Golf GTI or Volvo C30 or SportWagen TDI or...

So true- but would a diesel engine be adversely affected by this? Assuming being plugged in.

Some math:

Price wise, close enough.
Fuel mileage based on internets:
- GTI- average 27mpg
- SW TDI- average 38mpg
- C30- average 26mpg
- A3 gas- average 25mpg (A3 TDI - unobtainable yet)


Ko

Isn't VW moving to electric heaters with the TDI's?

Buy a new Focus for what you'd pay for a year-old, used euro car.

order it however you want, around here you can get an SE with a manual, sport suspension and heated seats.

Plugging in would be the answer, for both the car and the driver. However, that too is energy consumption.

I still hold on to the idea that a TDI is a fantastic car, and have thought about buying another one some day. But I don't have a long commute anymore and a Chevy Volt would really be more conducive to my drive cycles today. We really did enjoy our TDI, and it was pretty reliable. But it thrives in long distance driving, and has the potential to suffer in short trip cold weather driving. The answer to the TDI question really should be answered by the kind of driving you intend to do. Remember, you can obtain relatively the same driving experience in the gas equivalent, though power delivery will be different.

Not sure how tall you and your wife are, but the GTI/Jetta rear seat is not a slam dunk for a baby seat if you are tall. We got a GTI four years ago when my daughter was in a forward facing child seat, and she didn't fit well when her legs got longer. But once she moved to a booster it wasn't bad.

However, the Passat has been better......we're picking up another Passat wagon next week.

ps-FWIW, we've had great luck with the GTI. One warranty stop in 4.5 years for seized cooling fan, not a single check engine light, and 28mpg average for 45,000 miles.

I have a 2011 GTI 6 speed manual that we've had just over a year now with 16k miles on it. Talk about fun, my wife and I actually fight over who drives it. It was originally bought to be the family ride for short overnight trips around California. Our kids got too big to fit in the back of her convertible and my 4runner and current gas prices was starting to make less sense. The GTI easily fits one large and one small suit case in the trunk. The back seat area is large for a small car. I have two kids, one 11 and the other is 9, they travel just fine in the GTI.

Back in August my wife took a job in Germany so we shipped the GTI and convertible and now it is our sole touring car. We go to Italy once a month to visit family. It's about 450 miles one way from were we live and GTI does great. I no longer get the good gas mileage we got back in Cali, but talk about fun on the autobahn:eek1. So far we have traveled to the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, and around Germany. This weekend we are headed to Switzerland for boy scouts. The rest of western Europe is in the planning for the GTI. The only thing I've done to the GTI is add a set of snow tires, no issues whatsoever. Since we no longer have the maintenance plan (Stateside only), I've taken to changing the oil myself. Even this is no big issue.

Here in Germany the Golf/GTI is a dime a dozen which I actually like because it helps us to blend in when traveling. As an american living in Europe we don't want to stand out.

As far as buying a diesel, I wouldn't hesitate. The vast majority of cars over here are diesel. I see tons of GTD/Golf diesel and the golf wagen (jetta stateside).

This is my two cents and I'm glad I bought the GTI. It's a fine little car and my doesn't get a break in my household, it's on the autobahn everyday and we have no plans of selling it. We still have three years left on our tour before we bring it back to Cali, it definately will have high mileage by then.

Oh yeah, I may be wrong but the GTI is the only car to win Automobile magazine car of the year twice!

Damn, these threads are killing me

I need to buy a new car this year and I've settled on the GTi until the next thread on the JSW. And now the rumored GTD and of course the Golf MKVII in 2014.

VW doesn't help. They're offering 0% on all models.

I've got a '10 GTI automatic.
Love it.
No real issues at all.
It had a few warranty issue that can be common but they were all fixed.
Fun car to drive and everyone wants to drive it :)

How do you handle a license plate and insurance? My USA vanity plate was a magnet on my bike when we lived in Italy.

My wife works for the DOD (Department of Defense) so we are supported by the U.S. Army. Under current SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) rules, we are issued the same plates that the local town uses. Italy has the same rule, all service members have the Italian tags. I have the same insurance provider (USAA) that I had in the states, they support Retired and Active service members around the world. I remember the days of the american vanity tags, not so anymore. When were you over here? I was stationed in Vicenza from 1990-94.

I was an engineer for a private company.....we lived in Monza in 2005, right down the block from the F1 track.

I had a one-year expat deal, so I got liability-only insurance thru ADAC and just rode on my US plate for a year.

I don't know what its like over there now, but the Italians were wonderful with us. And believe me, we didn't blend in at all.

My wife has relatives in Milano. We have the same tags as our German neighbors on all our vehicles. I have lived in Europe for most of my life but it has all been supported by Uncle Sam.

My last tour we had our 2006 4runner over here. I was followed for miles by a French guy in an older model 4runner. He wanted to know where I had gotten my since they are no longer sold in Europe. I thought I was going to have to kick his ass! Nice guy though!

What did it say

I'll give you a hint:

:ymca

He rides a Vespa?

I'd check out the Focus ST--haven't driven one yet, but it sounds like a hoot and is quite reasonably priced.

After that a 2.0T A3. Don't think a TDI would save you money given price differential, cost, shortness of trips, etc. The 2.0T is a sweet little engine, good torque, smooth, quiet, etc. Also easy to get more hp from it I've driven one as well as the VWs it's based on. All quite nice, but the A3 is def an upgrade from the VWs in terms of interior and styling.

I haven't driven a C30, but love that it doesn't have a crazy-high waste line. looks really nice to me. I think it's maybe based on the Ford Focus. I've known a couple of folks with them who were very happy.

When the Focus first came out, I went playing with the 'order me one' page. IIRC it was a $25k Focus when I was done with what I wanted. :eek1 (sport package, manual, heated seats, and some other goodies)

M

Is Dealer support an issue for you? Being on the West coast you're looking at 800km or more to bring the car in or a ferry ride to Nova Scotia. I'm unaware of any independent shops out that way for euro cars (but I could be wrong). Focus ST or Mazdaspeed3 might be some alternatives worth looking at.

you're looking to replace your Honda with a VW or Volvo

If you like shitty customer service and random unfixable problems most definitely get the VW, and if you want slightly better customer service go with the Volvo!

I've owned too many VWs to even count and immediate family has owned an equal number, and the newer they are the worse they seem to be (Audi Included). My Father is back to a Honda after 15 years of new VWs and Audis.

I'm with others and say go look at a Focus or a Mazda. I've driven them and they are nice driving and handling cars. VW used to be the only option for a low cost drivers car, but those days are long over. Consumer Reports data backs up the Reliability of the Ford and Mazdas as well. Heck Mazda is even coming out with a Diesel that will make the VW TDI obsolete IMHO.

that's with the cruise control set at 70 and just me in the car. Might drop to 31 with a passenger and if you get a roof rack subtract another 2mpg. Around the city, I'm a little heavy on the accelerator and average closer to 24mpg and having fun.

It's a fun car, if you treat it as a peppy daily driver with an interior that rivals the low end BMWs. I think a lot of the discontent from previous owners comes from people who either wanted one expecting a race carI(it's not) or wanting something that was boring and reliable as an old honda civic(it's not).

If buying used, I'd hesitate from buying from a dealer without a good warranty. Some people who buy VWs and GTIs in particular do really stupid shit to them in the name of looking cool and fuck their cars up pretty bad. Then they either trade them in to the dealer or give them back at the end of their lease period with the stupid suspension, engine mods and 20" wheels removed and making it look stock even though it spent the last 2 years scraping every speed bump in the city and burning up valves.