Jumpin ship From Honda/acura To Volkswagen

[BrooklynRacer]

I just recently had my Acura stolen...
I dont want to go through that again so i am staying away form Honda, Toyota and Nissan for my next car...
I am considering a Jetta for a new buy but have some questions...
Is the engine a interference or non interference...
Are Volkswagens as popular among thieves as Honda/Acura..
I cant find the diesel powered version of the car anywhere, is it available in the US.
and finally what is the gas mileage on these cars?

[an204421]

i think volkswagons are rarely stolen vehicles, this is because they are a hard vehicle to steal, they have lazer cut keys and the car will not start without it. the diesel cars are sold in america but they sell fast and are sometimes hard to find, a diesel jetta will get anywhere from 40-50 mpg, the 1.8T gets 25-30 mpg, the 2.0 gets 30-35 mpg, and the vr6 gets 20-25 mpg

[nicoleos]

Alright first of all, not all VWs have laser cut keys. And second, what VW do you drive? My MKIII gets 25-30 on my BEST day. Compared to hondas, the gas mileage is horrible. I had a '95 civic that got almost 40 mpg. They are not as reliable or as easy to fix as a honda... but what is?!?

[gtrgib]

Just get a Corolla, nobody will ever bother to steal that crap.

[Igovert500]

You can call your insurance provider and ask them the statistics of what gets stolen more/less however, just because the car is statistically less likely to be stolen, doesn't protect you from anything..obviously.

To research mpg, www.vehix.com and www.cars.com are quick ways to find out.

[SnoopisTDI]

Judging by your screenname, I'm going to guess that you are in the state of New York. New York is one of the states that follows CARB emissions laws, so you will not be able to get a new TDI. Well, you might be able to find some exception in the law, but it won't be easy.

Personally, I'd rather have a 2003 or older anyway if you're looking at diesel. They have less problems, get better mileage, and are easier to mod. My worst mileage was 38.6mpg, and that was all short trips in city driving during the winter. Best was 54.6mpg, just cruising along about 65mph. You can get more info the TDI at www.tdiclub.com

I don't know how often VW's are stolen, but they are really easy to break into- not a big deal though, at least they won't have to break your window.

[zparker]

volkswagens are very hard to steal due to the fact that was stated about the laser keys but also the cars have a imobilizer code that is stored in each key. meaning there is a little chip in the key that stores the code and if it dont match the car will start for about 2 seconds and die then not start at all. so if you get one "DONT drive with all the keys ie.. vallet and regular on the same ring" it can cause the car to act up...or kill the coding in the keys. I am a vw tech in houston. seen it happen and reprogrammed many keys.

[vwjetta96]

I can't comment on all the things you asked but I would not buy a newer Jetta (the ones from Mexico) because they have many electrical problems. I have a 96 also from Mexico and almost everything is manual on it just to be safe. The mileage is really good on mine its a 2.0 and I usually drive on the highway. I get to Approx 600km with a full tank.
1.6 averages at 6.9L/100km
2.0 averages at 2.0L/100km
1.9TDI averages at 5.2L/100km
These are datas on original German VWs and year2003 since you said you want a new one.

If you choose and older model (I think under 98-2000 but I might be wrong) they don't have that cool secure key. I know I don't.

I love German cars and I'd vouch for them anytime so depending on the crime rate I'd really recommend it. The insurance is higher than Hondas and the parts are more expensive and harder to find.

I think that insurance companies should have data on the "popularity" of Jettas.