Old Man's Car?

[oldE]

Update on the old man's car:
In the last 52 weeks I have racked up just over 23,000 km (14,000 miles) in the Jetta. Why? Because it gets the same fuel economy as the wife's Golf wagon and it has more passenger room. I like the seats better too. So if we go to the city or to visit friends, we take the Jetta.
I mentioned in another thread I put a set of Continentals on it a couple of months ago. The car loves them. Cornering speeds are up almost 10% before the tires start complaining.
So now that the car has passed 230,000 km, we'll see how the journey goes.
If I was foolish enough to drive cross the continent I wouldn't hesitate to take this car.
Best
Les

[Dixie]

Here in SWF, the Buick Invista seems to be the old man car of choice.

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Maybe it's a Chicago thing, but the Jetta has always been a "female recent college-grad" car, not an old man's car.

LOL not a Chicago thing - never heard of it. About 12 years ago I owned a CLK500. Loved this car because of the 5L V8. It got totaled, and I just needed a car. I bought a used 2003 Passat with a manual trans. I ran this into the ground. I was close to retirement and bought a MB C class sedan, thinking it would be one of the last vehicles I would own. Unfortunately, within 3 months, that got totaled as well. Hit/run while the car was parked. In my mind, that is the universe telling me not to own another Benz.

I'm not a truck/SUV guy, I'm a car guy so I bought a new 2019 Jetta. Not a Benz, hadn't had a car payment in who knows how long. Looked at a manual trans version of the car but decided on the automatic. After almost 5 years, it is an ok car, roomy, good gas millage, practical, I guess: an appliance. BTW, I put a set of run flat Centinentals on it and it is a big difference from the originals tires. My passion for cars has shifted from owning to just looking.

I own a Porsche 944 original owner and as I have gotten older, this is becoming a PITA to drive. And you get spoiled too: no shifting, power steering and back up cameras.

So, a car passion evolves - there is no right or wrong.

[GH85Carrera]

I have driven my wife's Macan in Arkansas on some fun roads. It is nice to put it in sport mode, and let shift with no further input from me. It is damn near physic in knowing when o downshift coming into a corner.

I still prefer my 911 on those roads.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by oldE

Update on the old man's car:
In the last 52 weeks I have racked up just over 23,000 km (14,000 miles) in the Jetta. Why? Because it gets the same fuel economy as the wife's Golf wagon and it has more passenger room. I like the seats better too. So if we go to the city or to visit friends, we take the Jetta.
I mentioned in another thread I put a set of Continentals on it a couple of months ago. The car loves them. Cornering speeds are up almost 10% before the tires start complaining.
So now that the car has passed 230,000 km, we'll see how the journey goes.
If I was foolish enough to drive cross the continent I wouldn't hesitate to take this car.
Best
Les

Great review...thanks. A recommendation can't get much better than that.

[Otter74]

Oh, I think a Jetta is definitely a Chad & Tracy kind of car (Lakeview), or at least it was for a long time (think Mk IV). Now they're buying SUVs like the rest of the universe.

I was in a base model Jetta in 2020 and my lasting impression was that the interior was terribly cheap. I hope they're better now. I recall that back then the GLI got a nice interior and IRS.

My ex-gf used to tease me that my 2013 TDI Sportwagen was a German grandpa wagon. She wasn't wrong.

Originally Posted by jcommin

LOL not a Chicago thing - never heard of it. About 12 years ago I owned a CLK500. Loved this car because of the 5L V8. It got totaled, and I just needed a car. I bought a used 2003 Passat with a manual trans. I ran this into the ground. I was close to retirement and bought a MB C class sedan, thinking it would be one of the last vehicles I would own. Unfortunately, within 3 months, that got totaled as well. Hit/run while the car was parked. In my mind, that is the universe telling me not to own another Benz.

I'm not a truck/SUV guy, I'm a car guy so I bought a new 2019 Jetta. Not a Benz, hadn't had a car payment in who knows how long. Looked at a manual trans version of the car but decided on the automatic. After almost 5 years, it is an ok car, roomy, good gas millage, practical, I guess: an appliance. BTW, I put a set of run flat Centinentals on it and it is a big difference from the originals tires. My passion for cars has shifted from owning to just looking.

I own a Porsche 944 original owner and as I have gotten older, this is becoming a PITA to drive. And you get spoiled too: no shifting, power steering and back up cameras.

So, a car passion evolves - there is no right or wrong.

[oldE]

VW seems to have an annoying tendency in the last two iterations of the Jetta to de-content the car ( hard plastic dash old style twist beam rear axle) in the first years after a body change, then they add the good stuff back in after a few years. I remember driving a loner 2011 Jetta one day and it did not compare favorably with my 2006 TDi Jetta at all. It was sad to see what they had done with the car to meet a price point.
Re: the GLi, it is an Audi A3 clone under the sheet metal. I'm told the drive train is the same.
Years ago I would have been tempted, but not so much any more.

Best
Les

[Ralph3.]

I thought gold Camry....

[pete3799]

Just curious if the speedo error might be due to the previous owner putting different size tires on it.
Have you checked what size the car came with when new?
Also if You're in the market for a scan tool the Ross-Tech one is awesome.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Ralph3.

I thought gold Camry....

Ah, so you have been to new Zealand.

[Ralph3.]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Ah, so you have been to new Zealand.

Plenty in the greater Seattle area.

[monoflo]

So if one is an old man and owns a car --is that car actually an "old mans" car?

If you like it-- you like it --I had a Miata -big block Corvette- C10 - PT Cruiser stick- etc..

[oldE]

Pete,
Tire sizes are correct. The sizes for 16 &17" are both on the sticker on the B pillar. I have talked to a number of folks ( other VW and BMW owners as well as service people) about this. One theory goes something like: the speedo reads high so you have a tendency to keep close to the actual speed limit. I find that to be unlikely, as one tends to drive where it seems comfortable. As I think I mentioned in my O/P, the odometer is accurate. They have to be by law. I use a rough 8 -10% fudge factor based upon speed check radars when entering local towns and the flow of traffic.
If that is my biggest problem, I don't have any problems.
Monoflo, I also had a NA Miata for 6 years. Enjoyed it, but it was time to move on. I got a C280 MB after that and was amused to note it got the same gas mileage as the Miata and got me to my destination as quickly and in a lot more comfort.

Best
Les

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by Otter74

Oh, I think a Jetta is definitely a Chad & Tracy kind of car (Lakeview), or at least it was for a long time (think Mk IV). Now they're buying SUVs like the rest of the universe.

I was in a base model Jetta in 2020 and my lasting impression was that the interior was terribly cheap. I hope they're better now. I recall that back then the GLI got a nice interior and IRS.

My ex-gf used to tease me that my 2013 TDI Sportwagen was a German grandpa wagon. She wasn't wrong.

Otter - the dash looks cheap. I have the SEL trim on my Jetta. The dash quality is nowhere near the Benz I had or the 2006 Passat I owned. The same goes for the seats. I so struggled to find a vehicle that I wanted to own. I like German cars but these get costly over time. I honestly settled on the Jetta. It has a large trunk, there is ample seating in the rear. it's not fast but gets great highway millage - it's just ok. If I had to buy today, I don't know what I would own -

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by jcommin

Otter - the dash looks cheap. I have the SEL trim on my Jetta. The dash quality is nowhere near the Benz I had or the 2006 Passat I owned. The same goes for the seats. I so struggled to find a vehicle that I wanted to own. I like German cars but these get costly over time. I honestly settled on the Jetta. It has a large trunk, there is ample seating in the rear. it's not fast but gets great highway millage - it's just ok. If I had to buy today, I don't know what I would own -

Tell me about it. I love my 2013 JSW but on the other hand it has begun to bend me over with **** breaking starting 6 months after the CPO warranty ran out (it only has 70k on it), like the heater core first and now the clutch slave and/or master. And this is the car I bought so that I had one modern car that didn't require any fixing! So I love it but also hate it and it gives me thoughts of combining {modern car}+{practical fun old car} and getting a 90s Volvo 700/900 wagon or something.

[oldE]

I think my '16 Jetta is finally broken in! I had been experiencing milage figures of 6.2 liters per 100km ( about 38mpg if my calculations are on). This past weekend, I did the trip to visit siblings and saw that number on the way there. With mixed driving on winding two lanes and some limited access highway, I covered the 220 miles in 3 1/2 hours.
On the way home, I wasn't in a hurry, so I backed it off a point or two and saw my average consumption drop as I went. Eventually I was looking around 5.7 liters per 100 km or about 42 mpg. That is getting close to the figures my last turbo diesel Jetta was giving on trips. Oh yes, the trip took about 10 minutes longer. Also cruise was set on the bigger highways at the same speed both going and returning.
I don't anticipate driving like that all the time, but it is interesting what a boring old sedan can do.

Best
Les