2011 CPO Genesis or 2012 VW Passat TDI

[master7045]

like the title says, which would you choose and why?

I like size and more luxurious feel of the genesis, but the 40MPG of the VW is hard to beat, esp since I drive ~35 miles each way to work. The CPO genesis is at 24,9K and a new 2012/13 Passat TDI w/ an auto & sunroof runs just shy of 27K. I haven't done the calculation just yet, but I think it would take a while for the higher MPGs to offset the extra 3 grand purchase price. Again, the Gene will come w/ the 10 yr/100K warranty... We'll now that I've typed it out, I think the Genesis is the winner, anyway, what does the AT crowd think?

Also, this would be used as a family hauler. The wife and 2 kiddos (2.5 year old + 1 month old) need to be carted around from time to time, hence the compassion of two large sedans, I'm tired of lugging the fam around in the WJ

 

[LTC8K6]

The TDI will likely well exceed 40mpg on the highway, plus it's rated 30mpg in the city to the Genesis' 18mpg.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=30413&id=31585

I think realistically, you'll be ahead of the game after about two years with the Passat, given your highway driving bias. Plus, the range of the Passat will mean far fewer fill-ups.

 

[Carfax83]

Get the VW Passat dude. With all thats going on in the World, fuel prices are only going to keep increasing. The days of paying 2 dollar a gallon for fuel is likely over for good.....unless you live in Saudi Arabia or something.

 

[Doppel]

I know it's not the same class of vehicle but the 4 cylinder 2013 altima is rated only 3 mpg worse in mileage than that TDI and is many many thousands cheaper.

I am not a fan of VW but would probably take the TDI over the Genesis. It won't drive as powerfully though. Torque aside that TDI has what 140 horsepower. That is a slow car anyway you cut it.

 

[LTC8K6]

8.6 seconds to 60 is plenty quick enough, I'd think. The Passat TDI does okay. 236 torque at 1500 revs helps.

The Passat has a combo of great mileage and a large-ish 18.5 gallon fuel tank.

 

[Knavish]

Is your priority saving $$ on gas or driving a (somewhat) nicer car?

If you're really wanting to save gas money and drive a sedan, don't forget the Camry Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

I know it's not the same class of vehicle but the 4 cylinder 2013 altima is rated only 3 mpg worse in mileage than that TDI and is many many thousands cheaper.

I am not a fan of VW but would probably take the TDI over the Genesis. It won't drive as powerfully though. Torque aside that TDI has what 140 horsepower. That is a slow car anyway you cut it.

Great recommendation.

 

[LTC8K6]

The Altima is also a nice combo of good mileage and a big fuel tank. It's also a mid 7 second car with the 4 cylinder.

 

[vi edit]

Yeah, at around 25k the Camry Hybrid is an interesting option. That battery pack mated to the 2.5L is actually reasonably peppy. 43/40 MPG. Long term maintenance will certainly be cheaper in the Toyota than the VW.

Altima would likely be even less.

 

[MDE]

With my Jetta TDI I'm getting 40 MPG on my 20 mile (one way) commute. Morning drive is 45-50 MPG (no traffic, few red lights), afternoon drive is 35-40 MPG (lots of traffic, more red lights). From what I've read, the Passat is as good, if not slightly better, and the TDIs only get more efficient as they age.

 

[power_hour]

TDI all the freaking way!

 

[master7045]

Wow, lots o love for the TDI. To be honest, it was the one I liked the most, but it is also a bit more expensive. I had no idea the Camary Hybrid was that "cheap". (let's be real, 25K is not a small amount of money). I've got spreadhseets out the wazoo comparing purchase price, monthly cost w/ different financing options, mpg comparassons against both cars we currently own, etc. I'll do some quick math and figure out the break even point on the TDI and post it later today. Hopefully will go out and test drive all the cars as well. Just as a FYI for everyone, I was also considering a sonata 2.0T and had the 2013 Altima on the list as well. The Altima, however, is the most expensive of the bunch w/ the options I want. (auto, leather & sunroof. Everything else is gravy). I'm beyond the point of needing flashy rims, red light drag racing props, or a thumping sound system.

EDIT: here is my running MPG/financing spreadsheet that I've been updating over the past few months....
Ignore the JSW (Jetta SportWagon), this column is for the Passat TDI. JSW is too small

 

[Zap]

Again, the Gene will come w/ the 10 yr/100K warranty...

Does it with CPO? The long warranty does NOT normally extend past the first owner of the vehicle, instead reverting to a shorter warranty.

I am not a fan of VW but would probably take the TDI over the Genesis. It won't drive as powerfully though. Torque aside that TDI has what 140 horsepower. That is a slow car anyway you cut it.

Chip it!

 

[vi edit]

I love VW, I really do. I've owned two of them in the past and totally enjoyed them. And I absolutely love the concept of the TDI...but spend some time reading the tdiclub forums. There are some scary things that can go bad with them. And not cheap scary things. I'm just very fearful in the lifelong cost of them. These aren't commercial diesel products built for longevity. They are very high tech designs with a lot of shit than can break on them.

There are horror stories with about any brand of car. But there seems to be a lot more for the tdi than others.

Don't let me be a negative nancy though...do your own dilligence.

 

[master7045]

I love VW, I really do. I've owned two of them in the past and totally enjoyed them. And I absolutely love the concept of the TDI...but spend some time reading the tdiclub forums. There are some scary things that can go bad with them. And not cheap scary things. I'm just very fearful in the lifelong cost of them. These aren't commercial diesel products built for longevity. They are very high tech designs with a lot of shit than can break on them.

There are horror stories with about any brand of car. But there seems to be a lot more for the tdi than others.

Don't let me be a negative nancy though...do your own dilligence.

I've spent a lot of time on the tdi forums lurking and I don't really see that many scary things. There are always gong to be issues w/ cars, but outside of some wind noise (due to a mirror design that was fixed half way through production), & excessive road noise, again due to cheap tires, they seem pretty robust. What have you read/heard? The one item that is a big ?? is the DSG and how well it will hold up over time. The Lexus I'm driving now is a 2001 w/ 212K miles on it. Original trans and all.

 

[master7045]

Does it with CPO? The long warranty does NOT normally extend past the first owner of the vehicle, instead reverting to a shorter warranty.

I believe the 10yr/100K powertrain warranty comes w/ the CPO, but the bumber <> bumper coverage is shortened.

EDIT from Hyundai.com...

A 10-Year/100,000-Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty from the original in-service date, plus the remainder of the 5-Year/60,000-Mile new vehicle limited warranty
A Comprehensive 150-Point Inspection thoroughly conducted by a Hyundai factory-trained technician
10-Year/Unlimited Mileage Roadside Assistance & 1st-Day Rental Car for covered repairs

 

[soccerballtux]

Get the VW Passat dude. With all thats going on in the World, fuel prices are only going to keep increasing. The days of paying 2 dollar a gallon for fuel is likely over for good.....unless you live in Saudi Arabia or something.

it's actually like $10 they sell all their oil to us. They don't have any refineries so have to ship it here, refine it, ship it back. Or something like that.

 

[tbike06]

I believe the 10yr/100K powertrain warranty comes w/ the CPO, but the bumber <> bumper coverage is shortened.

EDIT from Hyundai.com...

I just bought a CPO Elantra about a month ago, with a CPO you get the remainder of the bumper to bumper warranty and the remainder of the 10yr 100K powertrain as well. My car had about 40K miles on it so I get 20K bumper to bumper and 60K of powertrain warranty.

 

[Rezist]

I love VW, I really do. I've owned two of them in the past and totally enjoyed them. And I absolutely love the concept of the TDI...but spend some time reading the tdiclub forums. There are some scary things that can go bad with them. And not cheap scary things. I'm just very fearful in the lifelong cost of them. These aren't commercial diesel products built for longevity. They are very high tech designs with a lot of shit than can break on them.

There are horror stories with about any brand of car. But there seems to be a lot more for the tdi than others.

Don't let me be a negative nancy though...do your own dilligence.

In canada where it goes below -20c with regularity they fail soo much it's funny listen to people cry. First it's the fuel pump or injectors from the diesel gelling or starting the engine and driving cold

 

[pauldun170]

like the title says, which would you choose and why?

I like size and more luxurious feel of the genesis, but the 40MPG of the VW is hard to beat, esp since I drive ~35 miles each way to work. The CPO genesis is at 24,9K and a new 2012/13 Passat TDI w/ an auto & sunroof runs just shy of 27K. I haven't done the calculation just yet, but I think it would take a while for the higher MPGs to offset the extra 3 grand purchase price. Again, the Gene will come w/ the 10 yr/100K warranty... We'll now that I've typed it out, I think the Genesis is the winner, anyway, what does the AT crowd think?

Also, this would be used as a family hauler. The wife and 2 kiddos (2.5 year old + 1 month old) need to be carted around from time to time, hence the compassion of two large sedans, I'm tired of lugging the fam around in the WJ

personally...having the 2 kids I'd go for the one that had the most space in the back seat. Wide enough to squeeze an extra person in between the kids and enough distance where little feet have enough room to not kick the back of my seat.

Also...strollers eat up a lot of trunk space so factor that into the equation.

As for the commute\MPG situation..Hybrid if keeping the car past warranty period, TDI if you change up cars on a regular basis.

VW TDI could offer you years of trouble free service but it could also turn into an expensive nuisance mobile.

Will say that a friend has an older Passat diesel (owned it for many years) and it has been very good to him. He is the only person I've known who has been a long time VW owner with no issues.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

The Genesis I would imagine comes with a much higher level of features & amenities than any of the other cars listed in your spreadsheet.

A fully loaded TDI starts at $32K. Unsure of the Genesis your looking at include the technology package.

You have to decide if you want high MPG or power & handling. The Passat has gotten rave reviews, but the handling is poor & its not sporty.

The Passat TDI should be compared to other 4cyl cars like Accord, Fusion, Camry, Altima, - The Genesis is a premium car.

 

[madoka]

VW TDI could offer you years of trouble free service but it could also turn into an expensive nuisance mobile.

This.

Whatever you could save in gas could also be grossly overshadowed by repair bills with the VW. With my sister's VW, the repair bills got so high, so could no longer afford to maintain it after five years. It was really a crap shoot what expensive part was going to break next.

I'd go with the added luxury, power, and space of the Genesis if forced to choose between those two.

Otherwise, at that price point, I'd consider an Altima SV 2.5, Prius III or wait to see how the Fusion turns out.

 

[NAC]

I've spent a lot of time on the tdi forums lurking and I don't really see that many scary things. There are always gong to be issues w/ cars, but outside of some wind noise (due to a mirror design that was fixed half way through production), & excessive road noise, again due to cheap tires, they seem pretty robust. What have you read/heard? The one item that is a big ?? is the DSG and how well it will hold up over time. The Lexus I'm driving now is a 2001 w/ 212K miles on it. Original trans and all.

The scary things are the fuel pump failures, which require a rebuild of the fuel lines, pumps, injectors, whatever. "HPFP" - high pressure fuel pump. Many thousands of dollars. In some cases not covered under warranty - VW blamed water in the fuel. I wanted a new TDI last year, but avoided it for that reason. I don't know if they have effecitve preventative solutions for the problem(s), whatever the causes were.

I should add - I loved by 2002 TDI.

 

[master7045]

In regards to size, both are pretty comparable. The VW obviously has the mpg advantage, but gets a shady record when it comes to reliability. The Genesis is an entry-lux car, with a better warranty. I've sat in both and the cabin seems much more upscale in the Genesis. So basically I like the cabin/ creature comforts of the genesis, but it returns average MPGs. The TDI gets way better gas mileage, is brand new (albeit by 1 year), but that's about it... I have to look at the camary hybrid, but I don't think i'll be impressed. What I love about the Hyundai is that you get all the benefits of a luxmobile, w/o the cost. Will continue to beat my head against a wall and eventually come up w/ a decision.