# Small Diesel vehicles - worth the extra cost?



## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

*.*

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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

It all depends on the amount of driving you would do. I use my truck about 25,000KM a year. A diesel model, costs an extra $7K. Under normal driving, I would need to own the truck for 8-10 years to get my money back.

It would also depend how much more it costs for the diesel model.


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## speed300km (Feb 4, 2005)

*Absolutely.... however there is a catch...*

I have been doing some extensive research on getting a diesel car.
VW is pretty much the only option here in Canada, unless you want to go for the Smart fortwo (which I currently owned).
I am stunned with the VW diesel engine, one of my colleague is still driving his 75' rabbit and had over half a million MILES on the car.
VW is a generally pretty good, however since about 7-8 years ago, almost all model of the Golf and Jetta are made in Mexico, except for the GTi, and wagon model, and it is a day and night differences for the same car that is made in Germany as compare to the same one made in Mexico, vertically all electrical and A/C related problems which occurred within the first 5 years has been eliminated when buying the German made versions.
As far as for the 2007/2007 models, since the Jetta wagon has been pulled of from the VW lineups, which left you no choice except for getting the Mexican made ones. 
As for the Smart, I owned it since 2006 June and I had 110,000kms on the motor and had no problem with it so far. and it only cost me to $17-20 a tank for 440km range.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

Great choice in going with a diesel there is a drawback in maintenance is that oil changes cost more also do not ever run out of gas with it if you do you have to take it back to a dealer they will charge you an arm and a leg to prime the injectors again. VW is a good choice and as of recently the only choice when it came to diesel options but there are more on the way there is a Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel that uses a Mercedes Diesel and Honda in the near future is going to release a clean diesel powered Accord and will release diesel power with other cars soon after I'm sure. As for VW they are in the process of upgrading there diesel's to the Blue-Tec clean diesel technology and you will soon see more HP in there cars and SUV's as well as they will release a TDi Toureg and a TDi Tiguan as well. The other great thing about going with Diesel is that there is the option of running Bio-Diesel which has shown in some tests to further improve the longevity of diesel engines.

Laterz


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## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

speed300km said:


> As far as for the 2007/2007 models, since the Jetta wagon has been pulled of from the VW lineups, which left you no choice except for getting the Mexican made ones.


What happened to the Jetta wagon? This was the year I was going to sell my gas guzzling Jeep and buy a diesel wagon. Figures...grrrrr...


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## ChilBear (Mar 20, 2005)

The above info about Mexican diesels is true. My bud had one of the first year versions and he was constantly changing chains, cams, gears etc. He coaxed it to 325,000 km but would not buy another because they finally admitted that they were made in Mexico and his Golf was one of the first year. Very reliable but big repair bills - yet he stands that he was ahead as he drove about 50K per year with a manual in rush hour traffic. In Toronto there are fewer diesels and fewer good mechanics at the dealerships I guess.

We were looking at a Jetta diesel till he filled us in.


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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

mrjimmy said:


> What happened to the Jetta wagon? This was the year I was going to sell my gas guzzling Jeep and buy a diesel wagon. Figures...grrrrr...


I believe that the new Jetta wagon is supposed to go into production sometime this year as a 2008 model.

Laterz


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## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

K_OS said:


> I believe that the new Jetta wagon is supposed to go into production sometime this year as a 2008 model.
> 
> Laterz


I've heard it may not make it to our shores. Yet another lesson in the perils of procrastination!


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

I spoke with a friend who is a large VW fan. The days of the sloppy Mexican cars have passed. They apparently dumped millions of dollars into the mexican plants not long ago; the plant is now considered world class.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

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## Paul O'Keefe (Jun 3, 2005)

Ask your dealer where the vehicle comes from. They should know, but they should also be able tell from serial numbers.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

I thought he said 99-03 were the years before they revamped the factory.


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

ChilBear said:


> He coaxed it to 325,000 km but would not buy another because they finally admitted that they were made in Mexico and his Golf was one of the first year.


That line made me LOL because the car is very clearly marked as to where is was built. I don't know how many come from Mexico - my 2002 Golf TDI is from Brazil and I've been very happy with it. I'm nearing 120K KM - so I will likely have some out of warranty work coming up soon.

Chipping them will give you a 30%+ increase in torque. Torque is fun. 

Last week I made a quick 2500 KM blast to the coast and decided to leave the V8 Audi at home and take the TDI (mainly because I could drive through to the coast on one tank of fuel). My wife had been driving the TDI recently and I forgot how much fun it was. 

A chipped VW TDI is a blast to drive... I'd buy it again.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

MasterBlaster said:


> How does the chip affect fuel economy and vehicle longevity?
> 
> I don't need a speed demon, I am looking for lowest overall cost of vehicle ownership. I amore concerned with how long it will last than how fast it will go.


Well - fuel economy is not affected much by the chip, if you drive the same with and without the chip. I push the car very hard and average about 50 mpg. If you drive slowly - I'd expect this to go to 60 mpg or better.

Longevity? I'm not sure. In most cases these cars have issues with being driven lightly. The intakes clog and require cleaning - but the cleaner diesel should help in this regard. To keep the intake clean - adjust the EGR with a diagnostic cable and drive it like it's stolen.

The thing that sold me on this car was the torque potential. The fact that it gets great mileage came as a bonus. 

The one thing I miss when I drive one of the other vehicles is the range on a tank of fuel. If I fill the tank carefully (venting) - I can get 1100 kilometres between fills.... I *like* that almost as much as the torque...


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