Hi There, and Merry Christmas

[vectorskink]

Hi there!
My name is Tim, and I've joined because my wife and I are very seriously considering buying a diesel Jetta or a Mazda 6 diesel very soon, and as part of my research, I need to ask a few questions.....

Coming from owning Toyota's (current car is a 2002 Camry Altise) all my life I was concerned about the servicing/parts costs of VW's, or any euro cars for that matter. In the latest Best Car of the Year awards the Jetta beat the Mazda in "running" costs, which surprised me very much.

How are people finding the diesel Jetta's? Any long term issues? Are they expensive to own?

Thanks heaps!

[GoLfMan]

I have a Polo TDi the service intervals are long and VW has been making diesels for decades. Really reliability of a VW diesel shouldnt be an issue for many hundreds of thousands of kilometers (Talk to brackie)
And parts in reality arent that expensive, sure it's euro but you get what you pay for really.
and from what i've heard people are loving their diesel Jetta's.... Im loving my Polo Tdi

[gtimk5]

Hi Tim, welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy it here, we do!!!
I think we only have 1 deisel Jetta owner here but we have a fair few TDI Golf owners. Have yet to hear anything bad about either yet, and the Golfs have been around for a couple of years.
I would guarrantee that the Jetta would be a very solid car when compared to the Mazda. They go extremely well too. They are VERY economical as well.
Once again mate, welcome and its good to have you here, Andrew

[brackie]

Welcome mate. Yes, Mazda has been making diesel cars since the early 80s. Some OK and some shockers. The basic 626/Capella was an OK diesel and very conventional with distributor-type injection pump, indirect injection, alloy head much the same as VW diesel but 2.0L. I had a 929 "grey import" 1985 model and it had the S2 diesel that was used in B series utes, vans and "Ford" econovans. Good solid motor with cast iron head and would go for ever if looked after. Mazda tried to wring more performance out of the 626 motor by turbo charging it then supercharging it. They improved the "go" but killed the reliability. I know of several owners of grey imports that blew heads (not just the gasket) and mostly ruined the engines. All of the 626 diesels have a poor name for longevity, and this is one of the strengths and major buying criteria for diesel cars.
VW diesels are tried and tested and even though we all now respect Japanese auto engineering have much better build and reliability.
I'm in no position to comment or compare the new Mazda 6 diesel as I have read little about them. This is always the case with entirely new models being brought out to Oz and it's always a risk when you buy one if you intend to keep it for a long time. If it's a case of trading it in when the warranty runs out then concern yourself with the dynamics of the car...performance, economy, comforts, price and above all safety.

[Jettinabout]

I have had a TDI Jetta since August (10000kms) and had a Subaru Liberty MY02 before...Suby was a lovely car but the Jetta is a step up and I have nothing but good things to say about it(they go like ****e and you have to actively think about the speed limit)....I love my days off, so I get to drive it.....stuff the Mazda.....

[wheelzy72]

Hi vectorskink I own a golf 5 tdi dsg it has done 31000km in 14months it just keeps going better and better, its even getting better on deisel, I would have bought a jetta but they wern't out at the time, I am workshop forman at local mazda dealership and would not think of trading the golf on a mazda6, two reasons 1 the golf is a brillant car, vbut the deisel mazda is only new and reliabilty is yet to be seen? I have had a dsg problem with my vw earlier though! Hope this helps

[Dr Spine]

Hi mate. I drive the GTI so am not here to talk about the benefits of either engine. My only input is this, the VW's are a step up in build quality (they just feel more solid! Have you heard that grest soild sound they make when you close the doors?). The ride and handling are great too.
If you can afford it go for the VW. I'm not sure how much dearer the VW is than the Mazda but I'd think it likely that the investment in the better car will pay off again and again.

[vectorskink]

Thanks for your comments guys!
My wife and I have discussed further based on your comments, and we are thinking the Jetta will be the way to go. We drove past a VW dealer in Lismore the other day and saw a Jetta on the lot as we drove past. They look rather small? We have two kids - the son is 11 months old, and the daughter is 2 3/4 years old - two child restraints in the back.....will it be big enough?

The thing that really sold us on the Jetta was that it had ESP as standard - very important, AND reverse parking sensors as well.
We hope to have a test drive in the next couple of days....

Both the Jetta and Mazda6 diesels are the same price for the configuration we want. The standard inclusions on the Jetta blows the Mazda out of the water!

[GoLfMan]

then Jetta is deceptively small on the outside... the boot is absolutely massive and a someone who i know recently bought one and he's about 6" 4' and he fits in with lots of leg room to spare for his kids.
go and check it out is the best option mate, but i seriously think the VW will be just a notch above the Mazda on refinement and build quality, also resale value!

[vectorskink]

I've been reading about 'modding' or 'chipping' the ECU of the TDI's to gain extra kW's and torque. Sounds good, but what are the long term ramifications of this? Why wouldn't have VW used these extra oomph settings as standard?
If it could be done safely, is it worth the extra money to get it done? Sure there is extra zip, but what about fuel economy?
Thanks guys.

EDIT - grammar