Awesome story, and congrats on the Jeep!

I was not aware that the 2-series was FWD, huh.

My 9th gen Civic Si was by far the best FWD car I’ve ever driven in the snow FWIW.

69 hundred? Nice.

I’ve created my own version of this, my “slow car fast” car. 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI with Golf R Suspension and sway bars, and a few Audi TTRS/S3 suspension bits. I thoroughly enjoy my commute with this, taking back roads and running it hard within the limits of the law. I completely understand what you’re saying.

There are a couple of things I’ve never understood about trucks. What really baffles me is the belief that trucks are better than cars in the snow. Most people don’t put winter tires on their trucks, and all terrain tires don’t have the sipes or rubber compounds that winter tires do, so they generally don’t do well in…

Alltrack is the correct answer. I was going to go in with a Jetta Sportwagen, but then I realized Alltrack is much more correct. Also, just going to say that there is no reason that a 2011 Honda Fit is unsafe...

On a bus on the way to the airport, so I guess it kinda counts? Anyway, a woman cutting her fingernails in the open on the bus, just letting them fly... It was disgusting.

Considering this is not from a VW dealer, and therefore not eligible for a certified warranty, this is WAY overpriced. Heck, we paid the same for my wife’s 2015 (mk7) Golf TDI 6MT last October with 16.5k on it, one owner, VA car, and with a CPO warranty. Crack Pipe.

My wife has a MK7 Golf, and I quite enjpy the interior. Other than a couple of poorly placed piano black bits (e-brake handle), It is a very good interior. 

At least it wasn't an XRS

This is incredible. Such attention to detail and thoroughness. I always look forward to your articles, Peter.

America is a weird place right now...

These definitely peaked between ‘99-’03. ‘04 was the first year of the PD motor. Regarding the carbon buildup, diesels like to be driven hard, and a good redline pull on a regular basis is good insurance against this. Bummer to hear about your issues. 

My wife and I both own dieselgate cars, my wife a 2015 Golf TDI and myself a 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Ours are both manuals, and I’ve been very impressed with the FE my wife sees (hand calc usually between 44-48mpg). IDParts is a great vendor for all maintenance items for these cars, and even conveniently sell…

I actually find the “certification” process somewhat comical. I recently purchased a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) VW, and looking at the “120 point inspection checklist” that I received at the time of purchase was hilarious. I don’t have it on hand so I can’t give an example, but there is absolutely NO way that any…

...so like the tubeless sealant that’s been used in mountain bike tires for almost 20 years? I’ve actually added my bicycle tire sealant to my motorcycle tires before to stop small leaks, works great!

That’s for sure! I hope it all works out for you, but yes, VT is very hard on cars.

This is awesome! This seems like what the original post should be... Nice work. I was going to say, I had a 2013 Civic Si and could easily achieve 36mpg without trying too hard. I’m not surprised that this does as well as it does. Very impressive setup, I bet this car is loads of fun.

Vermont is definitely very hard on cars. I’ve observed that particularly in the northeast kingdom, there are very few houses that don’t have at least one broken down car in the driveway. Between dirt roads, poor road conditions, and harsh winters (road salt), cars tend to die very quickly up there. Even being from New…