Does anyone know about the VW Beetle or Jetta TDI, diesel?

We have 1 gas Jetta & 1 diesel Jetta, both manual (stick) shift. My Dad has a diesel Jetta (automatic) - we love our diesels. Here in Canada they get a bit sluggish to start in the dead of winter (-25c) but otherwise are a great car with great mileage. I use synthetic oil in mine so can go 10000-12000km before having an oil change. The fuel filters are pricier than a gas engine, overall maintenance cost is about the same. Generally, diesel engines outlast their gasoline counterparts as the engine itself runs cooler than a gas engine. You should check the availability of diesel at local stations & along the route you take to work - just a practical suggestion, because it's no fun having a car with great mileage if you have to drive way out of your way to find fuel for it. Diesels will also run on alternative fuel; check out http://www.greasecar.com/ ......... cheers.

I bought a 2006 TDI Jetta last year. After driving a TDI Peugot in Spain and getting 50 mpg, I decided to buy a diesel when I returned to the States. The Jetta now has 24000 miles on it and the most expensive repair was the second oil change($90). The next oil change I did myself cost in parts $35. Diesel is the alternative fueled car you can buy now.

I have 03 Jetta TDI with stick. Believe it or not, I get 52mpg (80% highway and 20% local). I used to get 46mpg when it was new. 1 tank of 11.5 gallons lasts me 600 miles.

So far at 60,000 miles and no problem what so ever. Maintaince is synthetic oil change, oil filter, fuel filter, and water seperator. Dealer recommends this every 10,000 miles but I do it around 7K to 8K miles. It costs around $130 at dealers.

Yes, most of the comments are true. VW will bring in BlueTec (tailpipe cleaning system licensed by Mercedes Benz) into it's VW and Audis by the end of 2007 for the 2008 models. For now, if you don't live in CA, NY, MA, and 1 other extremely tight state, you can buy 2006 TDI brand new. But if you live in these states though, you can only buy used or buy new in another state, drive for 7000 miles and re-register in your state as used vehicles.

The good thing is, you never have to do smog check ever again because it will never pass. So, you save money. Don't know about the new BlueTec though.

Performance: pick up and 0-60 is very slow but you get enough torque to pass any car you want on the freeway once you get enough speed. Plus, you never have to downshift to go uphill. Not that much noisier than gasoline counterparts.

Good luck.

vw diesels are very reliable cars. I would say dont even consider a vw unless you think about diesels. What does your beetle have mileage wise? It seems most vws start having problems after 60,000 miles.

The only diesel currently available from vw is the passat. the jetta, beetle, and golf tdis will return in 2008 with a more emissions friendly engine....

side note:

Thanks democrats for lessening our ability to get the cars of our choice!

Diesel is certainly the way to go. You will get incredible mileage and there is LESS maintanence than a gas engine. No spark plugs or ignition system to deal with. Just be sure to change the oil and air filters at recomended intervals and you are set. Diesel engines also run cooler and have much less a chance of overheating. They are also very forgiving and last forever. I had an 82 diesel Rabbit that had over 300,000 miles on it. It still got about 50mpg when I sold it.

A Beetle tdi will have the best mileage.

Check out the tdi's at this NB forum. They're a helpful bunch.

What exactly do you want to know? If you are impatient, go on tdiclub.com.

They won't be making the diesels again until the 2008 model year... Redesigning the engines.

I do not know if they make the disel engined ones, but you can check it out yourself at

www.vw.com

hope to find some good info from there.