300SD engines ...

[AuctorEcclesiae]

Hello friends:

Just a quick question for you - it's a dumb one, but consider the source!

Are the engines for the 300D and the 300SD the same up to 1985? Does the 300SD have the cast iron head up until the 85 model year like the 300D's did? Was just curious about that.

How readily available are parts for the SD? Pretty good like the 300D's and 190D's?

Thanks for the help.

Take care,
Michael.

I'm looking a an SD (84) , would love to hear about them too from any owners out there.

[Rick Miley]

Yes, those engines are all the same. S class parts are a little less available the W123 parts, especially if you're looking for used or junkyard. But I wouldn't say that it's anything to worry about.

[AuctorEcclesiae]

Hello Rick:

Thanks for the response! It seems to me that the SD's are a little more popular and not as difficult to find as, say, an 86 or an 87 300SDL, which is what I was looking for before. The SD's are a bit more plentiful in supply. I wonder if maintenance costs are similar between the SD/SDL.

I see that you have a VW Jetta TDI in your stable, too. I just happened to stop at the dealership to check those out today. Nice car, but it needs to be BIGGER!! I like BIG! I'm 6'4", and I think a Jetta would really be pushing it, especially with rear passengers. But boy, that 44mpg highway gas mileage was sure appealing. How has yours held up? Happy with it?

Now if they made the PASSAT with a diesel ... I'd be sold!

[Rick Miley]

Maintenance would be similar. Engine related repairs, if necessary, would be much more for expensive for the SDL.

The Jetta is fantastic. Mine has just over 90,000 miles, and has had remarkably few problems. The Jetta is looks really small from the outside, but that is deceptive because it actually has a lot of useable interior room. Of course, it's no SDL, but I'm 6' and have never been uncomfortable in the car. I've even ridden in the back seat a number of times and never had a problem. Oh, and that mileage is more like 50. Last year I drove it to Pennsylvania, and the first leg of the trip was from Tampa, FL to the middle of NC without any stops! My only complaints about that car would be some poor interior plastic trim, and the CCV/EGR combo that gunks up the intake manifold. Lots of TDI information is available over at http://www.tdiclub.com.

[PC Dave]

Originally posted by AuctorEcclesiae
Now if they made the PASSAT with a diesel ... I'd be sold!

Being released this spring!

Sedan and wagon available, unfortunately only in tiptronic (no manual), and no 4Motion. One of the wagons was driving around here for the Sundance Film Festival, which VW sponsored.

[sixto]

There's also the 96-97 Passat TDI which came with MT only. If they came with AT, I'd probably have one. A wagon.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

[rickg]

I always tell my friends that owning an SD is like owning a Chevy. Parts are easy to come by, and reasonably priced(just as long as you don't need a new engine )
You might do a search here on the SDL, and read thru some of the discussions. It's a model that people either totally love, or totally stay away from. It has only one real potential problem, the aluminum head. Some guys get lotsa miles out of them, others end up with a cracked head. At that point, it gets pretty spendy to repair, as the cracked head is pretty much just a boat anchor after it cracks.

[AuctorEcclesiae]

Well, I had no idea that VW was coming out with the Passat diesel. I would think that the Passat would rival the SD size-wise, no? I think the Jetta is more comparable to the 190e/d. While I had no problems fitting into the 190e, it was a little dicey with rear passengers on occasion.

Do you guys think that the VW diesels are "forever" engines, much like Mercedes? The VW's have aluminum heads as well, no?

I was really attracted to the SDL at first, but am starting to more seriously consider the SD (Rick, I have read through the SDL posts, and I agree totally with the love/hate relationship with 'em). Personally, I have a really hard time spending 19k-23k on a new car. I would MUCH rather find a good SD for around 3-5k, put about 2k into it, and still be WAY ahead. There's just something about going to look at a car, having it checked out, liking it, AND writing a check for it!! Now THAT's my kinda car buying experience!

[sixto]

Here's a nice Passat -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6020&item=2459850034

Not known for head cracks and warpage is the result of maintenance misdeeds, not inherent defect. The critical maintenance item is the timing belt.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

The new Passat TDIs are coming! It's hard to say when they'll actually arrive, since VW has a tendency to announce a date, and then delay, and delay, and delay. You can also check out http://www.vwvortex.com for more information. TDIclub is great too.