Now on a Diesel Diet

We got a new car over the thanksgiving holiday... i guess i am late in posting about it now, aren't i?

We looked for a while, wanting something roomy, but with some style and has a solid, quiet ride. Gas mileage was also a large concern. Both of us had 2 door cars, we figured having a 4 door car would be a nice change also.

We looked at all the hybrid cars and a few others, and ended up getting a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI. It's their new diesel model. The thing has nice power with the diesel, the new generation diesels runs on the cleaner fuel, put out far less emissions that their predecessors and are far quieter. It gets crazy mileage also. With combined city & freeway, we have gotten 40mpg. The car also has a huge sunroof, which extends over the rear seats.

We haven't put in biodiesel yet, but there is a place in Brentwood which has it in their pumps, we may give it a try in a while. Of course the biodiesel is more pricey than regular. We have also noticed that the price of diesel varies widely between gas stations, far more than regular gas.The best diesel prices appear to be at the stations closer the freeways. The stations further from the freeway will often be $0.50 more a gallon.

Getting the car was kind of a crazy hassle. We drove a few cars months ago, and decided maybe we would wait until after the new year. Also the Sportwagon was a new model for the Jetta, so it was kinda rare, and the TDI engine was new & popular, making it kid of rare. Combining the two, a Jetta Sportwagon TDI ended up being impossible to find.We decided in November that maybe we would try to get the car before the holiday, and so I had to call around dealers. When we had talked to the dealers months before, they all said "we have no TDI wagons in stock, the one's arriving are pre-sold, you will probably have to order one." I checked all of the dealers websites from Marin to San Diego counties, eventually finding a car at the downtown Los Angeles dealer who's financing had fallen through. We were kind of hoping to get a color different than silver, since our 2 other cars were silver, but of course, the car is silver.