Thinking about a diesel VDub?

[mookieo2]

I need to get a car preferably used, to use a a commuter. I have a jeep Grand Cherokee and get 17mpg. I drive at least 110 miles round trip to work mostly highway and about 35k a year. If I can get a car that gets 30mpg I can save over $200 a month which would hopefully cover the cost of the commuter plus save wear and tear on my jeep. I've seen used tdi's for under $10k. They say about 45mpg. Are they good reliable cars? I know VW has shit interiors and everything falls apart ( the few I have known people to own) but that's OK with me.

I was checking out some of these wvo bio-diesel kits. It looks pretty interesting. I have access to oil from the restaurants my business services. I can get as much as I need and have a few hours during the week to make it. The kits I saw online let you run both so if I don't have any Bio I can just run regular diesel.  Anyone have experience in this?

[ducpainter]

A couple of the local restaurant owners run veggie in several vehicles. They all use the heated tank systems and start on regular diesel.

[lethe]

I know nothing about the biodiesel kits but so far so good on my TDI. I bought it in August and am just over 30k on it so far with mid forties being the norm for the cold weather and more like 50+ when it was warmer out. Not sure how comparable mine is to the previous ones but I like it a lot.

[zooom]

I need to get a car preferably used, to use a a commuter. I have a jeep Grand Cherokee and get 17mpg. I drive at least 110 miles round trip to work mostly highway and about 35k a year. If I can get a car that gets 30mpg I can save over $200 a month which would hopefully cover the cost of the commuter plus save wear and tear on my jeep. I've seen used tdi's for under $10k. They say about 45mpg. Are they good reliable cars? I know VW has shit interiors and everything falls apart ( the few I have known people to own) but that's OK with me.

I was checking out some of these wvo bio-diesel kits. It looks pretty interesting. I have access to oil from the restaurants my business services. I can get as much as I need and have a few hours during the week to make it. The kits I saw online let you run both so if I don't have any Bio I can just run regular diesel.  Anyone have experience in this?

sounds like you'de be better off in a early to mid 80's Mercedes Benz 280D or 300D....just sayin...

[ducpainter]

sounds like you'de be better off in a early to mid 80's Mercedes Benz 280D or 300D....just sayin...

'cuz it's a better car. 

[lethe]

'cuz it's a better car. 

pfft, my TDI will crush it
hell the guy in the BMW 540i didn't know what hit him when I backed off from him before a corner, carried a hell of a lot more speed through it and shot past him on the straight at the exit and I was happy to see a Civic Si can't pull away from me when we are both going over 100 up a hill. 
Take that Grandpa's diesel 

[zooom]

some of you guys know...I have a thing for Dubs, and it is somewhat occupational...but I am being practical here...

the Benz has a better framework for doing a seperate tank and heater system if you are REALLY serious and if you are spending that many miles in something everyday...it might as well be damn comfortable...

otherwise...just buy one of these...

http://www.dieselbike.net/militaryproduction/militaryproduction.htm

[GAAN]

 

that and a new Aerostitch and I would be content...for a while

[geoffduc]

My wife has a 2.0TDi golf and gets 55+mpg driving local but when on a long run 65mpg is a regular figure on the dash board computer, Oh yeh did I tell you that at the moment diesel is around $2 a litre over here in the UK ... so good mileage is important...

[WarrenJ]

I have a little experience making bio-diesel using the fryer oil, NaOH and Methanol.  If you can get the pH down on the final product, it works pretty good but has more gelling problems than standard diesel in cold weather. 

[Drjones]

Just want to point out that $200/mo is $2400 a year, so you'd just be breaking even on that $10,000 commuter four(4) years from now.  Nothing wrong with looking to save on gas money, but just make sure the price of admission is worth it.

[il d00d]

Just want to point out that $200/mo is $2400 a year, so you'd just be breaking even on that $10,000 commuter four(4) years from now.  Nothing wrong with looking to save on gas money, but just make sure the price of admission is worth it.

I think the idea is that the car would pay for itself.  He would be netting whatever the car was worth after four years, not breaking even.  No matter how that works out, he would be doing better than paying the same amount in gas, taking additional depreciation on his Jeep, and not having another car with some equity in it.

+1 on the MB diesel.  I really like the looks of the late 70s (W123) models, but they're gutless in NA form, and the turbos are hard to find.  The 80s MBs are what I think of when someone says "stay classy", but I am sure it would make an excellent commuter.

[Le Pirate]

I'm a big fan of the VW TDi. As far as the quality goes, they have a bad reputation, but we have 4 of them in our family now and not one has experienced any problems. FWIW

I like the older Benz idea too. The engine is rock solid if I remember right. Something to consider though, if you have to fix anything on the Benz (and with a 20-30 year old car...that is quite likely) parts seem to be higher than even the VW parts. Something to think about.

[mookieo2]

Thanks guys. I can't see myself driving an old MB. Ill stick to a golf or Jetta. I dont need it to be a nice car. I already have a new 3 series. As far as money being saved, if I can break even in a few years that's ok with me. If gas goes up to $4 a gallon, driving  at least 550 miles a week /17mpg * $4 * 52 weeks =$6700. If diesel is $5 a gallon 550/45mpg*$5*52 =$3100 so in a year I could save over $3k. Most of the cars I could find were under $10 a lot were around 7 or 8 k. If I invest in the wvo setup for a grand ( it would be mostly as a hobby ) but if it works I could save even more after a year or two. That's just my reasoning let me know if it makes sense.

[zooom]

well...you can find Benz 300D's all day long in the 3-6 grand range in decent condition and it be a ready to rock and roll commuter with plenty of life left(SEEN MORE THAN A FEW MAKE IT WELL PAST 300,000 MILES)...it'll be an overall cheaper investment...still solid...better chassis and more room for the additional WVO parts you'll need to put in when you go that route...and Benz is pretty good about keeping parts around for their older models whereas VW is starting to work on phasing people out of their older VW's rather than encouraging ( with plentiful parts ability) them to keep them on the road long term for 30 years and a half million miles like they used to do...

I am a VW owner as well as a parts guy at a VW dealer....I am telling you what I am telling you for a reason(multiple actually)...I like to sell parts and make money and I hate to hear people pregnant dog...and most VW owners I see at my dealership in this area who run WVO are either so far off the reservation as far as personality and reality that it doesn't matter what you tell them ....or they are just hard headed and ignorant about all the damage they caused by doing some dumb shit themselves and are full of every other asshole's opinions from the internet as valid solid fact....