Volkswagen owners and long distance commuters I need some advice on a new vehicle

[timex69]

Hey guys
My wife just took a new job commuting over an hour 1 way and in a 2012 ram 1500 hemi we are racking up quite the fuel bill. I have had my eye on a VW jetta for quite some time but I want to know gas VS diesel which one you prefer. Im assuming the tdi is more fuel efficient but the initial purchase and maintainence should about balance it out with the gasser. Also assuming a tdi is plugged in how well do they start in -30. I live in Northern Saskatchewan and we freeze up at Halloween and thaw out around May. Also just curious how they handle snow for a small FWD car. Also if anyone can advise on other fuel efficient cars that would be great. I keep hearing the illusive 40 MPG by honda and toyota but my corolla got about 36 and people with newish civics are saying about the same. Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[86T3]

My wife has an 06 jetta tdi and it gets 43-47 mpg. Thats the good, the bad is that diesel is 40-50 cents more per gallon. VWs are an absolute to work on, i invent new swear words everytime i have to do something. The germans are so smart they needed to invent their own fastner, its called a triple square. Its basically a 12pt torx. A couple winters of salt and you can count on taking these stupid bolts out with a grinder, torch, drill, or a combination of the 3.
They are the worst front wheel drive vehicles in the snow. All jettas, not just diesel ones. I think the car is too light and the wheels are too wide. We have a set of winter wheels and aggresive tires that get put on if there is any chance of snow. And i put 100lbs in the trunk for good measure. They are really that bad.
We have never had an issue with cold starts, even with this cold winter it always starts right up with no trouble. Not sure how -30 would be but i wouldnt be afraid of it.
Now, my wife loves the car and it has been very dependable but we wont be getting another. Parts for VWs are very expensive, oil changes are expensive, and normal mechanics cant work on them. Even something as simple as an alignment needs to be done at the dealer. A local shop here has a state of the art alignment machine and thay cant do VWs. As for suggestions ive never had a honda that wasnt excellent in the snow and great on gas. I also heard the hyundis and kias are getting great milage and have really good warranties.

[timex69]

Thanks for all the info but the not being great in snow may be the deal breaker. I herd anything with a VW badge is expensive to work on and usually means going to the dealer for anything serious and now that's been confirmed. We have a 2005 kia rio as our secondary car but its uncomfortable, too small and only about 34 MPG not to mention the infamous MI Tec timing belt failure if not changed at exact intervals. When we go to the city (1.5 hrs each way) the kia is just brutally uncomfortable.

The wife likes the look of the Hyundai tucson but the problem with hyundai and kia is now there selling for prices comparable to the japaneese and american auto makers but you take a huge hit when you try and sell them, or so I think. my rio is 7 years old with about 55 000 miles and im having a hard time getting 2 grand. It would take a heck of a deal to get me in a korean car again at this point.

[sledcrazyinCT]

The new VWs do not have a block heater. If you park in a garage during winter it will always start. Coworker in Iowa had a -25 below stretch of temps this winter. He meant to pull it in his barn but forgot and it sat outside but still fired off easily.

Resale value on the TDI jetta is pretty good. We put over 100,000 miles on two 2012s before trading in and only did a tranny flush, tires and oil changes on them. Carmax offered $15,000 for them and were happy to buy them

[oldskool83]

I have a 2004 civic bought new with 183K miles now, biggest service was timing belt and water pump $400 with parts, there was a sensor in the tranny went out, $500. I use to drive drove 30+ miles 1 way with it. I always and still get 35-40 mpg on highway driving normal....I see not reason to buy VW diesel...I've been around the shops too long and seems they have a lot of issues and are expensive.

I only buy Honda and Dodges but that's just me.

I take mile to the dealer every 5K miles for oil changes and for the bigger stuff I let a friend work on it. I have never had a bill more then $120 at the dealer and most times it's just a oil change which is like $30...I can't even change it for $30 myself, get a vacuum and car wash and a free donut.

I say find a used clean civic, VW's are over rated in my mind. There's a reason all the poor college kids have them because they just running and cost nothing buy gas oil and air filters.

I am taking mine to the moon. Everyone tells me I need a new car but mine runs great with no issue and always get serviced correctly if there is an issue.

$20 of fuel last me a week and I normally drive about 175-200 miles a week, way down from 350-400 in which I use to drop like $40 bucks on fuel.