Car Shopping This Saturday

 
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wilder11354
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Post by wilder11354 » Thu. Jul. 24, 2014 7:43 pm

Well... jeeps got 176K miles, and its time to look for a new ride. Keeping the GC jeep, but this time around want a sedan. 4 door, auto, good fuel economy, and holds its resale value. Been looking at VW passat tdi diesels, or jetta diesel. passat has better reviews and better owner satisfactio results. CR rates it 3rd overall in class of car(mid size sedan) with TDI diesel. among gas or diesel comparable cars.

Looked for used Passat diesels.. and they aren't easy to find and prices are not far from what they cost new after 3 years of age.


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Jul. 24, 2014 7:44 pm

I am very pleased with my Subaru Legacy.

 
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wilder11354
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Post by wilder11354 » Thu. Jul. 24, 2014 7:54 pm

Subaru's are good cars also. but turning wrnches for many years working on cars have down more repair on subarus vs VW's. More Subs around than VWs yes, but VW's always seemed to be less problem prone at higher mileage and older year's wise.
Only thing I don't like on any newer car are the MFG's using modulated electronics, BCM,PCM for engine and trans, traction(brake) control systems.
Diagnosis is not hard if knowledge of system and why and how it works. But the fuzzy signal, bad ground or weak resistor can wreck havoc even for the best diagnostor.

 
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Post by LDPosse » Thu. Jul. 24, 2014 8:11 pm

My dad had a '05 TDI Jetta that ran good till 120k then quickly bit the dust. PD injectors, actuated by the camshaft wore in their bores, requiring a new cyl head. This was in 2012, and the car was showing rust around the rear wheelwells and rocker panels already.

The dashboard computer regularly showed 40+ MPG, but when calculated gallons/miles, it rarely went over 34MPG unless going on a long trip.

A guy I know at work has the same car, he had to have the camshaft replaced at 140k. He's now at 175k and counting.

Both cars were on a strict diet of VW spec oil. Certainly not the longevity I would have expected, considering outstanding the track record of the '04 and older VW diesels. Just food for thought.

 
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Post by mozz » Thu. Jul. 24, 2014 8:46 pm

What ever you are looking at, read up on the car forums before you purchase. I wouldn't believe any ratings from CU. Just my opinion on that. Beware of automatics, if you're not one to change tranny fluid, when they do go, you will pay. Some of these newer cars with 5 speed and 6 speed automatics have some troubles,often the dealer ends up updating the software to change the harsh shifts or slipping shifts, and I have heard is is often a bandaid fix.

 
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Post by Richard S. » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 7:01 am

One word Buick.... :) I'm looking myself, you can get some real good deals if you don't mind an older car. Found a 2000 Century with 73K on it. Everything was in fantastic shape, literally belonged to a little old lady. They were asking $2600, almost pulled the trigger but it wasn't really the car I wanted. Looking for Regal, hopefully a low mileage GS.


 
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Post by waldo lemieux » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 8:54 am

Wildman

I realize from your posts your a handy and smart. But , before you buy a VW tdi ,realize that while they are quite a piece of engineering , they need constant maintance over 100k. major engine maintance! See myturbodiesel.com If your still determined Ive got a nice 05 passat wagon loaded
that needs some of that maintenance Id part with :cry:

waldo


 
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Post by titleist1 » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 9:53 am

We've had our passat tdi for a little less than 1 year and after 23K+ miles I am very satisfied with the mpg's which was the key thing I was looking for. Highway I get mid 50's and mixed driving I get low to mid 40's depending on how cold it is. Worst mileage was dead of last winter's cold and mostly short trips on a tank got us 38.

It does require regular maintenance and if you get the dsg there is more maintenance cost than a manual trans.

Some high cost maintenance at the 100k or so mark is the timing belt, dpf / egr exhaust stuff, maybe the turbo although they just extended warranty coverage for that to 120k. There's some other stuff, read through the tdi club forum to get a full menu of warning items!

If you plan on owning into the 300k plus mileage arena as I do just go into it with the understanding that it will cost some maintenance $$ to do that and balance it out with what ownership cost is to change out cars earlier.

VW is not known for a bunch of fancy high tech or plush trim stuff either. I was fine with that but if you like that kind of stuff you need to look at other mfg's.

 
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Post by anthony7812 » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 10:01 am

Rob R. wrote:I am very pleased with my Subaru Legacy.
Ill second this. Seems everyone I work with are buying the new legacy's. For a new car they are affordable and durable compared to most.

 
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Berlin
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Post by Berlin » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 10:05 am

LDPosse wrote: Both cars were on a strict diet of VW spec oil. Certainly not the longevity I would have expected, considering outstanding the track record of the '04 and older VW diesels. Just food for thought.
That was the problem. Run a PD VW or any other VW diesel on 5w40 american synthetic HDEO and you'll be fine, the vw oils were for emissions, not engine longevity especially on PD engines. Unless you're burning tons of oil, the mfgr's fears of zddp killing exhaust after treatment devices is unfounded, run an oil that protects the engine, not the emissions system and you'll likely have no problems with either; do it the other way around and when the engine STB before 150,000miles the emissions system is the least of your concern.

VW are relatively high maintenance, I don't care what anyone tells you. The passat diesels are very nice and fairly reliable, but, count on doing regular preventative maintenance (ball joints, bushings, belts etc. every 50,000 preventatively.

Rob, Subaru makes decent cars, but, I'm not going to drive around with that stigma; clearly you've been spending too much time in Vermont.... :P

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 8:08 pm

Berlin wrote:Rob, Subaru makes decent cars, but, I'm not going to drive around with that stigma; clearly you've been spending too much time in Vermont.... :P
Indeed I have. I started working in VT about 18 months ago. Shortly after I started my new job I was talking to some of my coworkers about getting a different car. One guy told me, "if you can get past the stereotype of everyone in VT driving a Subaru, go try one out and see what you think". I took his advice and test drove one on a snowy day...then I bought it and joined the rows of Subaru's in the parking lot. Mine is one of the few with NY plates, but I sorta blend in. :roll:

By the way, the 2nd most popular vehicle in Northern VT is a diesel pickup with 6" stacks coming up through the bed. With a few exhaust mods and increased fuel delivery, your F250 would fit right in.

 
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Post by Cap » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 8:34 pm

When I look for used cars I have a few rules. I never buy what appears to have been a "city" car. Look for dings, warn seats & carpets, broken neglected parts such as brakes & rotors, crummy engine bays, unpaired oil leakage and or minor body repairs. These cars are used & abused with little real & timely maintenance.

I never buy a car that lived in NY, OH, MA and north. Too much salt. PA is border line for me. I stay away from NE PA and may look toward southern PA, MD, VA. If it has been one or two owner, I may consider it. I often look south and travel if I know for certain it is clean. Body rust and or body damage is a deal breaker. Mechanical can be repaired. I prefer to stay away from used car lots due to the BS I am fed but sometimes it becomes necessary. I search EBAY for used lot cars within 100 mi travel for the right model. I believe buying a high quality used car wins out over a newer less expensive model. i.e. 2002 Honda Accord vs 2007 Ford Taurus. I jump on one owner with records if it fits my needs.

I am very cautious of the 100k car. Often this is about the time many cars need renewed parts. i.e. Shocks, suspension parts, hoses, AC repairs, etc.
Remember, rust often starts from the inside.

I love diesels too but the VW diesels are either very expensive or very worn out. It's hard to fine that good example without paying over $10k.

Having knocked the Taurus I bought one last March. But I chose it cause it was a very clean one owner wagon with a stack of maintenance records and I worked a great price. I needed a wagon for the space & mpg rather driving a large SUV or truck.

 
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Post by scalabro » Fri. Jul. 25, 2014 9:14 pm

If you are going to buy a used diesel, buy an MB. Don't fool around with economy VW mills. I've owned both. MB is FAR better. Look at dealers used inventory in Fla. and have the car shipped or fly down and drive back. Lots of oldsters by their last car and go to Fla. Pops kicks the bucket and granny sells the car, ..... mint. AFA snow and winter ops, my 97 300D with snows got me everywhere in the winter for the last ten years. It's RWD, you do not need 4WD unless you are going off road, or at least I don't. Also any MB dealer can tell you the complete MB service history of any MB simply by giving them the VIN, plus any used MB has free roadside assistance and towing to the dealer if it does die. But by that time the car usually is junk!

 
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wilder11354
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Post by wilder11354 » Sat. Jul. 26, 2014 9:58 pm

Well got the car. Looking over engine when I got home, its not the PD engine of last year and earlier TDI injection set-up. it looks like the new EA288 generation "common rail" TDI engine. Saw several articles with VW saying it would be putting that engine in mid 2014 passats and foward into 2015 models. therefore the cam lobe wear issue should be not a problem any more.

Good news.. drove it 138 miles to get home. used 1/8th tank fuel, tank hold lil over 13 gallons. so I got 46MPG approx. driving seconadry roads. Odometer had 3 miles on it when I left dealer.

 
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Jul. 27, 2014 6:35 am

Nice Bill. WHAT??? No pix???


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