OT. I need an Econo Car. Volkswagon or Suburu?

[Iceblue02]

First off I drive a 1990 Toyota Truck and a 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser. Both suck down the gas like crazy. Both have High milage. So I am looking at a Volkswagon Jetta or Wagon and a Suburu Forester Wagon. I really like the Idea of the 1.9L TDI Turbo Diesel that is in the Jetta. I dont think the Suburu has a Diesel option. Anyone have one of these? How do you like it? Any issues to look for/be aware of? Im trying to find something used.

What other diesel options are there in cars?

Trace.

[Dingo Joe]

word on the street is that VW quality has declined. Subaru's still have a great rep, but I don't think the get the greatest mpg. I think I got around 22-24mph hwy, on a 91 Legacy. Great car otherwise, but the 4wd takes it's toll on the mpg...

[roger albert]

Dingo has it.

The VW tdi has much better economy, but the electrics can be a bit flakey. The Subaru gets better ratings, but less mileage. The owners seem to be rabid fans, which generally yields better perceived/reported quality than exists. Either would be a decent car, but neither is a great and reliable econocar. For that, I'd look to a small Toyota, or, perhaps a honda.

[badger]

my legacy (98) gets 24-26 mpg and just keeps running, although front crank oil seal leaks are common at 50-75K.

my wife's cabrio (00) gets 30-32 mpg. Only issue was it needed new tierods at 20K--minor complaining and I paid for labor only.

cheap and efficient? hyundai, toyota turdcell, honda civic, kia, you get the picture

[badger]

guess they're called echo now instead of turdcell

[850dunstall]

to get the latest info of VW diesel go to http://www.tdiclub.com/
these guys now their stuff, just don't ask about "THE RIGHT KIND OF OIL"... those guys would get into fistycuffs if they weren't all over the globe all because somebody thinks brand M is better than brand A. or vice versa.



i have a 99 TDI beetle (bought used 3yrs old) and have been happy, as with all mechanical things they are not without their trouble spots, but if you can be happy with BMW maintenance schedule, then VW will not offend you, it helps even more if you are capable of doing some of the maintenance yourself.

c.l.

[Rapid Dog]

you want reliablilty get the Toyota anything...you want reliabilty and pedestrian boring, get the Civic...zzzzz.....

[UberXY]

I'd go for a late 80's early 90's 300SD. Cheap, big, reliable.

[acook]

My 02 saturn SL1 1.9L 5 speed gets 39-42mpg on freeways and country driving.I baby it as much as I can. Reg unleaded here is 2.21 gal.

[ryker77]

I've got a 2003 jetta TDI its a pretty good car @43mpg with lots of torque. The Golf with a TDI is better at 45+ mpg. The 2003 models have a stronger timing belt though the 1999+ can be upgraded. www.tdiclub.com is place to learn

If your really cheap then try and find a low milage MB 300td for 300d. Those cars last foreever! And with todays oil and fuel filters they should last even longer!! I've seen low milage one on ebay sell for around 4-8,000.

[BMWRider]

put over 300,000 on two different VW Foxs with the 1.8 motor...those motors are bulletproof so long as you get fluids i them and change the belts...i'd go VW for the german engineering...

Rider

[levert]

We have a 99 Subaru Forrester.

165,000km

Mileage highway 10l/100km
City 11.5l/100km

This is great car and easy to work on and we have had no major problems.The allwheel drive is maintenace free and I have tried to get the thing stuck in the snow with no luck.
The above mileage figure are real world driving, when the temp goes below -5 c it drops.
And yes the seats suck on the base model, you'll need a seat cushion.

[flynbmw]

Subaru WRX turbo... We don't need no stinking gas mileage!!!

Harold

PS You have two Toyotas that you are happy with, why not get another one...

[Firebolter]

Another good car if you are looking for excellent mpg, reliable and cheap to maintain, Ford Focus. That is the number one selling car in the world I believe and it is doing pretty good in the world rallye class.......

[Rapid Dog]

I wonder about those Focus's...they hop 'wm up, great rallye results, but how are the domestic street versions?
I've been paranoid of US bulit cars since my last Dodge in the 90's...actually other than that moni-van, I never bought or trusted anything post-1972 up until now...

[Firebolter]

American cars have come along way in the last ten years. QC is up and I have had good results with both Dodge (a Ram and a Dakota) and with My Cobra and now my Expedition. While gas milage is not as good as some of the imports, the Focus has alot of options...wagons, hatchback different motors etc...

I like the little SVT, fun little car. Got to ride in one and it would be a fun car to whip around town in.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/focus/glance/index.asp#Focus_SVT

[Rapid Dog]

sheesh....why is everything $20K these days...

[bikerfish1100]

here's my $.02-- own a 2000 TDI, bought new, 50K miles. 1 sensor went bad at 12K, repaired under warranty. no other errors. 43 overall mpg, but that's at "german touring speeds". have seen as high as mid-50s if i can keep it to the limit. love it! comfy, nice handling, starts fine doing nothing special in New England winters. have done virtually all maintenance myself, diesel is plentiful & cheap (took 3 fuel stops to get from CT to CO back in February), works like a champ. and their black matches my '01 lite real well.

[Iceblue02]

Im leaning real hard towards the TDI. That 45-50 mpg is awful tempting.

Now if I could just mount my Kayak to the top of a Jetta I would be in there!!

T

[ErricZ]

You can do that too, IceBlue, you just need to spend mucho cash on the VW Roof Rack System. (I own a 96 Passat, but not TDI)