Out here, gigantic gleaming trucks are even worse than the SUVs. One of the used-car lots has a gravel area where they put the cheapest cars they’re trying to move. When I looked there once in late April/early May it was pretty empty, holding maybe three early-90s sedans. There are now better than a dozen gigantic pickups there and I haven’t noticed one move yet (and I go by the lot every few days.)
Really. “2008 Jetta diesel will be the first to be sold in all 50 states since '99…What I will mention is that these vehicles will mark the first Jetta’s sold with diesel engines in all 50 states since '99.”
And that’s actually wrong, it isn’t the 2008, it’s the 2009 that will be coming out.
Meanwhile, VW diesels are back. More specifically, Jetta diesels, in both sedan and Sport Wagen body styles will be available nationwide this Fall. And there was a Jetta TDI sedan available for testing, so I braved the traffic and availed myself.
http://www.automotiveworld.com/WVMA/content.asp?contentid=69012
“Volkswagen of America has launched its first 50-state diesel engine in the 2009 Jetta TDI sedan and wagon, pricing the models from US$21,990 and US$23,590 respectively…”
Autoweek
Volkswagen’s 50-state clean diesels, the Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen, will carry sticker prices that start at $22,640 and $24,240, respectively, when they launch in August, including shipping charges…The Jetta had been due this spring, but last fall, VW said it had hit an undisclosed technical snag, and launch was delayed about six months. …This article was last updated on: 06/19/08
Edmunds finally does list the VW Diesel Jetta- as a new car coming out soon.
You might be able to buy one come Fall.
Which should work out just fine for the poster who was asking.
Well, except that VW has a nasty rep (recently) for making un-reliable cars, and you’d be a complete idiot to buy a new VW model the first year it comes out- and there’s the fact that many complete idiots :rolleyes: will be buying it, thus you’d have to pay thousands extra.
And I don’t think you can fit 7 tubas in a Jetta.
Empahsis on the “all 50”.
They never really left. Last year’s diesels were badged as 2006 models.
Meh. One or two years of bad reliability reports doesn’t erase 20 years of good ones.
Plus, I highly doubt that many idiots will be running out to buy a diesel anything. Diesels have never sold well here and I don’t think this car is the one that will change everything.
By the way, the new diesel Jetta would have been available six months ago but VW was reportedly having minor problems with its emissions system. The problem has been fixed but requires a second emissions testing and validation.
This could be attibuted to all the reliability problems Detorit was having with their diesel passenger cars in the early 80s. I’ve heard that Chevy finally got their 350 diesel right in '84 but nobody really cared anymore.
After Chevy replaced the Diesel engine 3 times in our Suburban (inside of 2 years and 25k miles), we took them to court (arbitration) and they gave us a new gas powered truck instead. We have a Chevy diesel duelie pickup at our Montana place and it runs well.
I drive a Toyota Sequoia. I get 14 MPG in the city, and would get 3 more to the gallon if picked up a minivan. I complain about the gas prices, but I would do that regardless of which car I was driving that day. Next week I will load my truck with me plus 7 boys going camping, hook up a trailer to the hitch, and probably throw some bags on the roof. I will be getting closer to 10 MPG on that trip - and we are headed out for a week to the mountains. I do a similar run once per month - boys, trailer, gear.
Now, I could park my truck at the curb, buy ANOTHER car, and use THAT one to commute my 5 miles. However, the math does not work. The truck is paid for, runs great, and uses regular gas (unlike the premim the sedan my wife drives or the classic muscle car in my garage both require). I just head to Costco to drop $100 on my Amex when I need to fill the tank.
So yeah, I Neeeeeeeeeed my SUV. And I uuuuuuuuuuuuuuse my SUV. And the OP was hilarious in its biting sarcasm. I can just laugh instead of cringe since the joke was not about me.
A grown man who takes seven little boys camping at a time probably has more pressing issues than fuel economy… 
Or they’re all in the Boy Scouts. 
My dad was an early believer in diesels, starting with a VW Rabbit at a time the only place to get diesel was at the local truck stop. He later had one of those '84 Chevys.
All Boy Scouts (and that means no drink around the campfire either after driving for 6 hours with the aforementioned boys).
We are raising the camping fee so that we can start reimbursing adults who drive to the campouts. What was a couple of bucks out of pocket is now turning into a serious expense to our adult volunteers.
Two Sequoias and one big van head out next week. When I come back I will whine about the gas cost.
I rest my case.
Sorry, Algher, I couldn’t resist.
Ya smilied me - I can laugh! With a car load of boys, I HAVE to have a thick skin.
The difference between a Vibe and a Matrix is the exact same difference as between a GMC and a Chevy truck. Produced on the same assembly line in the same plant at the same time, and once in a while somebody screws up and gets the badging wrong.
I spent a couple years as a Product Specialist for GM in a call center–right around when the Vibe/Matrix came out and had to listen to people prattle on endlessly about how the Matrix was “better” than the Vibe but they couldn’t afford the Toyota.* GM and Toyota go way back–the Prizm was the cheapest Corolla you could buy…
*Unfortunately (for me anyway,) I was not allowed to PALATR, I guess it’s considered to be less than optimal customer service behavior or something–who knew? 
Our VW Golf is a Diesel and we LOVE it. Not sure what the mpg translates into, but a tank of fuel costs us $45 and that gets us 850 city kilometers, 1000 - 1100 on the highway.
Wow, I am waaaaaaay smarter than this guy. Instead of buying a $23,000 SUV to carry my road bike, I bought a $20 bike rack off of Craigslist that straps onto my trunk, no disassembly required.
From a previous post…