[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by darcane

Well, I won't claim any real expertise here. I'm actually somewhat anti-VW, but there are tons of them around this area.

Anywho, a quick search on ye ol' list of Craig found four near me:
2005 VW Jetta tdi wagon 5speed manual GLS diesel only 92k mi
VW TDI WAGON, 2003 5spd manual trans, Baltic Green w/Black interior
2005 VW Jetta Wagon tdi - Rare 5 speed manual - Inspected & Serviced -
2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI Wagon - 5 speed manual

So, looks like they are available. Funny, three of those are also in Portland Craigslist (local to you?).

I'm almost as anti-VW as they come, but it's hard to pass on a 50 mpg oil burner with good interior room. Many of the Golf models are considered reliable cars by consumer reports, although the Jetta generally isn't for some reason.

Maybe I'm looking for a year 2002 or 2003 Mk4 TDI; one that doesn't have a lot of emission control devices and gets the best fuel economy. Fueleconomy.gov shows the '04 and later models getting 4 less mpg.

Portland is my market, so that is convenient, but Seattle is within the range I'm willing to travel. Besides, I haven't been to Sea-town since I was a kid.

As much as I dislike VW, I absolutely loath stealerships. I'm going to avoid them if at all possible, but sometimes that is the only option when looking for a rare vehicle. I still don't know why trading in vehicles is more popular than selling private party. All of my experiences have been very easy and pleasant. I made $1000 from purchasing an Outback, driving it for a month, and then selling it. I'd like to see someone pull that off with a dealer purchased vehicle.

I'm basically sold on either the TDI wagon, and old Subaru Legacy, a Corolla, or a 2nd gen Prius.