Interesting - thanks Bobby. Ive only looked at a couple.

I definitely want something I can work on - and I dont want to buy much more in the way of tools. I knew there were specialty VW tools but it sounds like theres a lot, and I only have Crescent wrenches in my tool collection....

 

I have a 98 TDI. I have a lap top with Vag com installed. This is the only
program you need to do any work on these cars. If you go to one of the
TDI forums, you will find people in your area with this program that will
help you. same as we do on these sites. They say the autos don't hold up
and are expensive to repair. I only went to dealer once to buy a intake
hose. When he told me the price I explained I didn't want to buy stock
in there company I just needed a 6'' hose.

 

I'm thinking 03 Jetta is going to be the way to go. I'm not sold on the whole passat PD injection system. Anyone have any info about why VW switched to the PD in 04? From what I've read the manual trans are the way to go, but the wife wants an auto for sure. How do the auto trans hold up over the long haul? The only info I've gotten on them so far is a buddy telling me his trans dropped out of his 2002 jetta tdi at 50,000.

 

your automatic will be fine. mine has 90000 miles on it and it works fine. its not like the tranny has had an easy life because ive beaten on it. but if you bomb it with say a new turbo injectors and programmer and then beat on it then you might be looking for a new tranny.

i love my passat with the nice stereo and nice leather and tight handling but with a auto tranny i cant really bomb it without compromising my reliablity. so if you get a TDI remember some things.

if your going to bomb your TDI get a manuel tranny because it wont break with few mods and if it does start slipping just get a new clutch in it. maintain the TDI religousy because if you dont and something happens to it they will try to get you to pay for.

 

I own a 2001 golf TDI. best car I have ever owned. I don't think the maintenance is expensive at all. the car has hardly been down or had any issues. i bought it with 110,000 miles in 2006. it now has 165,000. it gets 40-45mpg with me driving the **** out of it.

the only maintenance i had done was a timing belt and a common relay that went out. bill was about $800. that is minimal maintenance for 55,000 miles in my opinion.

oil changes are 10,000 miles by the book. the oil is only a tiny bit more that you have to use, however the extended oil changes make up for it.

car is really fun. very powerful and fast for how much the car weighs. interior could be better.

 

You need a special tool set to change the timing belt. it depends also on you model. It contains a small stud to block the injection pump. A plate or a wheel locker to lock your cam, but this depends on the model.
It is so difficult to change the belt, because on diffrent engines you have to dismount an engine mount. During that time the engine is hold by so called brigde bar. it is not recommended to support the engine with a jack stand or something like that from below. This is very time consuming.
On Audi models it is going worse, you have to dismount or to loosen the complete front of the car to change the belt.Thats what it makes expensive.
But it is nothing what can't be done.
If buy a set of timing tools, you can do do it by vourself- saving money at the second timing belt change. And, of course being on the safe side, you can change the belt earlier.
Ah, one more important thing. Belt tension is adjusted automatically by the belt tension adjuster. But (!) check it periodically with a belt tension tester! eg. tester made by Conti.
If your belt jumps over just one step caused by bad tension, your engine is history!!!!

 

So, having the timing belt break trashes the engine?

 

Yepp, you don't have to break the belt, jumping over one step is enough. Open valve can hit the piston, if belt alignment is out of normal,due to valve lift the piston comes very close to the valve.
The timing belt usually drives the cam , the IP and the water pump. It's a bad and cheap solution to use a belt which has to be checked periodically.
It would be ok without the cam.

 

hah yea they are $$
wait till ya get a tourage, they have $2200 brake jobs. rediculous
they are awesome cars tho, the v6 tdi tourage is gonna be awesome!

 

My wife has an 06 Jetta and beats the snot out of it. She bitches when it egts less than 40 mpg. If driven conservatively I can get 46 mpg. Ours has been a great car and supa fun to drive. Rewarding too when traveling with friends in a gasser and they need to stop every 350 miles for gas. We just smile and run in for a soda and drive to their 2nd stop for gas before we need to refill.
60,000 and no probs...