDI Sportwagen is a statement, A Toyota Prius is an appliance.

Lets get back to the alcoholic beverage preference for the morning already.

This made in Mexico which concerned me. My sales person said that they used to have some problems with that plant, but the “powers that be” went down there and shaped it up. He said the cars coming from there are better than some of the other VW plants. I have never owned a German vehicle and am looking forward to this one. I will post my opinion when I have driven it a while.

Lastly, a below $20,000 diesel wagen-type vehicle is in your dreams.

In my opinion both the VW Jetta and Prius are good looking cars but beauty in in the eye of the beholder. However, to reject either of these fuel efficient cars because of styling is beyond me! It is this STUPID American attitude of putting styling ahead of all other vehicle priorities that got the American auto industry in the problems they now have. I don’t care if a car is a “moms car”(minivans)or “girls car”(VW). My automotive priorities are: 1) affordability, 2)fuel economy, 3)utility (hatchback, minivan, or stationwagon hauling flexability, 4)handling, 5)durability, 6)safety, 7)comfort, 8)ease of maintenance (most new cars are bad in this area). Only after all these priorities are met, would I consider styling. To put styling ahead of any of these priorities is STUPID!

Unforunately, everyone I know who has tried to “buy the car at the end of the lease” has ended up getting hosed. The dealers, for some reason, rather than making a simple, clean transaction, would rather sell or lease you a new car.

Perhaps that has changed today. Car companies are shying away from leases now and promoting purchasing of cars (they got burned by poor resale values). So perhaps they might deal. But go armed with Edmunds, KBB, and NADA resale data and drive a hard bargain. Otherwise, you’d be better off just turning in the ‘06 and buying another one from a private party.

Leasing sucks – it is about the most expensive way to go about driving a car.

As for cost savings on a diesel, do the math. Diesel fuel is more expensive in this country, and the payback based on milage versus the increased cost of the diesel engine can take years and years (if ever).

Throw in the massive depreciation and the transaction fees in buying a brand new car, and no, it makes no sense financially at all.

Huh? in the last five years, VW has been building better cars than it has in a long, long time (I had an ‘87 GTI, let me tell you about CV joint life..).

As for fuel economy, I don’t think VW has been struggling along the lines, of say, GM. No Suburbans in this fleet! They hardly are being houded by CAFE requirments.

“This 100 horsepower oil burner was first built in 1820. The metalsmith used bronze, and then died from boredom. Although VW has been selling the 1.9 as a car engine of late, in the 1920s it was marketed as a “Clatterynoisedervish;” a device designed exclusively for frightening pigeons. And though the 1.9 could deliver some 40+ MPG highway, it was mostly out of necessity; if you stopped for fuel, you ran the risk of your passengers refusing to get back into the car.”

They pay you to write this shit? Because that’s what it is, shit.

Why not let someone who can do more than read a press release write the articles? Sheesh! Crib from Wikipedia, for chrissake. Anything but that sort of drivel.

Does your Momma know you write like this?

In Europe, the Golf VI has a much nicer interior than the V. Expect a similar update to the Jetta soon (The euro-spec wagon will get the new look in autumn, and that’s made in Mexico, so the Jetta should be updated at the same time)

I am looking for a new car in 2010, earlier if my ZX2 breaks down seriously before then.

I will probably test drive the new 2010 Prius because I really shouldn’t judge it’s drive-ability without getting behind the wheel. It really doesn’t have a transmission at all so it might prove interesting + they might be boosting the power a bit.

Best of luck with what ever you choose, and outlasting the warranty. :-)

I don’t see it being any different. There are unbiased people who love both Priuses and Diesels, just as there are loony fanatics that evangelize each.

Prius is out for me because I like to shift for myself, but I Bet maintenance will be much higher on the VW diesel, especially if you go automatic that adds to the already high VW regular maintenance bill. VW TDI also has a timing belt, the Prius has timing chain. How much does VW charge for belt swaps?

Next the claims about super longevity diesels don’t apply anymore today than do claims of smoke belching diesels. This is completely new design, with ultra high pressure, high tolerance injectors, A complex, multi-catalyst emission system all with shorter warranty than on the Prius battery.

But I am not looking at either. The Subaru Diesel peaks my interest, but I will see what fuel prices stabilize at when it comes out.

But if like today. It gets ~25% better MPG but fuel costs ~25% more, then it is a complete non starter, what is the point paying a diesel engine premium of a couple of thousand bucks to buy a car that really doesn’t save you money at the fuel pump in the end and will likely have increased maintenance costs as well.

With all due respect, you are not even a “parishioner” yet and you are already using arbitrary Volkswagen markups and even your own mortality to rationalize the Prius’ high maintenance costs. Imagine how vigorously someone who has actually spent money on a Prius – just before gas prices plummeted – will defend it.

VW’s diesel technology makes sense regardless of gas prices, which I suspect will stay well below last summer’s highs for a long, long time. That was a speculative bubble which has now burst.

The Hybrid craze is already dying. In 3-5 years there will be tens of thousands of these goofy golf carts hitting the used car market with dead battery packs. What other outcome could there logically be?