I'll second Paul's praise of the Jetta. I also have a 2000 and my entire
family loves it. The TDI owners rival the British car folks for participatory
support - there are several active net based clubs. The MAF & glow plug
harness are well documented weak spots. I also have a 91 ecco diesel Jetta,
not as refined as the 200 but still ependable & economical. But when time
comes for heavy hauling the VWs give way to the mighty Dually Dodge powered by
Cummins.
I also appreciate the fact that diesel is a more stable and safer fuel to
store. They can also burn a wide variety of fuel. I talked with a fellow
that claimed to have run his Jetta on baby oil for over a year while working
for Johnson & Johnson!
Matt in GA
-- Paul Parkanzky <parkanzky@gmail.com> wrote:
I have a 2000 VW Jetta TDI. It's gotten basically nothing but 10k
mile oil changes and a couple of timing belts in its 247,000+ miles
(I've owned it since just under 92k). The only engine related repairs
I've had to make in that time were to replace the MAF, the glowplug
harness, and the starter. The car still runs great and I expect the
motor to outlast the body of the car. Not bad for a car that has
averaged about 50 MPG for the 155,000+ miles I've owned it. Probably
the best car purchase I've ever made. It's our second. We had an '01
for a month or two before my wife totaled it. This replaced it.
We recently bought a 2009 TDI Jetta. We're approaching 10k miles on
it now and it averages around 40 MPG. Not nearly as good as the 2000,
but it's a much larger and heavier car and it's got way more power
(140 HP 240 lb.-ft. of torque vs. the 90 HP in the 2000 TDI). It's
also a much cleaner engine. I'm really happy with it so far. I'm
considering replacing the 2000 with a 2009 TDI Sportwagen next fall or
so. That is if Subaru doesn't bring the Legacy with a diesel motor.
If they do, I think I'll buy one of those.
-Paul
On 1/31/09, nogera2@att.net <nogera2@att.net> wrote:
> I was just reading a newsletter sent out by a local car radio show host
(who
> pimps for some local dealers). In discussing Diesel engines in cars he
lists
> one of the advantages as the fact the engine will last up to 500,000
miles.
> I remember reading some time ago that the legendary long life of Diesel
> engines was not the fuel type but rather that truck manufactures built
> Diesel engines to very high tolerances and designed the basic engine, at
> much higher cost, for long life given the high mileage and type of use it
> will receive. That diesels used in automobiles are built to the same
> standards as regular engines and should last only as long as a normal
> gasoline engine.
>
> Given the conflicting information I now turn to the source I know I can
> trust, are the diesel engines used in cars as long lived as the
> tractor-trailer engines? ( Of course lets discount the diesels GM made
for
> car use in the 1980s, we know they were all bad).
>
> Bob
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