[robchalmers]

Put simply VW diesels for the main part offer great FE

-Pre-97 IDI engines aren't the best FE wise but have a typical german, simple, over engineered feel and have 'falling off a wet log' level of ease to work on.

-97-2006 PDs simple Rock. period, especially the european 150bhp 1.9 golf gt-tdi it changed so many peoples view of diesels here in the uk, when it was released it was the fastest Golf you could buy - yep faster that the 150 1.8t! especially if you showed it a back road! YET they still had a top cog that would allow conformtable 50+mpg cruising without trying.

-later CRs and CR(DPFs) are just the next step, less stressed, more tech, just as bomb proof.

- As stated earlier, they take Huge amounts of mileage and abuse - just don't neglect them.

the whole cold start thing I think is a bit misleading. I mean I do A lot of Urban and short runs in my diesel Polo, and get 50 out of it, but my 1.4 petrol polo thet had Multipont injection , WAI and all manor of other cool stuff as standard could only manage creaping into the 40s, just, once. The diesel takes the same time to get warm as my petrol did. Not to mention if do short runs from cold in a petrol, you'll be on choke effectively as the ECU will ramp the mixture just like a diesel. Also you'll also get hotspotted in a petrol engine on shorts whereas the diesels 'slower' warm up is a more consitent (wish I could find that IR video of the start up of Gas and Diesel cars)