Which car would you pick?

[sniperruff]

VW GTDI

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: wasamicron
It has an 8 year/80k warranty. I read where they had tested the battery up to 180k w/out the battery having any problems.

180k miles....great. What about time. My cell phone batteries last a 1.5 years tops. I'd imagine a hybrid sees harder useage. Just a thought.

My co-worker's wife wants a Civic hybrid. Even he's convinced the extended warranty is worthwhile (note: we're all cheap-skate engineers who think warranties are for suckers).

 

[JLGatsby]

Originally posted by: wasamicron
Something tells me that JLGatsby hasn't hugged a tree today!

Cut one down and leave it some greenie's front yard maybe.

 

[wasamicron]

Cut one down and leave it some greenie's front yard maybe.

LOL...I can't wait to put my GreenPeace and ACLU bumber stickers on her. j/k

 

[Siddhartha]

For fuel mileage, I would recommend any other small diesel besides the VW. I have major concerns about VW's quality and reliability issues.

Why doesn't anyone talk about the long term costs of running a hybrid? Battery maintainance and replacement costs for these type of cars must be amazing.

 

[Shlong]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: wasamicron
I thought about getting a regular civic, but the tax credit the hybrid will provide helps to make up the price difference.

What about when the battery pack needs to be replaced?

I know in Cali they carry an 8 year warranty but that's only because of a state mandate. Who knows when they'll actually need replacement.

I think the money you save from the fuel cost you would've used on the other vehicles will more than make up for a replacement battery. Out of those choices I would take the Civic Hybrid.

 

[preslove]

I would have gone for the diesel. The battery thing is gonna kill the value.

 

[Siddhartha]

I would get a non-hybrid Honda Civic. It will cost less and give you almost 40 mpg on the highway.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Shlong

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: wasamicron
I thought about getting a regular civic, but the tax credit the hybrid will provide helps to make up the price difference.

What about when the battery pack needs to be replaced?

I know in Cali they carry an 8 year warranty but that's only because of a state mandate. Who knows when they'll actually need replacement.

I think the money you save from the fuel cost you would've used on the other vehicles will more than make up for a replacement battery. Out of those choices I would take the Civic Hybrid.

Prius and Jetta have about the same economy. My understanding the Escape hybrid is a bit pricier than the others.

Plus, the tax credits are much lower on the Escape since its not as efficient and the Jetta doesn't get any since its a diesel.

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: Shlong

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: wasamicron
I thought about getting a regular civic, but the tax credit the hybrid will provide helps to make up the price difference.

What about when the battery pack needs to be replaced?

I know in Cali they carry an 8 year warranty but that's only because of a state mandate. Who knows when they'll actually need replacement.

I think the money you save from the fuel cost you would've used on the other vehicles will more than make up for a replacement battery. Out of those choices I would take the Civic Hybrid.

The 2005 Jetta diesel

MPG (city)
32

MPG (highway)
43

MPG (combined)
36

 

[NutBucket]

Real world hybrid mileage is NOT close to the EPA numbers. Check it out

 

[vi edit]

If it's highway miles you'd be better off going diesel or a civic. Hybrids only shine in stop and go traffic. That's where they maximize their economy. On the highway they fall flat.

 

[ponyo]

Regular Civic would have saved you the most money.

 

[Fenixgoon]

diesel FTW

 

[cmv]

Depends... Do you enjoy actual driving(*)? I'd get the Jetta TDI with a stick. I own a Jetta non-Diesel (couldn't find one in my price range used a while ago) and while it has it's faults it is a nice car to drive. My parents own a Prius and it is not a nice car to drive. It's not a car, it's an appliance. I drove it 600+ miles on a road trip so I had plenty of time to try it out. I think it's a really cool car but I don't like the feel (all those batteries down low and the off the line engine feel) and I think the gas savings are simply not as good as they need to be to sell me on it. I think my dad averages around 45 MPG which is great but... Economically, the Jetta TDI with a stick is probably a far better deal.

The only gotcha here is VW reliability. I've own a number of VWs and I am well aware of their ratings from Consumer Reports and others. I value the driving experience enough to accept the slightly higher odds of a defect. The new Jetta (99.5 to 2005.5) was just in my price range so I got a 99.5 2.0l. I've had the coil go bad and the catalytic convertor. I probably could have had the coil fixed under warranty but I needed my car and hadn't dealt with the local dealer yet so I coughed up $100 and replaced it myself. The catalytic convertor was replaced under the emissions warranty which was extended to 120,000 miles/10 years (not certain on the years) due to the known issue with the fuel system. I suspect the cat problem was due to first year of a new model but I haven't spent much time researching it. It does concern me as I typically keep cars until they die.

I did find Zimbrick VW in Madison, WI to be an excellent VW dealer and would recommend them. You might want to research your local VW dealers to determine how much they will go to bat for you on service issues. Having a good local dealer makes or breaks it for some people.

* - this isn't meant to start a flame fest... My 2.0l 99.5 Jetta is no sports car but it handles decently in the curves and is enjoyable to drive. I'm only pointing out that if you enjoy driving the hybrids may not satisfy you -- if you're on the fence, I'd try to find out if you can rent one for a week or two.

 

[bonkers325]

test drive them and find out for yourself

but dont get the escape hybrid

 

[marincounty]

Do not buy a diesel. You are polluting the world and giving us all cancer.
Also, those mileage figures for the diesels are complete bull. Consumer reports had a recent article on the fuel mileage debacle.
If you want the most reliable and cheapest ride per mile, it's going to be the Toyota or Honda. You're just asking for trouble with a VW, and Ford is just as bad if not worse.
Do the world a favor and don't buy diesel.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: marincounty
Do not buy a diesel. You are polluting the world and giving us all cancer.
Also, those mileage figures for the diesels are complete bull. Consumer reports had a recent article on the fuel mileage debacle.
If you want the most reliable and cheapest ride per mile, it's going to be the Toyota or Honda. You're just asking for trouble with a VW, and Ford is just as bad if not worse.
Do the world a favor and don't buy diesel.

God you're so full of it. Tree huggers in Europe love them. THEY ARE NOT DIRTY LIKE THEY USED TO BE. Get over it and deal with it.

 

[tennisflip]

Originally posted by: wasamicron
Well, I just got back from Honda dealer. They only had 1 Civic hybrid on the lot, and it was sold already. I had to test drive a regular Civic. I was impressed. Handles great w/ very responsive steering. So, to make a long story short, I ordered one w/ navigation system. Hopefully, I'll get it in 3 weeks. I had never been to a Honda dealer before, but was very satisfied w/ how things went. I had to pay MSRP, but they gave me more for my trade than I thought I'd get.

Congrats. What color did you choose? I saw a silver Civic hybrid w/blue interior and it was really nice.

 

[clickynext]

Toyota Yaris when it comes out (spring 2006). Around 40 mpg highway, and starts at a bit above $10,000. No point in saving money on gas when you're going to spend a lot more to buy the car.

 

[Pepsi90919]

holy crap guys HE ALREADY BOUGHT A CAR LIKE 30 POSTS AGO!

 

[wasamicron]

Congrats. What color did you choose? I saw a silver Civic hybrid w/blue interior and it was really nice.

Galaxy Gray Metallic (I would call it a platinum color).

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
holy crap guys HE ALREADY BOUGHT A CAR LIKE 30 POSTS AGO!

LOL!! I SO missed that! HI-LARIOUS!

 

[marincounty]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: marincounty
Do not buy a diesel. You are polluting the world and giving us all cancer.
Also, those mileage figures for the diesels are complete bull. Consumer reports had a recent article on the fuel mileage debacle.
If you want the most reliable and cheapest ride per mile, it's going to be the Toyota or Honda. You're just asking for trouble with a VW, and Ford is just as bad if not worse.
Do the world a favor and don't buy diesel.

God you're so full of it. Tree huggers in Europe love them. THEY ARE NOT DIRTY LIKE THEY USED TO BE. Get over it and deal with it.

Diesels are not now clean. GET OVER IT and DEAL WITH IT.
Tree huggers in Europe shower twice a week and call that clean, so what?
Nothing has changed with recent diesels, they are still killing lots of people.

Diesel Soot: A California Killer
In 2000, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimated that diesel PM was responsible for 70 percent of the state?s risk of cancer from airborne toxics (CARB, 2000c). Diesel engines often remain in operation for decades, with the older engines releasing the greatest amount of pollution. In 2004 alone, diesel pollution will cause an estimated 3,000 premature deaths in California?greater than the estimated 2,300 annual homicides in the state.1 In addition, diesel exhaust will cause an estimated 2,700 cases of chronic bronchitis and about 4,400 hospital admissions (including emergency room, or ER, visits) for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses every year. The cost of these health impacts is $21.5 billion per year.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/bi...s-to-californias-diesel-pollution.html

 

[Xyclone]

Civic hybrid, hands down.