Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options

What Would It Take for YOU to buy a diesel car?

1408409411413414473

Comments

  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    Well, that might just be a head scratcher in light of World War's 1 & 2. WW1 had app 17 M casualties. WW2 had app 60 M casualties. (of world population 2.3 B.) Each war was hardly an example of "peace LUST" ! ?

    But like you, I do like European diesel cars!

    Speaking of VW diesel-gate, the necessary documentation was uploaded for VW A to process.

    If there are no changes, VW will make a $20,000 car cost $12,600 (-$7,400 = $5,100+$1,00+ $1,300) & Roadside Assist, 3 yrs. While I expect app $5,000, the residual value remains to be seen.

    What will VW do with the VW Touareg TDI? B)
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2016/09/26/treating-your-car-to-a-higher-octane-fuel-is-a-waste-of-money-new-report-find/#7260e67a217b

    " Treating your car to a higher octane fuel is a waste of money "

    This has to be one of the most scandalous things about midgrade to PUG boiled down to its essence!! I wonder why the 10% ethanol dilution of all RUG, MGUG, PUG vehicles is not covered as a waste of money!? This too remains uncovered in plain sight.

    Using 274.8 M , 2014 PVF, 16% premium= 43.968 M , 14% mid grade=38.472 M

    In my mind & experience ULSD 2 to 5% is way underrated to vilified. ( 5.496 M to 13.74 M)

    Here's one guy who didn't catch the VW diesel gate till LONG after! https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-chris-grundler-epa/?ref=yfp

    Meanwhile..." By late 2008, increasingly dismal sales led Chrysler to seek federal funds to the tune of $4 billion to stay afloat. Under pressure from the Obama administration, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2009 and will enter into a planned partnership with the Italian automaker Fiat." ...http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/daimler-benz-announces-purchase-of-chrysler-corp

    Fiat-Chysler then solidified 7th place from one of the big three (Ford's in 5th place) $ 5 B is a lot of money (& time) to be behind the proverbial 8 ball, on the way to 2025 standards. IF FIAT saw or knew the $ 5 B hit was coming, shame on them. They deserve another bankruptcy. If it was deliberately hidden, its more like fraud. My guess as a number five automaker it's probably still "too big to fail". I'll bet MB now knows they dodged a HUGE hanging dagger!
    http://www.motor1.com/news/1134/mercedes-benz-admits-to-chrysler-merger-mistake/
    Old history still has us talking about the BIG THREE auto makers, like it is still around. The truth is it's been only two, & for quite awhile. In terms of the world it's barely one!

    VW is # one for auto/car manufacturing!!! It's 8.1% better than Toyota cars! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry
    It's 37.5% ahead of GM cars.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    VW is not letting dieselgate drag them down. They are bringing a new vehicle that should compete with Subaru. Here is hoping it comes out in a diesel model SOOOOON.

    VW is launching the Golf Alltrack all-wheel drive station wagon, to compete against the extremely successful Subaru Outback.

    Subaru Outback sold 152,294 units in the U.S. market in 2015, and is up another 17.3% thus far in 2016.

    I review both cars and conclude that the VW Golf Alltrack is a much better car to drive, than the Subaru Outback.


    http://seekingalpha.com/article/4008236-volkswagen-stage-comeback-going-subaru
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    The overall trend will be to have MORE vehicles worldwide (% & #'s). Specifically, the trend we care about, MORE vehicles in US markets.. It might not be obvious , but VW wants to be @ the forefront of that trend .

    So for example, under the old models: taxicabs went 70,000 miles per year to make a semblance of economic sense. The real question: what makes companies like Uber and Lyft etc., them want to pursue ?

    CAF3 sez only one to 3% needs to be electric by 2025 !
    http://www.hybridcars.com/CAFE-rules-1-3-percent-cars-need-to-be-electric/-2025

    Just my two cents: with TDI's @ 2 to 5% of the passenger vehicle fleet, this is totally bullish for TDI's. .
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    Perhaps the most telling situations (failures) are the almost utter lack of commercial applications for gas hybrids and EV (passenger) cars. So for example, IF things are as bad as the eco con whiners want us all to believe, why no gas hybrids to EV NYC taxi fleet/s?

    IF all the NYC eco whiners ONLY took gas hybrids or EV,'s taxi's, how long do you think a "market conversion" would take? Why does NYC have to force NYC taxi companies to mandatory gas hybrids, EV percentages? ?

    To wit, London taxis have been, are almost all diesels and manuel shifts. Indeed, diesels and manual shifts new taxis are the (market) rule and not the exception. This has been posted on this thread in the past. Again the economies are a very high bar at an average of 70,000 miles per year for a London taxi!

    Diesels' viability will continue FARinto the future, dare I say for as long as crude oil is refined. A barrel of crude oil yields 19 gallons of RUG & approximately 12 gallons of diesel fuels. http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=327&t=9 There are of course a myriad of reasons besides this.

    To wit, as the 54.5 mpg (aka, low 40's mpg) 2025 mandate draws closer, more oems are bringing diesels to the market! Yet, the CAFE 2025 time frame only calls for 1 to 3 % of ONLY YEARLY EV sales to boot! !!!???

    So this is way bullish for diesels, which are 2 to 5% of the US passenger vehicle fleet

    Correction to above post: CAF3 should be CARB.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    ? Most of the cabs I've taken in LA the last few years have been Priuses.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Today's diesel winner - facelift Dodge Ram, so I guess 2007-11 or so, diesel of course, a little worse for wear, smoking like a chimney. Commercial plates, of course. I noticed it was smoking at all speeds, not just acceleration. Probably putting out as much particulate matter as many dozens or even hundreds of same model year diesel passenger cars. Sure am glad the authorities are keeping things clean!
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    http://247wallst.com/autos/2016/09/27/could-a-us-fine-put-volkswagen-out-of-business/?ref=yfp

    Pretty interesting take. The US DOJ wanted an agreed-upon settlement before the next administration !? The host is trying to milk the virus without trying to kill it!?

    Meanwhile our northern border avoids GM disaster? http://www.investopedia.com/news/general-motors-avoids-disaster-gm/?partner=YahooSA&yptr=yahoo&ref=yfp
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/much-u-fine-volkswagen-without-194721918.html

    Another take? Is this to push GM ahead of VW? (aka. It's not just $14.7 B ? )

    The same union that owns a large stake & board membership in GM is trying to milk FIAT/Chysler? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-27/marchionne-won-t-attend-paris-auto-show-this-year-company-says?cmpid=yhoo.headline&yptr=yahoo
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The transition to a new set of directors would seem to put pressure on the current ones to "Make a Deal". It seems that would be advantage VW. You want to settle or drag it on until we see who we have to deal with in 2017? Then why wouldn't VWUSA just file for chapter 11 and tell everyone go pound sand? I don't think they have made much money in the US. We are not a great market for auto makers. Lots of volume with low profit. Excluding PU trucks and big SUVs.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    Indeed! The new VW management slate almost assuredly did NOT make the current $18.7 to $14.7 B deals! The new slate was put there because the old slate was no longer useful on some to many levels! It's nonsensical to hogtie them with over paid deals that the "old" management made. That is unless it's just window dressing. http://www.forbes.com/companies/volkswagen-group/

    Meanwhile, Wells Fargo Bank (market cap 227.9 B) with at least 5,300 people committing felony fraud is only getting fined $185 million. Naturally the WFB CEO is doing the Sergeant Schultz !? :D

    VW has almost never been about large cars, PU trucks, large SVV's. When I bought the 1970 VW Beetle in 1971 a 47 year old car 45 years ago, there were very few smaller American cars. So I don't see them jumping in to any of those markets with any kind of vigor?

    The latest in lemming diesel gate noos? So if the net effect are no more VW diesels, why on earth would VW settle for such a high amount? http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2016/0927/Volkswagen-dieselgate-one-year-later-What-have-we-learned?ref=yfp

    I'm sure it's just a coincidence GM is now just stepping up into the "old" diesel shoes! :D
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I read another article indicating Wells Fargo Banks would have fired @ least 8,400 people anyway! The fact that they already fired 5300 people seem to fit into their "taking action" ( due to fraud) narrative.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkiley5/2016/09/29/is-vw-in-danger-of-leaving-the-u-s-market-again/?ref=yfp#391dc2c64188

    Forbes has picked up on this !

    But the answer is far easier than the article suggests. Assuming they pay $14.7 billion in (US) fines, I've read articles that VW makes about $650 USD per yr, per car.: so, how many cars does VW have to sell to match $14.7 B in US fines? Assuming 350,00 US market cars per year, how many years to match US market fines?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    edited September 2016

    Those $14.7B so far aren't the DOJ fines, and they are 'sunk costs', they can't avoid them, so leaving wouldn't save them those costs.  As for the DOJ fines, I bet they'll be small enough to not cause them to leave.

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    ONLY you want to make it sound like it's not clear! The first paragraph is pretty clear.

    GM bankruptcy proceedings shows a reduction of $$'s to cents on the $. Or maybe the GM bankruptcy reduction ratios are incorporated into the batter anticipated by the cake baking.? It seems like the DOJ is trying to find a good extortion figure ! ?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    As the article says, "The DOJ has discretion on how much of a fine it will seek. All kinds of numbers are being thrown around–$8 billion, $10 billion, $15 billion."

    The DOJ fines have nothing to do with the $14.7B in costs to date.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    texases said:
    For a 5.0 L V8 rip roaring TDI engine with 555# ft of torque: how would you say an equivalent gasser engine would do ? :D
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    In comparison to the other diesels, it's just ok.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    texases said:

    In comparison to the other diesels, it's just ok.

    Not enough information . If best mpg is the metric, one should get these best one on a 3.0L TDI. But it's certainly not an apples to apples comparison.

    This article is probably not related Tesla @ 200,000 miles in 1 year. Too bad there was no diesel doing the same mileage! https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/29/tales-from-a-tesla-model-s-at-200k-miles/?ref=yfp
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    texases said:

    Those $14.7B so far aren't the DOJ fines, and they are 'sunk costs', they can't avoid them, so leaving wouldn't save them those costs.  As for the DOJ fines, I bet they'll be small enough to not cause them to leave.

    Why can't they avoid them with Bankruptcy? GM was taken off the hook by bankruptcy on warranty and the key recall for cars made prior. All they have to say is the buy back and gifts are off the table. If we stay alive to sell in the US fine, if we don't fine. Oh and the tax breaks we were given to move to TN, so sorry. VW's market in Mexico and throughout Central and South America is far more lucrative than the US market. I can see the dealers and owners such as myself being out in the cold, if the Feds push them too far.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,659
    gagrice said:

    texases said:

    Those $14.7B so far aren't the DOJ fines, and they are 'sunk costs', they can't avoid them, so leaving wouldn't save them those costs.  As for the DOJ fines, I bet they'll be small enough to not cause them to leave.

    Why can't they avoid them with Bankruptcy? GM was taken off the hook by bankruptcy on warranty and the key recall for cars made prior. All they have to say is the buy back and gifts are off the table. If we stay alive to sell in the US fine, if we don't fine. Oh and the tax breaks we were given to move to TN, so sorry. VW's market in Mexico and throughout Central and South America is far more lucrative than the US market. I can see the dealers and owners such as myself being out in the cold, if the Feds push them too far.
    For the same reason that declaring bankruptcy doesn't wipe out your IRS bill or your student debt.

    Plus, they've already agreed to the settlement. I'd worry more about the tomatoes. ;)

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    texases said:
    Looks like 14.8 MPG is the average of 13 Nissan Titan XD diesel on Fuelly. I would go with the Ram 1500 diesel or Colorado diesel if I was looking for a new truck. Probably the Ram diesel. It looks like getting 25 MPG is quite doable.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    Personally, I would not be a buyer of HUGE pick up trucks, either gassers or TDI's. But surely it would be interesting to test drive that 5.0 L TDI 550 # ft torque engine in a midsize CUV! B)
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    This article is from a Prius owner about Prius Prime, EV 25 miles 2.5 hour charge.... https://www.yahoo.com/news/toyota-prius-prime-future-car-185238909.html
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    While I agree that a regular hybrid has more 'bang for the buck' (excluding tax credits), the writer seems to damn the Prime for not being an autonomous EV. Of course it isn't. Given the tax credits, and that it actually would pretty much eliminate my gas use for most of the week, it could be an attractive option.

    I don't see how his criticisms of the Prime are any different than would apply to the Volt.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    To me, the ongoing & upcoming TDI technology will outlive both Prius & Volt technologies!
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,934
    What happened to the prediction that we could run our cars on mobile solar panels by now?
    '18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/09/30/johnson-controls-power-solutions-business-expected-to-grow-driven-by-stop-start-technology/#2b6b7e3d610a

    By inference, diesel (12 gals) / gasoline (19 gals) ( per 42 gal barrel of crude oil) products are a GROWTH segment! They are not going away any time soon!
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited September 2016
    andres3 said:

    What happened to the prediction that we could run our cars on mobile solar panels by now?

    LOL! Now that would be a KILLER app!! ;):D


    TMI: they can't even do an autos electric solar powered A/C ! ?

    But wait,... build Skoda's in the UShttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/vws-skoda-ponder-u-production-amid-market-push-234000524--finance.html!
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    andres3 said:

    What happened to the prediction that we could run our cars on mobile solar panels by now?

    I always get a laugh when somebody says 'just put a panel on it'. The amount of energy used by a car is WAY more than the amount of sunlight that hits the car. The Prius can add one to run an interior fan while you're parked, I think.
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,934
    I do think solar panels covering a large parking lot is a good way to do them. The shade it provides the cars below makes it worth it, the electricity it generates to run the adjacent LEED building is just a bonus.
    '18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited September 2016
    We looked at a house here a couple of years ago that had a dedicated panel on a pad for the EV. There were a ton of panels on the roof too that I suppose could have been tied into it. Mostly I remember the hall closet control panel for all the systems looked like a network rack, with four laptops hooked up instead of a real rack system. All probably running MS-DOS proggies, lol.

    "Honda’s UK boss Phil Crossman was even more upfront about where diesel will be in years to come. At the Paris show, he told me that “the end-game is the fuel cell, I’m sure about that. A small petrol turbo leads into more hybrid cars, which leads into more electric cars, which leads into FCV. I’m not sure where diesel goes in that. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in 10 years diesel is a niche engine choice in Europe.”


    “Diesel is set to fade away and I’d be pleased to see it go” (autoexpress.co.uk)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Wow, the UK-based muppet suit for a company that has failed to jump on the diesel bandwagon wants to see the diesel movement fade away? I'm shocked I tell ya!

    Funny opinion piece, I wouldn't expect anything less out of limeyland.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited September 2016
    I don't see Fuel Cells as mainstream in our life time. They are extremely expensive to build and not that safe on the road. No more range than some EVs that can be charged at home. They still do not have any method to produce hydrogen without using lots of energy or Natural Gas. A bigger boondoggle than ethanol in my opinion.

    Honda has been plugging their FCV for almost 10 years. And it is still just an experiment for a few fat cats that are tied to the hydrogen infrastructure. They leased a few of them in 2008 here in CA. No follow up. So I assume they were pulled back to Japan. Now they have a $65,000 model due out next year. Should be a real mover. 300 miles and you are trying to find a place that can charge your hydrogen tank. People worry about finding a station selling diesel. It was Pie in the Sky when Ahnold converted one of his Hummers and it is still the PITS.

    Honda says the production car will offer a cruising range of more than 435 miles, but that’s for the Japanese market, which has a different test cycle than we do. For us, it will be closer to the 300 miles that Honda was talking at the time of the FCV Concept.

    Has Toyota beat Honda again?

    https://ssl.toyota.com/mirai/fcv.html
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,659
    andres3 said:

    I do think solar panels covering a large parking lot is a good way to do them. The shade it provides the cars below makes it worth it, the electricity it generates to run the adjacent LEED building is just a bonus.

    Our zoo installed panels over their parking lot.

    http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2011/05/09/largest-publicly-accessible-urban-solar-array/

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited October 2016
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited October 2016
    gagrice said:

    I don't see Fuel Cells as mainstream in our life time. They are extremely expensive to build and not that safe on the road. No more range than some EVs that can be charged at home. They still do not have any method to produce hydrogen without using lots of energy or Natural Gas. A bigger boondoggle than ethanol in my opinion.

    Honda has been plugging their FCV for almost 10 years. And it is still just an experiment for a few fat cats that are tied to the hydrogen infrastructure. They leased a few of them in 2008 here in CA. No follow up. So I assume they were pulled back to Japan. Now they have a $65,000 model due out next year. Should be a real mover. 300 miles and you are trying to find a place that can charge your hydrogen tank. People worry about finding a station selling diesel. It was Pie in the Sky when Ahnold converted one of his Hummers and it is still the PITS.

    Honda says the production car will offer a cruising range of more than 435 miles, but that’s for the Japanese market, which has a different test cycle than we do. For us, it will be closer to the 300 miles that Honda was talking at the time of the FCV Concept.

    Has Toyota beat Honda again?

    https://ssl.toyota.com/mirai/fcv.html

    The whole "alternative" fuel (10 to 15 % ethanol, E85, hybrid, EV, nat gas, etc. " segment has been a total bust to slow growth for decades. As you have said in more than one past posts, without government tax credits, the various candidates would not have even got out of the starting gate."ULSD" seems to have one foot in each segment. Natural gas is a real head scratcher, as America is the # one producer ! If 10to 15% ethanol were not a mandatory mix, & were an option like it should be, the market would be FAR smaller or dead for these products.

    As has been said in a variety of ways, gasoline and diesel are inexorably linked. 42 gal barrel, 19 gals gasoline/12 gal ULSD. The killer (refinery, holy grail) app would be only one or the other from a barrel of oil .
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited October 2016
    Slow news diesel day! We got the 2014 MB GLK 250 BT washed, dried & the insides vacuumed & cleaned. The same will be done this afternoon for the 2012 VW Touareg TDI. Previous to this, the same activities would take me hours. Both got battery trickle charges, in the scheme of activities!

    Don't tease me! Notice NO word on fuel mileage!?

    ..."Sounds great! ( great for a gasoline engine for sure!)

    Hang on, we don't know about the sound yet. What's for sure though is that the soundtrack provided by most direct injection 2.0 turbos is nothing to write home about.

    Either way, what is really important to point out about the Infiniti VC-T is that it's not that powerful to begin with, and it won't be any more efficient than a diesel, which kind of defeats the whole purpose. Infiniti claims 268 horsepower and 288 lb.-ft. of torque, not bad from two liters, but the hard fact is this: Nissan chose this solution mostly because it's the only one they can produce in large quantities at a relatively low cost."...https://www.yahoo.com/news/infinitis-variable-compression-gasoline-engine-151224509.html
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    In defense of diesel. Left home this morning a 4:30 am in the Touareg TDI. Arrived at the Hampton Inn Red Bluff CA at 2 PM straight up. 649 miles averaged 67 MPH and 28.4 MPG. Stopped for Breakfast after getting through Los Angeles. One potty break at about 400 miles. I feel good for driving straight for 649 miles. Find me any 5000 lb gas SUV that can come even close. Really makes our old Sequoia seem like a slug.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    lol, do you not drink coffee? I would have had to stop at 5 am, 5:30....
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited October 2016
    I'm almost convinced that the majority of the difference in mpg (4.6= 28.4-33) between your Touareg TDI & mine are the different tire sizes (19 in /18 in). To a lessor extent, the difference in psi. (3'#'s over placard) Tire (brand ) performance seems to be comparable.

    While there is no documentation on later model TDI's, running @ 2,100-2,200 rpm seems to be a systems & mpg sweet spots. I, however have no explanation for the running @ 90 to 95 mph? :'(

    I'm glad you are having happy TDI motoring experiences !

    It will be interesting to see what VW will come up with on "diesel- gate.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited October 2016
    Its been almost 13 months (since Sep 2016) & my projections are seemingly on track.

    On affected muiltiple year 2.0 L TDI's, one has until Sep 2018 to decide between two options, assuming EPA/CARB's & court approvals. There are still no indications if any to all "off the shelf" or custom software versions & multiple emissions systems &/or modifications can solve the issues & be approved. The "KEEP" option has to have good chances of surviving beyond OEM 120,000 miles warranty's. Then, there are the logistics of up to 475,000 units: of which whom knows how many are in what batches. To even entertain the idea/assumption that there will be no recalls after the initial recall for emissions corrections is a fools' errand, at its most PC.

    So even going on 13 months, all I really KNOW:
    1. VW Road Assist 3 years with a tad under 2 years remaining
    2. Goodwill of $1,000 : $500 debit card & $500 dealer only

    On the "keep" option, not even VW has any clue when the (my) $5,100 emissions monies will be released. Assuming I receive it, @ $2.36 per gal ULSD (on VW's dime) 40 mpg, that will buy 86,441 miles, commuting. (5.76 years) Emissions commencements & logistics are mysteries. They have also not a clue when buy backs will commence.

    Right now, I tend to lean (LEFT :D ) toward keeping the affected (2009 ) unit 1. a commute unit is still needed to do 15,000 miles per year 2. just to get new comperable duplicate car, I'll have to spend a minimum of 11,000 over buyback monies 3. spend sales tax of 9% ( minimum of $2,158) 4. lose old spent (amortized- -$875) sales tax 5. in all likelihood consume more fuel& $'s

    The HUGE $64,000 question: will the (unknown # of ) buybacks BE retrofitted??!! In projected theory & practice & law, a retrofitted affected TDI is street legal & resaleable under EPA/CARB regulations & title laws. Keep in mind governments lose tax monies if a vehicle is prohibited from being resold or retitled.
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    Ru, I might be tempted if I had a 2009 as well. We have a 2014 Passat SE TDI. We are giving it back for several reasons:

    1. The original lie that it was "clean diesel", when they knew it was no such thing. But we could have gotten past that.

    2. The 2014 "performance" update, where they lied about why they were updating the car - it was not for performance, it was because when the EPA scheme was in place, it damaged the emissions systems and they had to be repaired under warranty - and VW didn't want to spend the money.

    3. Most important, due to item 2, we are unsure of the result of any fix. They will probably beef up the exhaust systems, but who knows. The fact that when the diesels run "clean", they are hard on emissions brings up all kinds of fears that the repairs won't be good for the engine or exhaust systems. The Germans tend to design all phases of their automotive systems to work together. Here we have a case of them having to modify a system to be different than originally designed. Without knowing exactly what and how they are planning to do this, we just are not willing to chance it. My wife drives cars a LONG time, and (lacking information to the contrary) we have poor confidence in the longevity after a fix.

    Item 3 is a deal breaker.

    Too bad. This is the best car she has ever had, and she loves it - but she is adamant about turning it in now that we know everything.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited October 2016
    stever said:

    lol, do you not drink coffee? I would have had to stop at 5 am, 5:30....

    My wife and I seem to have good functioning bladders. 350 miles this morning with one stop. Took us just under 5 hours from Red Bluff to Cottage Grove, OR. The rain was heavy in No CA, I kept it about 65 MPH. I have never owned a vehicle better on the road. The LS400 is not even close. Locks onto the road even in heavy crosswinds when semis are drifting around. The heavy Sequoia did not handle heavy wind as well.

    PS
    I had 4 cups of coffee, from 5 am, till we left at 7am.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited October 2016
    Now you know why I work at home. Potential employers would think I was a cokehead with all my potty breaks. B)

    U.S. said to ponder what size diesel penalty VW can stand (expressnews.com)

    "The Japanese car maker made its decision “within the last six to 12 months” not to fit a diesel engine to the C-HR, because it believed that demand for diesel engines had fallen off, or so suggested Toyota France executive vice president, Didier Leroy who spoke with Reuters."

    Toyota Hints At A Phase-out Of Diesel Cars (practicalmotoring.com)
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited October 2016
    Those might be examples of slick advertising "hit" pieces. Of the articles I've read, Toyota diesels have never been as innovative, competitive & as dominate in diesel markets as European diesels. Toyota has hardly been able to go toe to toe in the European diesel markets. Toyota does not even publish Asian market diesel market shares.

    Now, (we) in US markets will be not able to do (Japanese/European) TDI competitive tests: for there are no Toyota competitive diesels, i.e., Corolla vs Golf, Camry vs Passat, Touareg vs Highlander/MDX, etc.

    Given the politicalization of many arms of the US government, I would not put it past politicized government agencies (i.e., EPA/CARB) for seemingly turning "innocent" blind eyes & more importantly CLAWS to the TDI testing they SHOULD HAVE been doing, to create a (false) diesel crisis: to fulfill the political agendas of advancing GM, get rid of US market European diesels, etc.

    To state the obvious, EPA/CARB has never called for gasoline dismantling due to an oems gas emissions-gate.

    It could not NOW be a coincidence that GM is entering US diesel markets.

    I'm guessing the "big three" WORLD CAR competition (1.VW 2. Toyota 3. GM) is very serious!?
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry

    I did (for a brief week or so) have skin in the VW game. I currently do have VW, Toyota and GM vehicles. Indeed I've had more GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota vehicles than German vehicles & German diesels.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    IMO that's a huge part of it. Toyonda were never able to really play in the mainstream passenger car diesel game (IIRC, Honda was going to bring a diesel here but couldn't get it federalized), so now their dopey suits can exclaim "we never wanted to do that anyway, bring on the hybrids/EVs/FCs!" (of course, the Japanese government has provided massive subsidies for development). Lack of diesel options is also a huge reason Lexus hasn't been a real contender in the European premium segment.

    I don't know if diesel passenger cars exist in Asia. I have a friend from HK who goes back yearly, and tells me he sees no diesel cars on the road there. Never heard of them being a thing in Japan either.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,659
    When we were in Nicaragua, almost everything was Japanese, and it was all diesel.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

This discussion has been closed.