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New car question- Diesel versus gas
Posted on 12/17/14 at 7:43 am
Posted on 12/17/14 at 7:43 am
I have to get a new car by the end of the month for work and have the choices narrowed down to another Honda Accord (ideally a 2014/15 demo) or 2014/15 VW Passat TDI SEL.
I would prefer to get a truck, but I drive a minimum of 1000 miles/month for work. A truck really isn't practical for what I do especially given the company’s mileage re-imbursement program.
I've owned 2 Accords in a row. Both were loaded V6 EX-Ls and if I go with another Accord it would be no different. I pretty much know what I'm getting with an Accord in terms of maintenance, cost of fuel, etc.
I'm leaning hard toward the Passat (700+ miles per tank is hard to ignore), but have no experience with a diesel car. I know they’ve come a long way, but for those with the knowledge/experience with a diesel Passat what’s maintenance like? Obviously the cost of diesel fuel is WAY higher than it used to be and much higher than gas right now, but I wouldn’t expect that to last forever. Besides the price of fuel, what kind of costs can I look forward to owning a diesel car?
I would prefer to get a truck, but I drive a minimum of 1000 miles/month for work. A truck really isn't practical for what I do especially given the company’s mileage re-imbursement program.
I've owned 2 Accords in a row. Both were loaded V6 EX-Ls and if I go with another Accord it would be no different. I pretty much know what I'm getting with an Accord in terms of maintenance, cost of fuel, etc.
I'm leaning hard toward the Passat (700+ miles per tank is hard to ignore), but have no experience with a diesel car. I know they’ve come a long way, but for those with the knowledge/experience with a diesel Passat what’s maintenance like? Obviously the cost of diesel fuel is WAY higher than it used to be and much higher than gas right now, but I wouldn’t expect that to last forever. Besides the price of fuel, what kind of costs can I look forward to owning a diesel car?
8
Posted on 12/17/14 at 7:46 am to CMBears1259
so. You are paying for your own fuel in a company car?
Posted on 12/17/14 at 7:49 am to CMBears1259
You only have to change the oil every 15,000 miles 
Engine lasts a lot longer
Engine lasts a lot longer
Posted on 12/17/14 at 7:54 am to CMBears1259
I have a '12 Passat with 150k miles, no problems...
Posted on 12/17/14 at 7:55 am to CMBears1259
Me and my wife bought a new 2013 VW Passat TDI, our first diesel car. I would probably rethink my decision if I knew about the high maintenance cost. you have to get the transmission fluid flushed every 40k miles for a price of about 600 dollars. Something to think about when you put a shite ton of miles on a car like we do.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:06 am to CMBears1259
I bought my wife the Jetta TDI almost 3 years ago. I now drive it as I commute about 30 mile each way. Only issue we ever had was a relay for the door locks that was replaced under warranty and never had a problem since.
The fuel mileage can easily exceed the listed values depending on your commute. Driving from Louisiana to Houston, I average a hair under 50 MPG. City mileage (very stop and go) will go down to the 30's, but a gas car in the same conditions would be in the low 20's. I average around 40 MPG in the Houston area.
Maintainence isn't cheap for sure. Just did our transmition service and it was $580. That's every 40k like someone else said. Oil changes are every 10k miles and those aren't nearly as expensive.
I really wish we would have paid the 3-4k more and got the Passat now that we have a kid. It get's the same milieage and has a lot more space.
Overall, I'm definitely happy with the purcahse
The fuel mileage can easily exceed the listed values depending on your commute. Driving from Louisiana to Houston, I average a hair under 50 MPG. City mileage (very stop and go) will go down to the 30's, but a gas car in the same conditions would be in the low 20's. I average around 40 MPG in the Houston area.
Maintainence isn't cheap for sure. Just did our transmition service and it was $580. That's every 40k like someone else said. Oil changes are every 10k miles and those aren't nearly as expensive.
I really wish we would have paid the 3-4k more and got the Passat now that we have a kid. It get's the same milieage and has a lot more space.
Overall, I'm definitely happy with the purcahse
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:11 am to CMBears1259
Go to the OB and look for Downshift. He has one and is running the hell out of it.
Generally, the VW diesels are pretty good (now). That said, the interior quality will not be up to Honda standards.
IMO, you aren't driving enough miles to offset the extra cost of the diesel, but you can run the numbers and figure your ROI.
One more thing: nothing holds value like an Accord, even with a ton of miles.
Generally, the VW diesels are pretty good (now). That said, the interior quality will not be up to Honda standards.
IMO, you aren't driving enough miles to offset the extra cost of the diesel, but you can run the numbers and figure your ROI.
One more thing: nothing holds value like an Accord, even with a ton of miles.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:12 am to wickowick
quote:
I have a '12 Passat with 150k miles, no problems...
!!!!
So you're in it right now?
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:23 am to CMBears1259
VW Passat, Jetta, and Chevy Cruze are the only diesels in affordable cars sold in America that I know of.
That's kind of a shame. All of the above cars can get close to 45-50 mpg on the highway.
My wife's 4 cylinder Honda Accord with the CVT is a very fuel efficient gasoline powered car...and it can only get up to 37-38 mpg on the highway.
That's kind of a shame. All of the above cars can get close to 45-50 mpg on the highway.
My wife's 4 cylinder Honda Accord with the CVT is a very fuel efficient gasoline powered car...and it can only get up to 37-38 mpg on the highway.
This post was edited on 12/17/14 at 8:24 am
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:24 am to Civildawg
quote:
you have to get the transmission fluid flushed every 40k miles for a price of about 600 dollars.
What does that have to do with the engine being a diesel ? Would you not have to do the same if the engine were gas ?
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:26 am to Civildawg
quote:
you have to get the transmission fluid flushed every 40k miles
You have to do that for non diesel cars as well. Usually in intervals between 40,000 miles and 60,000 miles.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:27 am to VetteGuy
VW TDI's retain their value pretty well. I was looking for used and couldn't justify not buying new after looking at prices of 1-2 year old vehicles. Interior quality of the Jetta is definitely not the greatest, but I think we also only paid 23k for it so it's not like I was paying for high trim level interior pricing.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:42 am to SG_Geaux
quote:
What does that have to do with the engine being a diesel ? Would you not have to do the same if the engine were gas ?
But how many people do it? I know most people feel flushing the transmission is worse than just leaving it alone. I did it for the first time with this vehicle purely to keep up with the maintainance so that I could keep my power train warranty. The VW TDI is not as easy to get worked on as a regular engine and I'd like to keep it under warranty as long as possible. I've heard VW can be picky and disqualify you from warranty coverage for stuff. A simple fuel pump failure on a TDI could run a repair bill of like $7k according to some forums I've read, and I heard they will disqualify you from warranty coverage if they find anything such as traces of bio diesel or fuel additives
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:42 am to meauxjeaux2
quote:
so. You are paying for your own fuel in a company car?
Personal vehicle used for business purposes also. Seems pretty common
I get paid a fixed amount at the start of each month then the actual mileage for the preceding month on the 15th of the month. The actual mileage fluctuates dependeding on the avg gallon of regular gas in the area. Between the 2 amounts I get about $850ish/month in mileage expense.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:46 am to KG6
I do think you will like the power delivery of the diesel. It has a lot more torque and good usable power in day to day driving. Accord gets its power through higher rpms. VW is a little more dynamic of a driver than the accord, but then again you can never go wrong with the Honda as far as reliability and resale. If you are looking for a change of pace go with the VW. They are both good sensible cars.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 8:46 am to KG6
Biodiesel? I haven't seen a station that doesn't carry at least a small percentage of it in their diesel fuel.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 9:07 am to VetteGuy
quote:
Go to the OB and look for Downshift. He has one and is running the hell out of it.
Generally, the VW diesels are pretty good (now). That said, the interior quality will not be up to Honda standards.
IMO, you aren't driving enough miles to offset the extra cost of the diesel, but you can run the numbers and figure your ROI.
One more thing: nothing holds value like an Accord, even with a ton of miles.
I'll look for Downshift. Thanks.
You're def right about the interior and Accords holding value. Last one had about 160k, current car ('07 EX-L V6 sedan has 166+K)
I'll run the numbers, but I'd think 25-35k miles/yr (between business & personal) would justify the cost of diesel. Besides gas I'm sure will get back to close to $3/Gallon again at some point.
Unless I change jobs (always a possibility) or total it, I'll have the car about 7 years before I get a new one.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 9:17 am to Mr. Tom Morrow
Can't be over 5%. I think some states are pushing for more, so they are going to have to adjust that. And I don't think Louisiana stations require bio-diesel mixes.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 9:33 am to CMBears1259
Look into a 328d?
Posted on 12/17/14 at 9:37 am to CMBears1259
I can't get too deep right now because I'm working but here's a short rundown.
Scheduled maintenance costs are easy to find and add up.
I'm assuming you're not worried about initial cost because the company is buying.
The plus side is it's a nice peppy engine for a little car. It doesn't suck to drive like most economy type vehicles.
I have 18k miles on my 2014 Jetta TDI and it's floating around 50mpg since i bought it. I have the 6 speed manual because I wanted to avoid the high maintenance costs of the automatic fuel economy difference between the two is negligible. I make a good bit of money off of mileage reimbursement because the mileage is so high.
I can answer any specific questions you have. I do Diesel engines for a living, so I'm pretty familiar with the particulars. What do you want to know?
Scheduled maintenance costs are easy to find and add up.
I'm assuming you're not worried about initial cost because the company is buying.
The plus side is it's a nice peppy engine for a little car. It doesn't suck to drive like most economy type vehicles.
I have 18k miles on my 2014 Jetta TDI and it's floating around 50mpg since i bought it. I have the 6 speed manual because I wanted to avoid the high maintenance costs of the automatic fuel economy difference between the two is negligible. I make a good bit of money off of mileage reimbursement because the mileage is so high.
I can answer any specific questions you have. I do Diesel engines for a living, so I'm pretty familiar with the particulars. What do you want to know?
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