terrawombat Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I'm going to be joining a new cult pretty soon - that of the Volkswagen TDI. In an effort to join this illustrious club, a massive blow will come to the Jeep fleet as I attempt to free up finances and physical space. Up on the chopping block will be my 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9L, my 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport and one of my Jeep Comanches. Tears will be shed at the departure of my children, but if I were able to turn those tears into diesel fuel, I'd be able to drive down to Florida and back in my new(ish) ride. There's no replacement for displac...err, fuel efficiency! That's how that old saying goes, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 You have to do what ya have to do just yesterday my wife said its time for her XJ to go. Wants to get something better on gas she drives 60 miles a day at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 If I could pull out the 20+ highway MPGs that some XJ owners claim, I probably would just stick it out since my commute isn't too bad (25 miles round trip), but I've only been able to accomplish that feat once, when I was traveling mostly downhill from NH to NJ. I would probably also just hold onto the vehicle if I were still back in NJ with my virtually unlimited storage space and land, but down to .5 acres with a 2-car garage so hoarding Jeeps quickly becomes an eyesore and a potential fine from the city. Any other TDI owners out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 TDI no..... CRD yes....... I once slowed down to 60mph in my CRD.....got 36mpg I have no problem breaking 20 mpg in my XJ.....i don't know what your doing wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Also, welcome to the pain and joy that is VW ownership - kinda like kids, they are a pain in the @$$, they cost a lot, they break down at random times, they embarrass you in front of others, but you love em and brag about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquaro Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 :yes: :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 TDI no..... CRD yes....... I once slowed down to 60mph in my CRD.....got 36mpg I have no problem breaking 20 mpg in my XJ.....i don't know what your doing wrong. I looked at a CRD Libby that popped up about 30 min from me, but it was too nice of a specimen and its owner knew it. Priced at $13.5K it was outta my budget. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, either, but it's likely my driving style. I normally cruise around 70-73MPH on highway trips and that nets me 17.5-18.5MPG. I just did 300+ miles going to a wedding last weekend in NJ and I was doing 80-85 trying to keep up with traffic on the Turnpike and I was able to pull 19MPG out of that trip. I just replaced all four tires and am interested to see if that has any effect. If I could get consistent 20-22MPGs out of the thing, I'd likely keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 what might you be looking to get out of the XJ? I've been semi-sorta looking for one..... Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 As-is with NJ title: $3,500 After I get it titled in MD and through MD inspection: $4,500 194K miles, new ball joints, tie rod ends, steering gear, water pump, tires (all four), front brake pads/rotors/calipers About 10K miles on rear brake pads/drums/cylinders, windshield I keep records using software called AutoVIP so I can go back and reference that. Issues I don't care to fix: dings all around, dent by gas tank Issues I'll likely be forced to fix for inspection: Rear washer motor broken, clunk in driveline (narrowed down to transfer case), sagging headliner, pressure regulator drains back over 3-4 days of not driving and causes a hard start condition (cycling key off-on-off-on-start fixes problem). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Sometimes mileage isn't everything. I got a '68 Cadillac Deville convertible I drive regular. Gets 12 mpg. Only got 8mpg before I rebuilt the engine and tranny. More than once i've thought about getting rid of the gas hog, but when I'm cruising with the top down and getting a face full of air, it's worth it. My 2 cents worth. Had to use the red MJ. There's no Yellow Caddies in the smilies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 I agree, mileage isn't everything, hence why I am holding onto my 5.9L supercharged MJ. Gotta keep the fun vehicles around :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 As-is with NJ title: $3,500After I get it titled in MD and through MD inspection: $4,500 Thanks, but a bit above my budget....not saying it's not worth that though, especially where you are located. I'm looking for more of a project vehicle (missed one down here on CL for $800 with a "bad engine" :fs1: just a couple of weeks ago). Good luck! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incommando Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My 2012 Chevy Sonic ( American Made!) is getting 36.9 mpg in mixed driving and over 41 on the highway. It has a turbo 1.4L and scoots for an economy car that I paid less that $16K for. Plenty roomy. Runs on regular gas. Might save a jeep or two with this option and avoid the VW bugaboos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 My 2012 Chevy Sonic ( American Made!) is getting 36.9 mpg in mixed driving and over 41 on the highway. It has a turbo 1.4L and scoots for an economy car that I paid less that $16K for. Plenty roomy. Runs on regular gas. Might save a jeep or two with this option and avoid the VW bugaboos I looked at buying brand new - Chevy Cruze, Sonic, Ford Focus, Fusion, VW Jetta, Golf TDI. I really didn't NEED another vehicle as I have three perfectly capable Jeeps that get me around just fine, so with that in mind, I needed to cap my budget on a new vehicle and keep it in in the four digit range, or less. What that ultimately meant was buying a used vehicle. And since I've always wanted a diesel and something that gets ridiculous MPGs, I figured this would be a good time to do it. BTW, I finally picked it up today. A 2002 VW Golf GLS TDI in reflex silver with 158K miles. It has every option available except for leather seats. It was formerly a business owner's vehicle and, as such, had some decals on the side for advertisement. Once I get those off and get the car cleaned up, I'll snap a few pictures. It is in exceptional condition and the amount of maintenance done to it in the past year is more than I paid for the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnuck Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Just wait till the electric gremlins kick in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Just wait till the electric gremlins kick in! Specifically what, exactly? I know there are heaps of electrical issues with the automatic transmissions where the shift solenoid wiring increases in resistance over the years causing weird shifting patterns and eventually puts it into a "limp mode" where it is stuck in 2nd gear. I chose to avoid that problem by picking up a 5-speed manual. I have also heard and had experience with the coil packs cracking, getting moisture inside and delivering a weak spark which would not allow the vehicle to start and run. I chose to avoid that issue by picking up a version of the Golf that does not have spark plugs :D Now, if you're speaking about all of the quirky things that can go wrong with interior goodies, then I can't imagine it being any more difficult than the plethora of issues I faced with my '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9L with every option that Jeep offered. My personal favorite was the memory button issue where the contacts inside of the power mirrors get dirty and cause all sorts of erratic behavior - like moving the seat all the way FORWARD while you are driving the vehicle. Or the sunroof that opens up, but then does not close because of a intermittent short in the circuit board, which requires that the entire headliner be removed to get at it. Another favorite of mine was the flickering headlight problem caused by the solder breaking away from the circuit board so that whenever you hit a bump, your headlights go out. Pretty fun when you're going 70MPH on the highway. I'm sure the other drivers around me appreciated my flickering headlights, too. I'm sure I'll face many of the common VW problems of this generation vehicle, but I did my research and determined the things to stay away from (like the ticking time bomb of an automatic trans) and found the things that commonly go bad and made sure they were already replaced prior to purchase (like the turbo charger and timing belt). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Gotta love living where diesel and regular gas are only 15 cents apart. 11 gallons of gas for $40 will take me over 500 miles Previous owner put maximum legal tint all around. Makes it feel a bit cooler inside. Hello XJ Two small dents on passenger rear door. Only body damage I was able to find. Hopefully can find factory floormats in decent shape. Not a fan of the red trim. I initially only wanted leather in my TDI, but after looking at a couple I'm glad I went the cloth. It's a lot cooler for this time of year and it is a bit more comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I initially only wanted leather in my TDI, but after looking at a couple I'm glad I went the cloth. It's a lot cooler for this time of year and it is a bit more comfortable. Good call on the leather. Looks like the driver's seat has already started the "VW lean" on the outside of the bottom seat cushion. That's typical. Out of the couple Jettas that I've owned and the several VWs that I've driven, it seems that any Jetta, Golf or Passat with over 100,000 miles have this. The leather doesn't stretch all that well in these cars and it turns into a goofy pocket. Overall, the interiors are very comfortable. Car looks good! :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Yes, the bottom bolster has begun to sag. The previous owner was a rather large man so I'm sure that didn't help matters. Whatever coating VW decided to put on a lot of the plastic trim around the center console and the ash tray has begun to come "unglued." I saw the same thing happen in my sister-in-law's '01 Jetta. It seems to peel off to an extent, but then it leaves a nice, sticky residue behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airspeed Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I believe the TDI Golf has been one of the best selling cars in Europe for years. VW's tend to be heavy for their size, that gives them the solid quiet ride. I have enjoyed my 2003 Wolfsburg Jetta 1.8T. There have been a few problems in the 139K but the car is smooth a quiet. I can get about 32-34mpg in town and 38mpg on the road. I do all my own work so I don't have the expense of shop time. A good resource for technical data is vwvortex.com. Granted there are some dysfunctional personalities in that group but there are some good tech articles. Under the 1.8T engine section there are 1.4 million posts... There is a lot of stuff you can do to the TDI to bump up the mileage and power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 I've got an account on VWVortex & TDIClub (same name as here on CC). So far I've found VWVortex to be geared towards the hardcore modifiers and fanboi wannabe's. TDIClub seems to be more dedicated to preserving any and all TDI's (much like CC) and squeezing every last drop of fuel out of these vehicles. Both sites seem to be equally useful to me as I plan on doing some light modifications to the cars appearance, plus I want to put some bolt-on goodies under the hood to bump the power a bit - hopefully without sacrificing MPGs. Just ordered the adapter to ditch the CD changer and get an auxiliary port for my iPod & cell phone. The CD changer kept giving me an error 3 code and I can probably count the number of CDs I own on one hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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