STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Do you mean VW Jetta? Me and hubby both have VW's and love them! What year is it? My husband has taken it upon himself to learn quite a bit about VW's, so he may be of some assistance.

All right here is what I know about them (I know quite a bit about cars from my dad and I know quite a bit about diesel engines because I am an engineer for a transportation company and I am currently doing a project on them). I would be curious about the year on both of them. 114K isn't a ton of miles anymore, but after hitting 200K it's probably time for a new car because thats when they start needing a lot of work. Depending on what your dad does to rebuilt the car it may not be an issue. If he is just redoing body work then it will still be an issue, but if the front end is being redone (engine, transmission, replace belts, etc) then it will essentially be a brand new car with zero miles on it. One thing to keep in mind about a diesel is that they are a little louder than a gasoline power car. As far as resell goes, it will be difficult to sell once you get over 200K miles, even though you can claim the engine (if rebuilt) only has X miles on it. I'm not sure where you live, but right now the average price for diesel (according to the DOE) is 3.048 and it has been continually increasing (just like gasoline however). So I would factor that in as well, but with the higher mpg it's still going to be a better option as far as that goes. Diesel engines can have a few more mechanical problems, but overall I wouldn't factor that in. Also- I did a little research on the Jetta because I wasn't entire sure about it being higher maintance (bc of the car and not the diesel) and it appears it is common for them to have electrical problems, but I am not too familiar with them and ever car has some sort of problem like that.

My friend has a Santa Fe and loves it! It does get lower mpg and is a little bigger so I would factor those in for sure as negatives (if they are for you). The lower miles on it will definitely make it easier to resale. I am curious about the year model on this one because certain year models had more problems, but were fixed in the next version.

Utlimately, any car has negatives. I think in the end, at least what I would do, is go with the car that you want to drive more. A car is a reflection of you so I think you should enjoy driving it. I think they are both fairly equal as far as concerns should go. =)
Good luck!

Okay, admittedly I don't "know a lot about cars" in general, so take what I have to say with that in mind.

I have a Jetta (2000) and I love it! It's not diesel, but it's really really good on gas, and I know diesel is cheaper than gas, so I'm sure it would be even more fuel efficient than mine. I think it's a great car, runs really well and handles really well and I feel really safe with it on the highway.

Bad things about Jettas (and Volkswagens overall): they are really expensive to replace parts on and have work done on (especially if you go to the dealership-- they totally take advantage of you in my experience). The electronics of the car are really complex, which can also be a pain sometimes. For example, I got an automatic car starter installed in my car, and I had to take it in a couple of times because the wiring was so complicated, and it took forever to basically take apart the dash and put it back together.

Another thing to keep in mind with a diesel is that (according to my BF, who drives a diesel truck and knows A LOT about vehicles) you have take care of the engine a lot more than with a gas. Things like letting it heat up longer than gas (when it's cold... though I don't know where you live, so that might not be a problem for you anyway), plugging it in (again, if it's cold), and putting "conditioner" in when you fuel up every once in awhile.

Overall, I think Volkswagens are a great choice. In my experience (I've had lots of family that have owned them) they last forever and are most definitely reliable. Plus they're great looking cars, and as BF says, you get to be "one of those hot Jetta girls" haha

Sounds like you made a decision, and I think it was a good one. I didn't really get to ask hubby about them anymore, sorry. Hope you enjoy your new car!