Bye Bye Golf TDI

[BiknBen]

I went test driving this evening. First on the list was a Mazda3 5-door Grand Touring. I was pretty impressed with this car. I drove it around until I became nervous that I was gonna run out of gas. Many bells and whistles like Xenon headlamps, leather, CD changer + MP3 Aux., under-floor storage in trunk, 17" wheels, etc. That's in addition to all the safety stuff including traction and stability control. The car had the sunroof and Bose upgrade. The handling was very tight/responsive. It felt like there were many more horses under the hood. The engine noise was surprisingly low (I've been driving a diesel too long). The interior, dash, and dials was just interestingly laid out.

Afterwards, I rolled down the street to the Subaru dealer. I was looking for an Imprezza 2.5i Premium but there is only one in Jersey with a manual trans. I ended up driving an Impreza Outback Sport. I'll say the Blue/Silver two-tone was sweet looking. Unfortunately, that is where my praise ends. The throw of the shifter was not smooth. The clutch also had a awkward release. Two things that surprised me was the engine noise and the apparent lack of power. The Sub had more horses but it is getting robbed by the AWD. The Sub felt very heavy/sluggish in it's handling. I felt like I was driving an SUV. I don't value the AWD enough to really consider this car.

Now, I'll consider driving something else while trying to convince the spousal unit to spend the money. :drooling:

 

[Maurice]

I grew up in Europe and over there planned obsolescence is the norm (sorry Norm), in everything. Buy a washing machine and be ready to call the repair-man two minutes after warranty expires. I've seen a car's hood pop open at speed. I've blown engines, and seen blown engines, with well under 50000km. That's kilometers. And in Europe, a car, any car, with over 100000km (kilometers still...) is virtually unsellable. Change the oil on your car by yourself, and the warranty is void.

So I'm not surprised.

And diesel cars are EVERYWHERE. All major cities are smog-covered. No joke. It's not even funny. So what on earth is cool about diesel? Noise? Smell? Vibrations? Smoke? Lack of HP? I will never understand... Rented a diesel Mercedes in France a couple years ago. Brand spanking new. After, oh, 300km, the check engine light came on. Then it started overheating, couldn't drive over 130km/h. All fluid levels OK, never found out what was wrong.

So I came to this country in 2000. Went the cheap way and bought a Chevrolet. Hey, it sounds French. Then before the internet bubble burst I bought a Jeep, used, as a second car. I'm on the second Chevrolet, and the Jeep is still running strong, despite the bad rap they get. What impresses me is that accessories and stuff, all that still works decently. The Jeep is 13 years old but still in decent shape inside, at least way better than any European car I drove that was more than 6 months old.

YMMV.

Ben, good luck with your next car.

 

[don]

Maurice - Beside the Merc what cars were you driving over in Europe? I've owned a bunch of European makes over the years - a few of them mid 70's Mercedes W115's - that were over 10 years old and well over 100k miles on the clock. The fit and finish were still better than the much newer Suby's or Jeeps my friends had. The others - a few Audi's, a couple of Saabs, a VW and a Land Rover and now a W211 Wagon - I was all very happy with.

And the new diesel's are a lot different in terms of what you mentioned - HP, vibration, noise, etc. And they can give better MPG in most cases. But motors in general are a lot better - it's just the cars weigh so much more now. I'd like to see cars going back to stripped down/lightweight versions w/ much more manual items.

 

[supermike]

I used to have a diesel Mercedes and I have to disagree with you. Mine lasted until 285,000 miles when the turbo blew a seal. I ended up selling it to a guy who wanted to convert it to run on corn oil or something.

Just before it went bad, I drove it on a 1000+ mile road trip and it still got 35 miles per gallon. The dashboard never made even began squeaking. Hands down, one of the best vehicles I've ever owned.

 

[Maurice]

A few things:

- cars sold in Europe, and European cars imported into the US aren't the same models. Yes you can buy the equivalent in Europe, but I didn't exactly hang out with that crowd, so I can't comment... I owned a 306 peugeot before leaving 1.6 liter, went through countless driveshafts and other repairs, never left home without a full set of tools and they came in handy a few times. I drove Audi, VW, Renault (of course...), etc. Never been much excited.
- Mercedes did have a reputation of being a very dependable vehicle, even by European standards. There were accounts of odometers tripping all the way over. All things change, though...
- I know a lot of progress has been made on diesel. I also used to commute to work on a 750 GSX, weaving in and out of traffic jams around Paris. Had to take the rain gear every day. Every day I would wipe off gobs of black soot out of my helmet visor, and my rain gear still stinks of diesel fumes, to this day.
- the sky is not blue in or near big cities. Sure is on postcards though.

Cheers,

Maurice

 

[BiknBen]

So what on earth is cool about diesel? Noise? Smell? Vibrations? Smoke? Lack of HP?

As an owner of a "Next Gen" diesel I'm asking the same questions. There are many negatives related to the diesel engine. The only positive is MPG. With the AutoTrans and the roof racks, I was never getting more then 42mpg. Put a bike or two on the roof and it could go down to 32. The mileage needs to be better to offset the hassles.

When I bought the car, I was driving all over the state for work. I needed the MPG. Two months later I got a different job and began commuting by bike 3 day/week. Go figure!

 

[ChrisG]

This has been an interesting thread for me. My current car is a 2003 VW GTI VR6. It just turned over 80K miles a few weeks ago and I have 8 payments remaining on the loan. To date, I've only done routine maintenance on it and it has been the best car I've ever owned. I'm at the point where keeping it much longer means new tires, brakes, serpentine belt, and probably a battery. Once I put that stuff into it, it could conceivably be good for years to come, and I'll be car payment-free after October.

Having not kept a car more than five years since the late 90's, I'm going through the (mostly silly) process of sorting out the practicalities and the priorities. Old-school thinking says keep the car til the wheels fall off, but then there's considering unloading the car while it still has some equity. And there's also the considerations of long-term reliability (I commute 55 miles round trip daily) and the plain old desire for something new.

So reading all this stuff just serves to add fuel to my personal fire. To be continued.:hmmm:

 

[Norm]

And there's also the considerations of long-term reliability (I commute 55 miles round trip daily) and the plain old desire for something new.

No doubt this is a big consideration. To me a car is a thing to get me to point B, from point A. Thankfully the driving "experience" never made a difference to me. And reliability is not a huge concern either, since I drive about 3.5 miles to the train station. But the closest station is less than 1.5 miles. I've actually had the car die on the way to work, pull over, then walk to the train station closest to the house. Annoying, yes, but I'm trying to squeeze every available ounce of usefulness out of this thing.

On the other hand, 55 miles doesn't afford one that luxury.

 

[BiknBen]

This has been an interesting thread for me. My current car is a 2003 VW GTI VR6. ...So reading all this stuff just serves to add fuel to my personal fire. To be continued.:hmmm:

My previous car was a '95 Jetta GLX with the VR6 engine. Engine seals blew at 192k miles. It was still driveable but not the same. I traded it in a month later. It was a great car and exceeded my expectation in every way. I wouldn't hesitate to do the suggested maintenance and continue. Then again you could get a good price for it now and move on. I'd say you need to decide before hitting 100k.

 

[BiknBen]

Teaser!!!!

Sorry...it's dark out. This is what you are looking at: Ben's New Mazda3 :getsome:

I'm on the phone with the insurance co. now. I hope I can drive it to work tomorrow.

 

[walter]

Sweet, congrats on the new wheels

 

[VelocityBoy]

Good Luck!
I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

 

[ArmyOfNone]

YAY! Cant wait to hear you rocking techno out that biatch

 

[TonyC]

congrats on the new wheels
which color did you pick? it looks gray/blueish tinge.

 

[BiknBen]

which color did you pick? it looks gray/blueish tinge.

It's called GalaxyGrey.

Inside looks like this.

 

[elzoller]

Nice!...Congrats on the wheels....I have the 3 also but 4 door...very reliable car, so far very satisfied!!

 

[ChrisG]

Nice choice

Looks good, Ben. I have two friends driving 5-door 3's and they both love the car.

Did you drive the Rabbit? If so, what pushed you toward the Mazda when comparing the two?

 

[Shaggz]

nice choice, Ben!

 

[BiknBen]

Did you drive the Rabbit? If so, what pushed you toward the Mazda when comparing the two?

I didn't drive the Rabbit for a number of reasons. I was really down on VW after this Golf. I haven't been happy with the VW dealer/service dept. (2 miles from me). The closest base trim model Rabbit w/ Manual was in CT or Maine.

I ended up with the loaded Mazda3. Out of curriosity, I just did an on-line build of the GTI. A comparable build would be 5 grand more. The only benefit would be a 6spd manual and +40HP. I could get the Mazdaspeed3 for significantly less and that car laughs at the GTI.

 

[ArmyOfNone]

Loving it so far?