[Vwdiesel] Basic questions from diesel owner wannabe

[Sandy Cameron]

At 01:54 AM 9/19/05 EDT, you wrote:
>In a message dated 9/18/2005 1:52:25 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
>AndrewBuc at staxman.net writes: 
>> I'd love to have a new TDI, but barring my winning the lotto, I think 
>> an early-90s Golf or Jetta ECODiesel would fit my budget--preferably a 
>> Jetta for the larger trunk. Are these cars fairly troublefree?
>> 
>> Andrew,  I've had A1's and A2's. The A2 Jetta can be a super car for the 
>money, but like with any car, so much of it > is the condition, condition,
etc, 
>> etc. Like any car, you get it to a good state of repair and it'll hang in
there 
>> for a while.  But these have pretty good engineering over all, and do very 
>> well for the investment, IMHO.  The A2 is quieter than the A1 and Rabbit.  
>> Simpler that the A3 or A4 TDI, which have electronics incorporated in the
fuel 
>> injection system. 

And remember not to pass up a gasser in good condition, to drop a diesel
engine into.

It's a simple bolt-in operation, I now own a realy nice 87 Carat diesel with
all the toys (not available from vw) curently an NA, but destined to become
a TD when the old 87 Jetta rots out and donates its engine.

Throughout the A2s, 85-92, everything fits everything, gas, diesel, etc.
There is a very large pool of gassers out there, some driven by little old
ladies, well cared for and low mileage. (Avoid automatics) Most old diesels
were bought by owners who wanted to drrrrrrrrrrrrrrive them, so are worn
out. (my jetta has 500,000kms on it, salty winters, advanced rust).

Inventory a couple of pristine gassers against the future. Here, once a car
is 20 years old, it drops off the regulatory radar for emission checks etc.
Old farts like me and hagar, in an old, but well kept VW diesel, become
invisible to authorities. I was driving on a country freeway the other day
and saw flashing lights behind, and when he got to me, I realized a recent
impalla was pacing me in my blind spot. He bagged her and let me go, with
the wind blowing in whats left of my gray hair.

Sandy