I’m thinking about buying a used Volkswagen TDI (No strong preference yet for what model/year).
I’ve seen/heard people talking about how they’re good up to 200k or 300k miles. Is this true? Is it a bad idea to buy one with 150k+ miles? Assuming a good service record?
Are certain models/years better? Or is it just a matter of age?
How do they perform on the highway? Decent power? How many MPG do they really get?
There are one or two frequent people on this board who have one. They will be helpful.
Otherwise visit tdiclub.net for the real skinny on the cars not opinions about VW.
Is your basis behind buying one with 150k that you cannot afford one otherwise? If not I would move on and look for a newer lower mileage car.
I would take claims of 300K “trouble-free miles” with a grain of salt. Even at 150K, the bloom will be off the rose…
It’s not that I can’t afford one otherwise, it’s more that it’s hard to find one with less than 100k. (Based on Cars.com & craigslist) There are a lot in the 120+ range, and a fair number that are only a couple of years old (which I can’t afford) but not much in the middle.
Frankly most any car can get 300,000 miles with little more than the recommended maintenance. There is nothing really special (good or bad) about a TDI that is going to help it get 300,000 miles. I am almost half way there and I expect I should not have much trouble getting there, but it is hard to predict.
All modern cars are well made compared to cars 20 years ago. Today most cars end their life with sudden death in an accident or because someone did not follow the recommended maintenance and low oil or using the wrong coolant etc. kills them early, not anything in the car’s engineering.
As noted above the best place for TDI information is http://www.tdiclub.com/
The reason I mention “cannot afford” is that with ANY car with over 150k miles the likelyhood of serious or expensive repairs or maintenance goes up considerably. Just keep $1000-$2000 aside for these events that even happen on golden Honda and Toyota and all will be fine. If that is a big deal look for a car you can afford with significantly less mileage.
True of any vehicle made. There are maybe a 1% exception for all car makers.