mydecember1985

iTrader: (1)

I'm part of the VW emission settlement crapshoot. We're looking at trying to find a second I30 or I35. I really got spoiled by my 45 MPG and 300 lb/ft with a stage 1 tune (not to mention a manual tranny that I30/35 doesn't offer), but if things head south on VW producing a "fix", I'll be forced to have them buy it back.

Does anyone know someone that is parting way with one of our beloved cars? Looking for white, silver, or that beautiful midnight blue. Under 100-120k tops. I know it's likely a dream, but I know they exist. Talked to someone I see at the post office regularly. 80k miles on a 03 I35. They grabbed it last year for something like $5k.

Newer Maximas aren't an option with CVT issues galore. G37 isn't bad, but somewhat still caries a premium price and the interior feels really cheap for the price you pay. If the Mazda6 offered a turbo variant or v6, I'd be all over it. Timing chain, nearly maintenance free, nice 6spd auto, offers a manual, etc. I was thinking about slapping a turbo on it myself, but found the compression was an astounding 13:1, but it still uses regular 87 octane . Boosting that is out of the question. Maybe Mazda will finally get their act together and bring the diesels over here

If any of the old members still frequent, the car is still going great. 170k and adding about 8k annually since most of our miles go in the VW. Paint on mirrors is gone. Valve cover leak on rear bank that you can easily smell when warm. Usual stuff. Random coil dies every 20k or so. 2 failed MAFs. Starter blew at 120k-ish. Need to replace lower control arm ball joints. The K-Sport coilovers were on there for 100k miles and caused some premature wear.

Dust N Bones

iTrader: (1)

Kind of off topic here but I'm going to tell you the same thing I told my brother about his Jetta TDI.... Get rid of it whether they come up with a fix or not. Take the buy out & let VW deal with it because the resale value on all TDI's is going to now & forever be sh*t. Be smart & take the money & RUN!

To your original question, I don't know of anyone selling an I30/I35 but I've seen some low mileage 5.5 Gen Maxima's & I35's on Autotrader. I guess it depends how far you'd be willing to travel to purchase one.

mydecember1985

iTrader: (1)

Regarding TDI:
If your brother knows TDIs, he knows there's a special premium some TDI owners pay for a low-mile WAGON with a 6-spd. The rest of the TDI fleet are pretty much just sedans that get good mileage. But a wagon! I just loaded 1,200lbs (each trip) of albums I bought at a storage facility last month. I had to make 3 trips for a total of 49 boxes. 20 miles each way. I still got 40.7MPG. It's the only car that really has a mix of utility and MPG. There is the threat of the new Kia Niro hybrid encroaching on this, though. The wagons only account for about 8% of the TDI fleet. ~70% were automatics. Finding a wagon with a 6spd is a bit of a unicorn.

There was a time when VW wasn't producing TDIs between 06 and 09. Nice 06 models were selling close to MSRP used in early '08 before the announcement of the rather unexpected return of the '09 CR TDIs. Apparently is really was too good to be true

We look at "cost of ownership" as being focused mainly on depreciation.

Plan A:
Drive until close to end of buyback in '18. Unless we put an absurd amount of miles on it, it basically doesn't depreciate. Find a newer more expensive (Mazda6) or cheap replacement (06 TDI or 01-04 I30/35) in the meantime. Walk away with my check for $21k

Plan B:
Take the "fix" if it becomes a real thing. Pocket $6k and a sweet 120k mile warranty. Currently at 52k miles. We would hit 10yr/120k miles somewhere around 2022. Currently, 10-year-old 06 BRMs with similar to our estimated miles of about 100-120k at that time are catching around $6.5-8k real-world (see link here. I check every few weeks). Bought car late '14. Say just over 7 years of use. $20k purchase - $6k fix - $7k sale price in 2022. $7k depreciation cost to drive the car for 7 years. The infiniti was $17k 12 years ago and worth $2k now. So really it'll be cheaper to own than our I30 except it's a wagon that can carry way more stuff, gets double the MPG, and is hella fun to drive.

Plan C:
Ignore that the settlement ever happened and drive it til the doors fall off like we plan to do with our I30. Stage 3 tune with new turbo $2500 and enjoy the gobs of Tq. (This can squeeze out another 5-8 MPG and extends engine life because of the deletion of the EGR system and its related carbon buildup issues ^_^ ) This is the last and final option, as the uber-long-term reliability of the CJAA common rail TDIs has yet to be seen. Many of these cars have fuel pump failures by 200k which ends up costing about $4,500. Fuel provides lubricity to the pump. A driver that is DEDICATED to using fuel additives can make them last much longer, but now many fuel stations are making it even more difficult. Much like how the VQ30DE doesn't care much for ethanol blends, TDIs don't care for biodiesel. Most stations carry B20 or up to 20% biodiesel. It's like putting cheap oil in your engine. Yeah, it works for now, but what about 50k miles from now?

mydecember1985

iTrader: (1)

Sorry for some reason, a previous edit deleted my continuation of the discussion on the I30.

This sexy beast up in Michigan has been making me drool all over my keyboard for the last couple of days. It would be awesome to have basically twin cars. That's an 1,150-mile drive, though!
It would cost us about $140 in diesel to take the VW up there ROUND TRIP. Just to drive the I35 back ONE WAY would cost $110

Dust N Bones

iTrader: (1)

That is a sweet I35, I love the all black interior on those cars.

As far as the TDI's, I get what you're saying & I did know about those older TDI wagons having a cult following. In fact my brother used to talk about them way before he even bought his current Jetta. He's a huge VW fan, he's owned nothing but VW's since the mid 90's. Now is wife drives them too, she has a TDI Toureg.

mydecember1985

iTrader: (1)

So here, check this link out and see if it works !!!CARFAX HERE!!!!. It was titled as a fleet vehicle. It pretty much sat for like 6 years!! In that time it got only like 3,000 miles on it. Fleets usually have their own repair shop, so things like accidents usually aren't reported since they don't have to take them to an independent shop.

The second owner picked it up in '12, but in the last few months before it was currently offered for sale, it had 4 trips to "tune-ups" or "serviced". These were over like a 5,000 mile span. I'm thinking about calling these shops to see if they can tell me what the service was. I know I can't get my hands on the records because of the name of the owner on the bill and such.

Do you think it might be something as simple as a coil failure or MAF that wasn't throwing a code, so they replaced the spark plugs or something? I'm not as familiar with the 3.5 as I am the 3.0

There was a lady at my doctor's office that I stopped as she was leaving. She was driving a MINT '06 Jetta. Like, GORGEOUS. Said she had about 115k on it. Told her I'd give a great cash payment for it if she was willing to sell. Told her I'd fork over full retail no questions asked as long as it passed a clean inspection. I told her I've got about 2 years, so no crazy rush. I gave her my number. Said it's the husband's decision. Hoping I get that call ^_^

If you haven't ever checked one out, this is the Mazda6 I'm drooling over. If only it had a turbo!!