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I look forward to the replies. Thanks in advance.
I have no experience with the VR6 or 1.8T, but I have heard that turbos require special care and maintenance, so the more you know about the ownership and maintenance history, the better.
If you are looking for lowest maintainance costs, the 2.0L is your choice. This engine is essentually the same as the very 1st watercooled VW (1981?) which has had many years of refinements. It is as good as an engine can get. Some of these tend to consume oil (NOT a problem if you keep the oil topped up.)
The VR6 is more engine than the vehicle really needs and is pretty expensive to maintain properly. It hangs down further than the other engines and is suseptible to getting clobbered by road-debris. You can lose all your oil and destroy the engine. It also requires synthetic oil!
The 1.8T (An Audi engine) Gained an unwelcome reputation for reliabilty when there was a rash of bad ignition-coils for a couple years. All of these were recalled and fixed. It offers the efficency of a small engine on the highway while the turbocharger gives it the power of a much larger engine when you want it. (synthetic oil too!))
In general ANY turbocharged engine should be fed with synthetic oil. This is because the turbocharger can cook the dyno-oil rendering it a useless goop. Keep in mind that the turbocharger bearings are spinning at over 10,000 RPM and are in the very hottest part of the exhaust sytem... these conditions requre the very best lubricating oil which will not break down.
Run very fast from that VW dealership and never look back. That is one reason VW has such a poor reputation for reliability.... because there are some dealerships which chose to ignore VW and "do their own thing". I cant tell you how many reports I have heard about VW dealerships putting the WRONG oil in a VW. They still CHARGE what VW suggests.... but use cheaper oil.
In the end, the vehicles do not last as long but that is OK with the dealership... they can always try to sell you a new car.
Personally, when I have to deal with a VW service department, I usually print out all the pertinent TSBs and present them to the service advisor when I get there. That way, they can see the document complete wtih VW logo at the top. Using this technique, I have saved over $1000 over the past several years. We have 3 VWs in the family, we have gotten for free;
*)MAF (Mass Airflow sensor) which was "recalled"
*)Catalytic converter (Federal Law covers it for 100,000 miles)
*)New fenders (12year/unlimted milage warantee on body)
*)SteeringWheeAngleSensor
*)radio antenna (they tend to corrode internally and lose reception)
*)Many other items...
I bought it on 12/31/08, so I only had it for 3 months. I enjoyed driving it, as it absorbed the many pot holes on Twin Cities streets yet still handled well. And it was a nice size for fitting into tight parking places.
I am looking for a replacement now and have found 3-4 similar Jettas I'm going to check out over the next couple of days. One is a red GLS with moonroof and Monsoon audio. But I'll check out some other options too. Need to get something by this Saturday, as my work schedule doesn't allow for any car shopping for a week after that.
I'd say it would most likely take quite a while for the Jetta to require $8000 in repairs, so, as is usually the case, from a financial standpoint, keeping the car would be the better option.
I think the 2005 Jetta 2.5 has been average for reliability, according to consumer reports. We are keeping ours, even though it has needed a few repairs under the warranty. We have about 30K mi and right now I could get a no deductible extended warranty to cover the next 4 years and up to 80K mi for less than $2000 from our credit union. So the warranty company obviously thinks average repair costs will be far less than your $8000 price differential over the next 4 years.
I did not buy the warranty, as I figured the worst case might be something like $5000 or so in repairs, so that would only be a $3K difference. For my financial situation it makes little sense to insure against a possible $3k (or even $5K loss).
Second, a 2009 Sonata GLS with AT can be had for around $15k + T&L depending on where you live, and I see Civic LXes with AT selling for under $16k + T&L on the Edmunds.com Prices Paid discussions. Anyway, the Elantra is more comparable to the Jetta and Civic in size, and those can be had for under $14k +T&L. So a new car wouldn't cost $18k, but it would be more than $10k. The benefit of the new car is of course you'd have no out-of-pocket costs except regular maintenance for at least 5 years or 60k miles (in the case of the Hyundais). However, neither the Sonata or Civic (or Elantra) will feel like your Jetta (I own a Rabbit and have driven the Civic, Sonata, and Elantra quite a bit so I feel qualified to make that comparison).
The waterpump is SUPPOSED to be replaced when timing-belt is replaced... I would expect your 2004 is close to needing this procedure anyway. The cost is the labor to get in there so you should replace EVERY MOVING PART that the timing-belt touches.
oh.... many folks have a BRASS IMPELLER waterpump installed when the TB is replaced... that is what I did.
The onboard computer "learns" as you drive and stores the 'learned' settings in memory so the engine is always finely tuned. If the battery was COMPLETELY dead, the "rememberd" settings are lost and one needs to drive for awhile so the relearning can occour.
Additionaly, I would expect the radio may be in "safe" mode too.
You may need to perform some of the other "basic settings" to re-teach the computer so it comes out of "limp mode".
As for labor, you can call around and locate someone you trust for the price.
I am kinda skittish that you are looking for "cheap". Are you aware that if not done properly, your engine can become an instant boat-anchor. This also means if JUST the belt is replaced... you are risking big problems.
You should have KNOWN the timing-belt and all related components needed replacement - it is no surprise. You have had years to save $10 a month to pay for this needed service. Pony up and get it done properly....else suffer the consequences.