buying a diesel VW or MB

[redneckdr]

my wife is in the market for a new ride. won't consider another CTD. looked at the VW Jetta TDI. just a little bit on the small side for our car needs. anybody had any experience with buying a VW Passat diesel in Europe, and bringing back to the USA? also looked at the Mercedes Benz ML270 (5 cylinder 2. 7 L TD). i wish VW sold the Passat diesel in the USA. i've spent hours on the 'net searching. can't find much info on buying and taking delivery overseas, let alone no info on importing to the US of A.

BTW, the Jetta seems to be a great buy. just over $20,000 for a jetta wagon diesel, loaded!!!

 

[chuck3]

Herb, I work with a guy that owns a bug with the diesel and he loves it said it was dang quick and really likes the diesel eng.

 

[Barry]

I am combing the country side looking for a 1983 MBZ 300CD coupe. I want a white or blue/green with palomina interior. I am looking for a "puff". Somewhere, out there is the one I am looking for.

 

[Shovelhead]

Regarding bringing a European spec'ed vehicle into the U. S. , Check with DOT regs. Manufacturers will sell you an American spec'ed vehicle. (But probably not European only models)

"Grey-Market" cars often need mucho $$$$ in modifications in order to obtain a title in the U. S. (Lights, emmissions,bumpers, etc)

It would suck to purchase a vehicle, have it shipped, then not be able to drive it off the ship due to DOT.

 

[redneckdr]

VW Jetta

chuck, the Jetta is a "sleeper". we priced a Jetta wagon with diesel, auto, leather, heated seats etc and came to about $22K. BTW, that little sucker will step right out. AND, RATED AT 34/45. 45 mpg and decent acceleration, WOW!:--)

 

[redneckdr]

us SPECS

shove... ... that's what i'm trying to find out, among other things. would be a nightmare to ship it home, and have to spend mucho$$$$$, making it USA Reg compliant. i picked up a new MGB in London in 1966. it was a rarity... ... . met European regs, AND US at the time.

 

[thepipe1]

Diesel ML

Hey Doc, et. al. :

Several months ago, I emailed Diamler-Chrysler about importing a diesel-powered vehicle into North America. I asked specifically about one on the ML platform and pointed out that they no longer offered anything diesel in our market since the demise of the '99 E300 (a fantastic automobile that still commands a premium when located). I received no response.

It's a shame, too. Before I bought my '01 2500 I drove a used ML 320 and loved it!! If only it was available with a diesel...

 

[redneckdr]

the ML270

you bet, pipe one... ... . my wife would go for the ML 270 in a heartbeat. she likes the ML's anyway. i think she is convinced that the diesel is the way to go. IFFFF they just offered the ML270, or would spec it to USA specs, so it wouldn't be a hassle to import it... ... ... ..... the way it stands, i think my OWMBO (One Who Must Be Obeyed) is going to get a Jetta TDI. then, the only gasser around the house will be the Harley... ... ... hmmmmmmm C8. 3 in a Harley... ... ..... nah, it'd never work, and it wouldn't sound the same... ... ... it'd be harder to hold up than a Boss Hoss... .

where's cahill when i need him

BTW, any body have any info on "chipping" the little 1. 9 TDI??

 

[Pit Bull]

My wife wants the VW Bug. But she wants a YELLOW one I could go for a Black one. Kinda reminds me of the old Porsche 911. She is OK with the diesel. We drove one and if you fold down the rear seats and open the rear hatch there is a ton of room to carry stuff. It also was the top rated small car in the crash tests. (although IMHO how big your vehicle is in a crash is more important if you get hit by another car, ie 7500lb CTD vs 2800lb car ) You might check out the room in the VW Bug and see if that would be a better fit for your wife. We won't even consider one until they get a VW dealership in our town. Right now the VW dealer is 90 miles away. Kinda far for warranty work and the free oil changes that it comes with. I agree the old Mercedes diesel was a tank and would last forever.

 

[redneckdr]

beetle

we looked at both the beetle and the Jetta..... wifey wants 4 doors. she looked up the crash ratings, and was surprised to find out the bug is better. if we go to it as the only car in the family, it'll have to have 4 doors... ... ... .

 

[BCFAST]

Doc, you will find that VW makes the Passat for the Euro market with 4 different diesel motors!! You will NOT get any of them into the US with an American registration, however. What can be done is a round-a-bout PITA but works... register the car in Germany, or France or Belgium... and drive the car here on forign tags. The catch is: the car is here on a visa and MUST leave US soil every year to process a new visa. There are a couple Porsches, Ferraris and special Jap cars here locally that operate this way.

Answering your other questions, yes you can BOMB the American tdi motor!! In stock form, they have the same torque as the VR6, turned up they rock!!! The Jetta is OK, I prefer the tightness of the Beetle personally. I would avoid the older MB diesels. The motors are good, but the rest falls apart around it... . think MoneyPit.

 

[sweeks]

Redneckdr; If you're considering used cars with diesels, why not consider a passat? 1996 & '97 were the "larger" passats, fine cars. All are 5 speeds and a few wagons out there, too. Steve W.

 

[redneckdr]

diesels

BC, i don't think i want to worry with the foreign registration..... and we will want 4 doors. the beetle has appeal, but we most likely would be throwing rocks at it rather quickly.

sweeks, we are looking at new. the OWMBO is driving a Q45 now, so buying a used isn't an option... ... . besides, she's about as shiftless as i am, and wouldn't consider a manual transmission. i think we're prolly gonna end up with a Jetta wagon with the TDI. Neat car for the money. 90HP, but 150 lb/ft of torque in stock form. Westerauer make a chip for it. my wife already has BOMBitis, and hasn't even bought the car, yet. compared to other cars, it's a heck of a deal... ... and 50 MPG ON THE HIGHWAY. :--)

 

[Shovelhead]

Redneckdr,

Back when I turned wrenches on VWs(early 80's), the rule of thumb was for 50mpg you gotta do 50mph.

We had one Rabbit diesel owner who complained that he couldn't get anywhere close to the advertised 50mpg. :-{}

Service manager went for a ride with him... ... ... . customer was drivin' at 80+ on the interstate.

 

[redneckdr]

MPG

ok, so my OWMBO may only get 40 MPG... ... ... . better than any other vehicle we've ever had... ... . AND SH'LL BE DRIVING A DIESEL.

 

[FATCAT]

Why a VW diesel??????

From what I have heard on this site about VW diesels, they are simillar to the Duramaxs in that they both are cast iron blocks with aluminium heads.



Since everyone rips the Duramax, wouldn't the VW diesel be just as bad? Just as prone to the problems that the Duramax is experiencing?



The Jetta is nice, but if you are going to have to keep replacing the head gaskets constantly or replacing cracked heads, I would just go with the gas engine version.

 

[BCFAST]

German aluminum is different, apparently. I have talked with people who own these cars, drive the snot out of them and never have a single problem... just remember to change that belt!!! Doc, Weterauer does make a 'chip' for the car, but there is FAR better out there! Dont forget, the management system is OBD II so you dont 'chip' it, you gotta either send out the brain for some soldering, or exchange it. Like our CTD's, the tdi can be done up with a brain, turbo, injectors, etc... way-mo-power!

 

[MABurns]

Redneckdr,

I will check with a friend who is still stationed there but when I was there you could take delivery of cars with US specs, but only those models sold here in the states. I got a BMW and the price of shipping it back was included in the price, but I was unable to get the german diesel engine in a US spec'd car. I did not have to pay the value added tax (VAT) because of the status of forces agreement between Germany and USA. That is between 10 and 15 %.



As far as the quiet, smooth power, aluminum headed engine, I agree it is nice.



And I owned a Passat, that 5 speed auto is nice. come to think of it, it was almost as nice as the five speed auto in my truck.

 

[redneckdr]

VW diesel

i got a response from VW, finally. there prolly isn't any practical way to bring a Passat diesel into the US of A. guess the OWMBO will have to settle for the Jetta TDI, if she wants a diesel. i like it. she's still mulling it over. she's impressed with the quality, the value, and the mileage, as well as the torque..... now, if she'll just let my BOMB it... ...

 

[Shovelhead]

I think she'll love the VW diesel.

I'm still tryin' to get Wifey to trade her 10mpg Landcruiser for a 50mpg VW diesel. So far ..... No Way Jose'.....

She likes drivin' the "tank" as long as I have to pay to fill it up.



PS I like the OWMBO "handle" :-laf