You may not have emission tests but I would think you have standards. Buying a vehicle that emits more in to the air than it should sounds irresponsible .
Please don’t take this the wrong way . . .
You’re not averse to just pouring your money down the drain
I think many of us would have just drove the old car for a few more years, after spending all that money on repairs and/or maintenance. And in that time, you could have squirreled away some money for the next car.
You did catch that bit, where we clearly implied that VW cars can be a money pit. You know that first hand, yet you bought another
I’ll say something else . . . you bought a car where an extended warranty might actually make financial sense. But if you break even on an extended warranty, then the car isn’t very good, is it . . . ?!
I’m going to speculate that when you started this post, you probably already had your heart set on another VW . . .
So you’re in Canada, yes?
"So you’re in Canada, yes?"
So, you’re in Canada, eh? :neutral:
CSA
If it costs a person $7,000 to recondition a 15 year old car in Manitoba then I certainly would focus on late model cars. I don’t have to deal with corrosion problems where I live. The last car that I bought is a 2000 Dodge three years ago, I paid $500 for parts to bring the car up to standards and $20 in parts since then.
A new Jetta is 189/mo while a Passat is 289/mo. Seems a Passat is a nicer car. Maybe that’s relative? Toyota has a zero down lease for Corolla and Camry for the same money. 200. Which is ok. Seems to me a new Camry is better than a newer Passat.
A 4 cylinder P/U truck if you can find one. Stick shifts are best…A Corolla, but everybody wants one so they are way overpriced for what you get…A Ford Crown Vic / Mercury Grand Marq are very reliable and cheap / easy to maintain. Not the best for winter driving but not the worst either… A lot of value for the money…
OP already bought himself ANOTHER Volkswagen
Can I speak with you about a loan?
BTW, in case you didn’t notice, I have been crowned the “jerry-rig it” specialist.
@uncleHarry The title of Jerry-Rig Specialist as well as the title Duct Tape King both belong to Red Green, a TV personality most of these posters are familiar with.
Red’s fixes are legendary and he never leaves home without a roll of Duct Tape.
Dog man. I can’t catch a break. How 'bout, “The World Champion Knucklehead-Bar None-and Without Really Trying” award? I gots to be good at sumthin.
I never leave home with an intact frontal lobe.
Buying a vehicle that emits more in to the air than it should sounds irresponsible .Oh, puh-LEESE!
If, instead of a 2010 TDI, OP had bought a 1992 F250 with IDI (that has the legal right to pollute FAR more than the VW, even in "cheat mode,") would that still be "irresponsible?" Is a catless 454 boat more, or less, "responsible" than a 454 GMC that has had the cat removed? Heck, what about a Cessna, running carbed, catless, and burning (gasp!) leaded fuel?!?
Seems awfully damn arbitrary to me...
It’s not arbitrary when you have a simple choice. Yes, I do hold the person who opts to run a needlessly dirty engine responsible for the environmental damage they cause, if there is a cleaner affordable alternative. Which in some cases there isn’t.
Diesels are a tricky case because their increased pollution is offset by reduced carbon dioxide output. Still in cities where the air is dirty I don’t think people should be driving dirty diesels. In areas where air pollution is not a major issue, it isn’t a big deal.
I grew up in LA in the sixties and seventies when the air was utterly filthy. Now it’s much better. Almost entirely because people had to buy cleaner cars. The results of outlawing dirty engines are easy to see whenever I’m down there. It could be even better, but very little of the remaining smog is being caused by modern cars. I get genuinely angry when I see some idiot driving a smoke belching beater from the sixties or seventies, when newer cars that are just as cheap are available. Utterly irresponsible. Collectible cars are different if they aren’t being driven daily. As they shouldn’t be in smoggy places.
If you are looking for inside space and good price I like the Honda Fit (phthit?) Funny looking, but my independent Honda mechanic liked it much better than a Pilot. I always buy used and haven’t had bad luck but i would have tossed this a $$ while ago. It does take the short sidewall tires which I’ll replace one day, but that means new smaller wheels. $$$.good luck.
Doesn’t anyone read these threads and realize the person who started it has purchased a vehicle and did not use any of the suggestions made?
"Doesn’t anyone read these threads and realize the person who started it has purchased a vehicle and did not use any of the suggestions made? "
Wait… What? Somebody’s purchasing a vehicle? 
CSA
OP “wisely” decided to buy yet another VW
If he comes back crying, it’s not our fault