Zeroing in on VW Jetta sportwagen tdi

[tevake]

I've been looking at small to med sized wagons for long road tripping and car camping.so MPG is important.
Needs to be fun to drive especially in back roads and mountains..
Budget is under $10k.

Looked at volvos, BMWs, Lexus, now I'm focused on the VW Jetta/ Passat tdi sportwagen.

Lots of the dieselgate cars have been retuned by VW and are getting back on the road.

This 2013 Jetta is being sold by owner. Has 94k miles asking $8,750.



They show up on dealers lots for $12k to$15k asking. Generally 50 to 70k miles

Any one had a tdi , Driven them, got any lowdown on them?

Other good wagons to consider?

Thanks Pelicans I value your input!

Cheers Richard

[Macroni]

Loved mine, one of the best cars I have ever owned. Peppy up to 100mph, averaged 33+ miles per gallon and never babied it. @ $10k you will be pleased.

[pete3799]

I bought a used (110K mi.) 2011 Touareg TDI a year ago last May for just under $12K.
MPG is in the 26-29 range. Not bad for a heavy AWD vehicle.
I was quite surprised at how much power it has.
Have been getting a recurring check engine light recently (EGR insufficient flow) But it runs fine.
Will have it checked out before the extended warranty runs out.
Oil change, fuel filter, tires and brakes is all i've done to it so far at 125K.

[berettafan]

following with interest. drove a manual diesel wagon overseas last summer and fell in love with the package. VW is an obvious choice here but which year and can the de-tune thing be reversed?

[Robert Adams]

Had a 2010 Jetta Wagon SE gas 2.5, one of the best cars I owned up to the 175k miles when I sold it. My 2017 is even better. Jetta got 26 to 28 around town & 30-36mpg highway(at 70mph). My 2017 Golf Sportswagen SEL is even better with 28-33 around town and 38-40 highway. I have gotten 42mpg occasionally.
Sorry, but with that mileage and the vehicle cost being less not to mention fuel cost is cheaper, I don't see the advantage of a diesel? Oh and its fast as the dickens. Not quite GTI territory, but it moves and great on the twisties.

[1990C4S]

Are you aware of the transmission maintenance? It's high, but manageable.

[pavulon]

Had one that left in a divorce. Loved it. Tried to buy it repeatedly but had it sold away out of spite.

[bkreigsr]

My current dd is a 2014 TDI JSW. I bought it as a certified used (23,000 miles) from a dealer. It was one of the 'scandal' cars that VW bought back, shipped from Texas to Chicago for the retrofit correction.
It's Taffy over Cornsilk interior - very attractive.
I've had a few dealer bumps along the way with the CEL, and passing local inspection, but that's old business now.
MPG is not as good as my 2002 TDI sedan (totaled at 398,000) was but is still in the acceptable range for a TDI.
One feature I hate - Panoramic sun roof with the full length cloth roll-back cover, don't need it, didn't want it.

Bottom line - @ $8,750 it's a good deal. Check that all the recommended trans services were done at 40,000 mile intervals.

Bill K

[bleucamaro]

I had a '13. Bought it new, put 115k miles on it. Mine was a 6spd manual. I put a set of H&R coilovers on it and VMR wheels. It drove great, handled great, was really torquey. I only sold because of Dieselgate and the buyback price was way above market price for it.

[Otter74]

I bought a 2013 JSW TDI in March to replace my 2004 Accord. It was a CPO car I got from a dealer in Milwaukee, which had tons of them. 36k miles, spent its life in Santa Barbara (so no corrosion), terrific condition, manual/sunroof, $15k. It's a fantastic car and I wonder why I didn't buy it years ago. I get 38mpg in freeway-heavy mixed driving around town, which is about all I've done. It doesn't feel like a GTI, but it feels like a German car, tight and buttoned down, and is a pleasure to drive anywhere, just the right combination of small enough on the outside and big enough on the inside. I can fit any of my bikes inside by just sliding them in. It's not as huge inside as my '85 Saab 900, but what is? Mine has pushbutton start and I'd prefer a key, but it was the best example of the many I looked at.

I'd also have been happy with a current-generation Golf wagon, which apparently also gets pretty excellent mileage, but you can't get a Golf with a sunroof and a manual (you have to get an Alltrak for that), and I saw no reason to spend $20-25k when I could get everything I wanted for $15k tops. I was heavily influenced by a good friend who said his JSW TDI was the best car he'd ever owned - he sold it back to VW because he couldn't say no to what they were offering.

My girlfriend hates it (wagons are grandpa cars) and tried to replace it with a Macan (now she tolerates it, maybe because she enjoys my 911 in small doses), but I could drive this car for a decade. There are other wagon options in your budget but I think this is the best overall.

[tevake]

Its good hearing all the positive comments here about the Jetta.
This echoes what Ive learned in my research on the Internet, and from a more reliable source, thanks.

Pete have you had any warenty work done on your Touareg, did the dealer freely honor the extended warenty ?

Robert, I've wondering about the economy of the diesel vs the gas engine, in view of the price difference between gas and diesel. Longevity is another factor to think about.
Most of the other brands in the picture call for primium fuel so it's less of a price difference. Does the VW sel use regular gas?

I had read about that 40k mile service interveral. I'd much rather follow that that the supposed lifetime trans in other brands. Great comments about the DSG trans otherwise.

Had I also heard that there is an engine cover in the way of draining the engine oil for changes, is that the case?

Are there particular points to make sure to have checked in a PPI?

Again, I do appreciate the input.

Cheers Richard

[bkreigsr]

I did my own oil service and did not have to remove the engine cover (not that's is a big deal) (2014)
(Dealer wanted $99.95 to change the oil - see-ya)

PPI nowadays is mostly plugging in the VAG COM to see if all factory service bulletins were addressed.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by tevake

I've been looking at small to med sized wagons for long road tripping and car camping.so MPG is important.
Needs to be fun to drive especially in back roads and mountains..
Budget is under $10k.

Looked at volvos, BMWs, Lexus, now I'm focused on the VW Jetta/ Passat tdi sportwagen.

Lots of the dieselgate cars have been retuned by VW and are getting back on the road.

This 2013 Jetta is being sold by owner. Has 94k miles asking $8,750.



They show up on dealers lots for $12k to$15k asking. Generally 50 to 70k miles

Any one had a tdi , Driven them, got any lowdown on them?

Other good wagons to consider?

Thanks Pelicans I value your input!

Cheers Richard

The wife had 3 diesel wagons while she was driving to work. We had dogs - needed something to put them in.
Put over 120k in total on them.
No issues. No problems. No nothing - but they were all traded at around a year old and 40k (just after the 36k warranty expired). Stark contrast to the other VWs, that all needed something before that time.
As an aside - we got the diesel because the savings at the time in fuel were significant.
She also had a couple of the 2.0 sedans and a wagon. Diesel was better in every case.

Fantastic fuel economy - we drove one of them from NY to Orlando with the kids in the back on a tank and a half. Averaged something silly like 58mpg.

[Alan A]

Since they were mentioned - had 2 Touaregs.
Liked the diesel way more than the gas version.
Both will tow 7k, but the diesel does it easier.

Wife has a leased Tiguan.
I hate it. No pep, ****ty gas mileage.

You couldn't pay me to drive an Atlas.

[Arizona_928]

Only way I would but it is with a manual transmission ... That and timing belt is due in 20k mi.


You'll need a vagcom to replace fuel filter. Besides that good cars.
I didn't realize they're getting that cheap. I'll need to pick one up too.

[vash]

Originally Posted by bleucamaro

I had a '13. Bought it new, put 115k miles on it. Mine was a 6spd manual. I put a set of H&R coilovers on it and VMR wheels. It drove great, handled great, was really torquey. I only sold because of Dieselgate and the buyback price was way above market price for it.

this is so good looking!!

[berettafan]

Man that white car looks great!

[tevake]

It really does look good, lowered a little? I've read of body roll in cornering, that bit of suspension work should do the trick.
Bluecamaro, did the ride stay nice / compliant with the mods?

I couldn't do with a white car. I live off of a dirt road just a half mile to pavement, but that's enough.

Cheers Richard

[RSBob]

Loved my 2010 Jetta TDi Sportwagen. Reliable, great brakes and suspension and fantastic MPG. Can be easily hotrodded by Malone Tuning to outrageous levels of torque.

[bkreigsr]

Richard, I forgot to mention that my CEL was due to a clogged particulate filter (29,000). Replaced under warranty.
VW service advised that tooling around town at 1000-1100 rpm, and highway speeds below 50 mph were not getting the filter up to temperature where it could do it's job.
So, I've been using 'Sport' mode most of the time.
The only down side is the mpg has suffered - down from low 40's to high 30's.
Bill K