by Smitty
The TDI diesel is reliable, gets great gas mileage, has decent power, and is available in a manual transmission. Automatic transmissions are as exciting as government entitlements to me. Your mileage may vary. Also, I would certainly have preferred to buy a Ford, except that Ford doesn’t seem to care fig #1 about the commuter market, not offering a diesel below the F350, for my scant research before shopping. I am the customer. Hear me roar on my blog about your need to target me, Ford.
Via Instapundit, those nice vampires of the UAW would like to give VW the suction treatment.
It’s hard for bailed-out GM to compete using $28/hour legacy auto assemblers when VW and other non-union transplants are paying $14-19/hour and (more important) don’t have to deal with UAW-negotiated work rules.
The UAW’s regulations, in 2008, resembled ObamaCare, and for the same reason: both are about preventing the thing they claim to facilitate.
Would #OccupyResoluteDesk and the Abominable Joe-man unleash the NRLB to screw over VW? Hm. The Toyota fracas of a couple years ago, and the Boeing kerfuffle in South Carolina: why, yes: yes, they might. They have to take time off from selling T-Shirts, but yeah.
Update: Best Social Program has linked and abused me at length for Un-American Activities. Sniff.
UPDATE (RSM): Welcome, Instapundit readers!
UPDATE III: linked by Dustbury.
it used to be that “if you build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” now it’s “build a better mousetrap and the government will penalize you for your ingenuity”
Laaaaaame. My family only buys American cars. To say they can’t compete with foreign cars is lunacy. Not buying an American car to “make a statement” is ridiculous too.
Oh, and VW was one of Hitler’s tools he made to help rebuild the German economy and war machine. 😉
Well, you, Hitler and I all use(d) the Roman alphabet. If everyone is ‘guilty’, then no one is guilty.
The Euro car makers have built auto Diesels over there, but the Ameritrash builders have not. They would have to go through the development process and that will take on the order 3-5 years to get an American TDI on the road in something like a Focus or Fusion.
They should have had one already. Laziness is probably the main reason for it.
I bought a Chevy Cruze Eco myself, because it gets diesel-like mileage with regular gas and if we don’t buy GM products and make them profitable, the Fed will NEVER LEAVE. I’m also a bit shy about German iron anymore after shelling out beaucoup $$$$ for repairs on my Audi.
And it has a 6-speed manual. Ford doesn’t on the Focus.
BTW, GM is considering a Cruze diesel for next year.
Hmmm…Some Chevys, Fords and Chryslers are made in Canada, so if you bought one of these, where’s your patriotism? The VW, as well as other “foreign” cars, are made right here in America so they are American made unlike the pos you might be driving…or pushing. 😉
The badge on the trunk means less than you think. I’d argue that my non-union, Ohio-built Acura is more “American” than your hypothetical UAW-built Chevy or Mexican-built Ford.
(The Jetta, by the way, is assembled in Mexico — which is neither here nor there, I just found it interesting.)
Oh, and speaking of Godwin, wasn’t American auto industry icon Alfred P. Sloan a big Hitler booster? (The Tingles of his day, you could say.) Just sayin’…
Nissan and Volkswagen both have manufacturing plants here in Tennessee; VW’s is new and bustling, Nissan is well-established and expanding to make the Leaf, an all-electric vehicle that’s nearly outselling the hybrid GM Dolt that recently pulled it’s fiery cars off the line.
Tennessee is a right-to-work State. Unions hate us for that; but the Americans who work for VW and Nissan are better cared for and have none of the ideological pressures applied by the LeftLibProgg Union thugs who run UAW.
Oh, and diesels are frowned upon by Nanny State because their emissions are hated, hated, HATED! by LeftLibProgg envirowhacks.
You could’ve had a Ford diesel that got 65 mpg, if you lived in Europe.
So, out of curiosity, why’d you go diesel, rather than, say, with a little direct-injected four-cylinder? Diesel’s rarely been an option in the cars I’ve looked at, so I’ve never had occasion to give it much thought.
And does your Jetta have urea injection? The only diesel I ever really took a good look at (an E-class) had it — I don’t know if that’s a common thing now, or just an excuse for another wealth transfer to Stuttgart every couple of years.
The cost-per-mile of the diesel is why.
Are you saying that not allowing the unions to feel the weight of their distorting the market is a bad thing?
Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff. Jeff.
That’s a big part of why I keep looking at Subarus. I’d rather give my money to American workers making a decent wage and a few Japanese executives than the UAW and a bunch of Obama-donating “Wall Street Money Men”.
I’d look at Ford, at least I would have until they announced they wouldn’t advertise on conservative talk radio.
Anybody know where the Nissan Frontier is made, offhand? EDIT: SMYRNA, TN! Hot damn!
I have a 2001 Frontier King Cab (TN made). Works great, routine maintenance has been pretty much it. My 92 Nissan Sentra before that was the same way. It sat in the freaking driveway for 5 years, and except for having to be jumped, drove away to a new owner who loved it at least 3 years longer (I moved then).
I love a truck made by a company whose odometer doesn’t roll until 1 million miles. Not there yet, but hopefully…
No, no. We must execute everyone and then the executioner must commit suicide. It’s the only way we can expiate our Caucasian guilt.
An excellent car. Outstanding mileage. Well done.
Smitty, you should check out TDIclub.com. It is a treasure trove of information for VW TDI owners.
I lived in Chattanooga for 35 years and read the news online for the city since I still have family there. VW came out and said they have no problem with the UAW trying to unionize there. My guess is they will be union before long. Chattanooga was a big union town for many years until the union strikes ran all the steel, textile, etc. businesses overseas. They build the Passat in Chattanooga.
Congrats on a well made economic decision.
However, it’s still a Volkswagen, so you lost one manhood point for the purchase.
For the record, I am bestsocialprogram. Just for clarification. It’s also my WordPress and Disqus name – again, for clarification.
Gee, aren’t you guys so clever! You seem to think that not only are all American cars built in Canada or Mexico (with whom we have NAFTA, though that’s beside the point), you seem to think that there is no such thing as “headquarters” or “non-manufacturing jobs.” All false points that prove your own laziness, not that of American car companies.
There is much more profit flow to the people who work in headquarters jobs, as well as to…. wait for it…. stockholders! Since most car companies are corporations, they have stockholders – to own the company, you need to have a majority of the stock. The owners of Honda, Toyota, VW, and other foreign brands are undoubtedly foreigners – thus making their companies foreign (remember, you seem to disregard the word “headquarters” – though if you did regard the word, you’d understand that having a foreign-based HQ really qualifies you as a foreign company).
As for cars that are built in Canada or Mexico, there are only about 4 or 5 GM vehicles produced in Canada, with a few more that are split between US and Mexican production (because they’re sold in both Mexico and the US, so they’re produced in their respective countries) – the rest of the items produced in Canada are engines. Why? Because GM doesn’t have to pay for their healthcare, so it’s cheaper for them. Do I support it? No. But, again, it’s a case of choosing between two evils. Support Japan, or support Canada and Mexico?
Oh, yes, Henry Ford was an anti-Semite. But while the records suggest that Ford’s and GM’s German subsidiaries were forced or heavily enticed to create Nazi vehicles (while the US government still kept up relations with Nazi Germany, mind you), VW was created in an effort to revitalize the German economy. For Pete’s sake, the translation is PEOPLES’ CAR. That’s pretty socialist if you ask me. For you Toyota, Isuzu, and Nissan fans, I hope you don’t think you’re somehow better than the German subsidiary companies because your beloved companies were creating Japanese vehicles. Mitsubishi fan? I hope you know that your company created guided missiles and bombers. Mitsubishi fighter planes were BELLIGERENT VESSELS in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
So don’t try to BS me with your “patriotism” argument. I’d much rather be flowing money to American workers than to foreigners who want nothing more than to grow their own power and influence, not ours. I’m not a Big Labor supporter, nor a supporter of the auto bailouts. I am NOT a supporter of Japan, South Korea, or Germany when it comes to a choice between them or the United States of America. If Big Labor is in our way, then we should work to take them down. Until them, I’m not looking forward to fueling growing foreign economies while ours continues to suffer drastically.
Ironic for a Jewish person, no?
Don’t call me a racist or whatever, because I happen to be Jewish as well.
Aww, come on, the Routan and Touareg aren’t manly?!
Nothing says you’ve got swagger like an old VW Golf though.
[…] by Smitty’s purchase of a foreign German car and how it actually ISN’T patriotic or economically smart to do so, I posted this […]
Well, let’s start with paragraph 1:
“You seem to think that not only are all American cars built in Canada or Mexico…”
Nope, didn’t imply that at all. (Did you miss “UAW-built Chevy”? Or are you unclear on what the “A” stands for?)
“…you seem to think that there is no such thing as “headquarters” or “non-manufacturing jobs.”
Didn’t imply that, either. And obviously you’re not familiar with the pitfalls of profit repatriation, nor the ownership of Toyota of AMERICA, Honda of AMERICA, etc. But that didn’t stop you from spouting off ignorantly, didn’t it?
Noisy and meaningless. I’m just gonna go ahead and tl;dr the rest of your pointless rant, if you don’t mind…kthxbai.
It may be one of those phrases we use without thinking, but “gas mileage”?
PSA: Don’t put gas in a Diesel. It would be … unwise.
Sorry, being a minority does not excuse racist behavior. I don’t care what they told you in diversity class.
You must be thinking of the Thing, a/k/a Kubelwagen.
Okay, didn’t like the gasDiesel comment … seriously though, if Ford had not (apparently) wet themselves when Toyota *spit* announced the Prius-V, and rolled out the C-Max Grand as planned (with the 2-3-2 seating), preferably with a small Diesel, that would have so totally rocked.
Or, if you’re determined to go Kraut, when is VW going to get off the dime and import the Touran??
Curse you, Daimler Benz dealers and your demon spawn, the “Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act” for killing the “grey market”.
Grrrrrrrrrr….
Okay, I’m off to hit the grog.
“…the Boeing kerfuffle in South Carolina…”
Funny you mention this. Boeing’s workers are represented by the IAM who, when negotiations went on too long, sought the best deal they could; all 737 work (including the MAX) in WA and a 6 year contract in exchange for allowing the SC 787 plant. So, the IAM is able to work constructively with the company whose workers it represents and seeks the best interest of those workers.
The UAW, in addition to running the Big 3 into the ground, also represented workers at the McDonnell Douglas plant in Long Beach CA. That plant is no more. Even Boeing, post MD merger, refused to move any 737 work there. Perhaps Detroit’s biggest problem isn’t “the unions” but, specifically, the UAW.
Ah yes I’ve worked in plants that were UAW. All in all I despised the management of those plants, short sighted, venal, corrupt, and unpleasant. Then there was the local and national UAW leadership….they made the plant management look like choir boys in comparison. I was working with a guy from Poland many years ago. He was real excited because he purchased his first NEW American made car. Next week he was in the dumps. He found out it was a collection of import parts from Mexico, Brazil, China, and who knows were else. He was especially upset that the engine was built in Mexico.
The Germans have made huge strides in acknowledging the severity of their historic crimes and have sought to rehabilitate their image. Indeed, they are the only nation to have done so. The French, Poles, Russians, Ukranians, Spaniards, Turks, etc. are still in total denial of their crimes against humanity over the years. I would sooner buy a VW car than put Michelin tires on it!
I owned a desil Rabbit in the late 70’s that got 50 mpg. Back then the motors were bullet proof but all the accessories wore out. Great car.
Any reason not to go with the Ford Fusion hybrid then? Better mileage than the Jetta, on regular gas.
I’m in the middle of replacing the exhaust and suspension wear parts in my 2000 New Beetle TDI (202,000 miles). I should get another 150-200,000 out of it before needing to replace. 45mpg on average. Had a lot of reliability issues (non-drivetrain) in the first 1K miles (VW’s late ’90s-early ’00s reliability stank). Been pretty reliable once all those items were repaired.
Nothing the ‘Big Three’ offers is of any interest to me at all. I keep trying different ones when I rent while traveling, and my reaction continues to be “meh.”
Diesel fuel is 40 cents a gallon more then regular gas.
VW’s are made in the US. Ford made most of the Nazi trucks. GM the cars. TOYOTA shares are bought and sold on NASDAQ. Chrysler is owned by FIAT. Fords new Mustang has a 6 speed German designed, Chinese made transmission.
I own a BMW X5 diesel and have written about it at my blog. I love it. Great gas mileage. Awesome power-and I save big $$ when you compare diesel prices to premium gas prices. In spring/summer/fall, diesel is cheaper than all gas (usually), and in winter it’s more expensive. Summer blends of gasoline cause gas prices to rise; and refineries shifting from producing diesel to heating oil in the winter cause diesel prices to rise.
[…] Smitty goes for big MPG numbers without big battery bulk: The TDI diesel is reliable, gets great gas mileage, has decent power, and is available in a manual transmission. Automatic transmissions are as exciting as government entitlements to me. Your mileage may vary. Also, I would certainly have preferred to buy a Ford, except that Ford doesn’t seem to care fig #1 about the commuter market, not offering a diesel below the F350, for my scant research before shopping. […]
Just spent a week flying down the Autobaun in a rental Ford Focus 1.6l diesel miniwagon. About 40mpg all around mileage, and no prob doing 100mph through the German countryside all day long. Very solid build quality – if you were blindfolded, you’d swear it was a 3 series BMW. Ah, well.
oh, and a six speed manual transmission, by the way….
and exactly where was your “american car” made, and with how muc american made parts.
so many are assembled in canada and mexico with a mix of foreign and domestic parts.
the only thing anymore that matters about buying an “american car” is if a CAR was ASSEMBLED in THE USA BY US WOrkERS.
kia georgia
honda ohio
vw tennessee
nissan tennessee
bmw small suv south carolina
mercedes suv alabama
et al
how much you get paid to shill for the United Auto Workers?
wow…stow that outdated opinion with “diesel’s are dirty ans noisy”
i bought a new 2005 e320 CDI
i still have it and it is still new
36 miles actual onhighway driving
700 miles plus on one tank of diesel
low maintenance
i will never get rid of this car
unlike the blu-tec diesel no urea to fool with or pay for!
I will never buy a GM or a Chrysler. All GM proved is if you inject $50 billion into a car company, you can keep it going for a while. The second thing GM proved is the President has the ability to screw the senior bondholders, steal their investment, and give it to the UAW who were junior bondholders. GM is going down. It is just a question of when. The taxpayers will never get paid back.
mercedes blue tec diesel has low enough emissions to be approved by nanny state california and new york for sale
MY E CLASS E320 DIESEL DOES NOT HAVE UREA
ALL CDI DO NOT
BLU-TEC DIESELS DO.
they have to say that now or the obama hoards from washington will descend on their heads
many of my jewish friends drive german cars and they have for many years…the world has changed, my friend
kudos on your diesel purchase! don’t forget a prime advantage of a diesel is that you can safely store a large amount of fuel onsite in case of emergencies. you know, extended power outages, fuel rationing, martial law…