OT: looking to get a Golf TDI, any advice? Yea or nay? Options

[Jenny]

Below is a lovely cut n' paste from Brian.

Hi Everybody,
(....hi Dr Nick)

Jenny and I are considering buying a used VW Golf and wanted to get some feed back on some of the things we've been finding out. First of all we are interested in getting the TDI model which I'm well aware is slow as molassas. I like the TDI for a bunch of reasons but most of which is the better mileage and durability (we are also slightly green as our other car is a Prius and we just sold our other Prius). I believe the engine that we'd be looking at for a late model Golf would be the 1.9 L Turbo Diesel (manual transmission, which seems to be pretty rare but definitely in existence). I've been driving small cars my whole life so I'm not really affected by the cramped conditions (I'd prefer to have the Golf over the Jetta due to weight).

We are pretty much just going to use the car to get around town and as Jenny's daily driver.

My questions:

- Is the 1.9L TDI motor as is to be expected with most other Diesel motors (ie reliable, I'm expecting a life of 200-300k miles)?
- Is power (about 100 hp) sufficient for the chasis? We are used to pretty lack lustre acceleration in the Prius and in our 4cyl 4 runner. It looks like the curb weight is 2900 lbs which is about average for a compact car.
- VW has been advertising the safety of their cars, would this hold some what true for the Golf? It's smaller but should have a marginally comparable safety shell as the Jetta.
- Does anyone know anyone that runs them on biodiesel? Supposedly they are 100% ready to run, but I don't think any stations sell the real deal, maybe in Berkeley we can find a B5 mixture, but I don't think the US allows anything higher than B25 right now (and I believe it voids the warranty).
- Anything else that we should be weary of?

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!!

TIA,

Jen

[swl]

What Jeff is saying sounds awful familiar. New emission standards for diesels - nobody is compliant - those that are around go up in price. MB has got the engine now that meets the new standard - marketed under the name blue tec - Chrysler will be putting it into their jeeps and small trucks. VW has licensed the technology but it may be a while before we see it.

I drove in a Jetta TDI recently. Didn't realize it was diesel until the guy dropped me off - just heard a slight clatter as he pulled away and sure enough there was a TDI nameplate on the machine. They really have done a good job on making these diesels civilized.

You get used to low power. It becomes second nature and is quite acceptable except when want to express yourself with your right foot (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Really don't need to do that anyway right? Thats what the teener is for! The TDI has great low end torque so it feels spirited even if it is low on the HP. My DD is a 40hp turbo cdi in a 1700 lb car. It is actually quite quick and totally acceptable for commuting even on the freeway. Next to that the VW would feel like a race car.

Biodiesel is a really broad term that covers everything from used Mcdonalds frier oil to a full quality controlled fuel. If you see the Bxx then it is a fuel and should not have undesirable effects. Auto manufacturer will specify the max percentage for warranty purposes. Usually doesn't go above B85. The only problem with B85 is that it gels at a really high temp so it is not useful in the cold of winter up north here. Down in Cali there would be no problem running it year round. I can't think of any reason why B5+ wouldn't be allowed in the states. From the EPA point of view is supposed to produce less sulphur dioxide - I think less NO2 as well. If there is no B85 around it is probably more a question of market demand.