Spock,

While the appox $200.00 I will save is quite a bit, it is not affecting my lifestyle, nor I am I sweating it. Yet.

My wife pays for her own gas and she has started to feel it a bit.

Gas is around 2.10 per gallon, which is tte highest I've ever paid.

My concern is, with gas prices continuing to rise, my Cherokee will be worth less and less as time goes on(more than normal depreciation).

There are tons of used SUV"s on lots right now, there are huge rebates being offered on new ones. I'm just tring to stay ahead of the curve. I can see the SUV market going in the tank in a few months.

The Passat avg 28city/48 hwy mpg as opposed to the Cherokee which is 15/25 with 17 overall.

Additionally, my monthly payment will be less on the Passat by about 40 bucks becasue of the low interest rates.

It seems like a no-brainer to me.

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?

Iggy, unfortunately the diesel offering in the United States is pathetic, to say the least. I believe the Trooper was available with a diesel here in the '80's at some point, but it hasn't been available here for quite a long time.

The only diesels you can get here are the M-B CDi (not available yet), the VW TDi, the Sprinter, and th 3/4 ton & 1 ton truck/van market...I'm dreaming of the day that that changes, but I'm not holding my breath...

And if you actually live in the United States, instead of California, we have a few choices from VW as well. The MB E320 CDI is also available now.

http://www.tdiclub.com

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Warden:

Too bad that the diesel is not offered in the states. At least here Diesel is still very common. Diesel is US$0.75 per gallon cheaper than Gasoline. Right now diesel is at US$1.75 per Gallon and that is after an increase of about US$0.37 per gallon due to the price of crude. Gasoline is at US$2.50 per gallon at this moment. My next purchase will be a diesel! Preferably a early-md 80īs 240 or 300. Right now I am in the process of selling the Honda.

Believe it or not, the maintanaince on my Honda is more expensive than on my old Benz. Not to mention yearly tags tax is also like US$150.00 less on my Benz than the Honda.

Iggy

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

Howdy All,
Regular unleaded $2.33 gal. Diesel $2.35 gal

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

Well< I went to look at it today and to my surprise, there are no TDI Passats available. Suply/Semand said the salesperson.

There are a only few coming into the entire state of Florida within the next few weeks. I'd better move fast and forget about any kind of discount off list price. Additionally, they are not taking anymore orders for 2004.

Hmmmmmmmm!

Smoke being blown up my kiester perhaps? it did seem odd that there was not a single TDI on the lot. In any model, besides 1 Beetle.

Guess I'll have to try the internet and hunt one down.

Worst case, I'll order a 2005 and be able to get a discount on that.

BTW, the base model(GL) comes with velour seating and a "no-cost" option of leatherette, which seemed exactly like MB TEX.

Very nice car.

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?

Howdy All,
Prices are moving around like crazy, 2 weeks ago I saw diesel at $2.47 gal. Someone else saw it at $2.51 gal. Haven't seen it in the dollar range in a loooong time until Spocks post

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

put a for sale sign in that cherokee! - a friend of mine has a range rover with a bmw diesel engine in it - now that's a combination....but not for sale...


otherwise you should be able to find a good used vw diesel around but suggest act quickly. i am not at all suprised they are in high demand at the moment.

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

Worst case, I'll have to wait to order a 2005. More price flexibility hopefully.

I will scour the internet and maybe purchase oou of state if need be.

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?

Did you also consider Toyota Prius?
If your wife can accept less comfortable driving position, less passenger room, less cargo space, and less max load (835 lb. Passat can take about 1100 lb) than Passat,
Prius is another good candidate.

Fueleconomy.gov annual fuel cost (15000 miles/year. 45% highway)

Prius: $475
Corolla: $657
VW New Beetle GL 1.9 TDI: $533


Prius has safety add-on's that Passat has.
ESP, Brake Assist, window airbag.

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1992 300D 2.5 turbo diesel. 319 k miles.
124.128 chassis, 602.962 engine, 722.418 tranny.

I would not allow her to drive it. Not thatit's a bad car, but I'm 6'3' and 240lbs. If I want to be uncomfortable, I'll just fly coach/

The Passat is VERY rommy for it's class, particularly in the rear. I put the drivers seat all the way back, then sat in back of it, and while it wasn't my SDl. it was more than bearable. I don't anticipate having too many people my size back there, nor do I plan on sitting there that often.

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?

I agree. Although I often drive with empty rear seats, I sit in rear seat myself to test the roominess. I find many cars' rear head room is insufficient. I am only 6 ft tall. Maybe because of my seating habbit: straight lower-back.

German cars are more ergonomic than Toyota's, I think. When I drove Toyota Corolla or Subaru Impreza, I felt the driving position was somewhat uncomfortable. I feel better when I drive old W124.

While Passat gives room for a big driver, it is also in Top 10 Vehicles for Shorter Drivers, Edmunds.com.

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1992 300D 2.5 turbo diesel. 319 k miles.
124.128 chassis, 602.962 engine, 722.418 tranny.

The rear seat in the passat has decent head room. I was still able to fit w/o scaping my head. Leg room was decent too.

I fear my biggest problem will be getting one at a discount.

Well see what happens.

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?

Plantman, I did some reading over at TDI club yesterday about the Passat TDI. It seems as though this is only a test run for 2004 and they are only bringing in a limited number of them. There is a whole new chassis due in 2005, likely with a different TDI engine, so the current combination will be unique to 2004 in the U.S. The people who want them, and have been waiting for a Passat TDI since 1997, are snapping them up.

As for TDI availability in other models, it seems to vary from region to region. Some people say they have to get on a waiting list, while others report dealer lots full of TDIs. Just the luck of the draw, and the dealers are not helpful at all about swapping them around. Come to think of it, the dealers are not helpful about anything. That's the worst part about owning a VW. But in my opinion, the car itself more than makes up for that.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References