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The New Rig
I am in the unfortunate situation of having to commute to work. Ideally, I would walk, bike, run or skateboard to Nau, but my current mortgage in a different zip code from work does not allow the luxury. Given my combustion-engine dependent situation, I wanted to re-evaluate as my old Volkswagen GTi moved its way into retirement. I needed a new (“new-to-meâ€?) car and I was hoping to minimize my impact, both environmentally and financially.
After hours on Yahoo Green Autos, fueleconomy.gov, greasecar.com and a host of other sites, I found a unique combination of features in the VW Golf TDI. (At the risk of sounding like Ron Popeil in a late night Ronco infomercial…) It gets 44 mpg, can run on biodiesel and is extremely fun to drive. Plus, once the warranty rolls off, you can convert it to run on fryer grease.
After even more hours of searching Craigslist and calling dealers, I managed to find one and only one used VW Golf TDI in a town three hours away. I bought the car from the owner’s parents because he had moved to NYC. They put him on the phone as they handed over the keys and he was nearly in tears to see the thing go. I promised to be a good new owner.
While driving is not the best route to work, I feel somewhat better knowing that my individual impact has been slightly mitigated. I’m not convinced biodiesel is the ultimate solution going forward, but it was something I could do now, while technology continues to progress.
13 Responses to “The New Rig”
We had this exact same dilemna just recently as well. We grabbed one of the last 2006 Golf TDI’s on the lot since VW wasn’t making any 2007 line of diesel makes.
All in all, we are happy with our choice, but hope that biodiesel access becomes more readily available here in Canada.
I am going through exactly the same dilemma right now. Fortunately, I do not require my car for commuting, just errands. As a result, I think I have my heart set on http://www.autoshare.com – http://www.zipcar.com seems to be the US equivalent.
I’m going to just play Devil’s Advocateâ„¢ here…but Portland is literally filled with zipcodes, as well as safe cycling paths and routes. You guys make good wet weather apparel, no?
Thanks for your contributions everybody.
Owen, nice work on the TDI purchase. I can’t wait for the new tier II diesel to release. I’ve heard rumors it will be 08. (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/04/08/new-york-auto-show-clean-diesel-jetta-sportwagen-coming-to-us-i/)
Matt, sounds like you’ve found a great solution. I’d love to be able to do that.
Fred, good point. Embarrassingly, I don’t live in Portland. Although, I’ve just started sharing a place in town in order to cut down on the commuting.
Pierce–thanks for the link–I was curious about that. I slowly improving my bike-commuting, currently doing about 2500 miles per year, and using a TDI Jetta running on biodiesel for the family and for kayak transport. We’re lucky in Boston to have biodiesel readily available–I wish this were true more widely.
It’s very inspiring to read websites like this where people’s commitment to changing the world one car and one life at a time is celebrated. OK, I gotta go work so I can afford a Shacket.
Sanjay
Boston, Mass.
Loved your article; the only new car I ever bought was when leadfree petrol became available to me. Just one point:
I live directly on a major trunk road and a few of the cars which whizz by burn frypan fat.
Firstly – this affects EVERYBODY – the stench is penetratingly vomit-inducing, and very persistent. Ten minutes after the car has gone you still know it has been here. Makes me personally thankful to each and every car owner who has NOT converted.
Secondly the only group really embracing the new development right from the start – the taxi-drivers – have moved back away from recycling frypan fat as it has proved massively destructive to the performance and life of the engines. Any financial gain on fuel costs has been more than offset by repair and replacement bills.
These are people whose vehicles are their livelihood. They aren’t conducting a survey on the new situation, they are living it. When they start voting with their feet I would think they have something worth listening to.
May you and all your colleagues have many years more pleasure with your wonderful workplace and success to all your ventures!
Faith Voigt, Germany
Hi everyone,
Sanjay,
Thanks for your positive comments. 2,500 miles bike commuting is impressive.
Faith,
thanks for the input on the grease performance. I am still in my initial stages of researching the conversion and any input is welcome. (Where in Germany are you? I used to work out of an office in Kochel Am See.)
Pierce
I live in Ostfriesland – totally flat and in its own way just as breathtakingly beautiful as your place. The nearest I ever got to Kochel was Oberammergau.
Thanks Faith- I’ll have to check it out sometime.
Are these cars pretty idiot-friendly? I know NOTHING about working on cars. And if I go to Yosemite, will black bears break into my car if it smells like the back of McDonalds? Thanks,
Yeah, the cars are very straight forward. It’s a production VW Golf.
Good question about bears and the fryer grease. I’m not sure. Thanks for contributing!
Hi Faith- some of us actually prefer the smell of burned veggie oil over regular diesel. Maybe you can encourage the car’s drivers to switch oil, some smells are better than others…
Pierce- black bears have been known to rip open cars for chap stick. If your tail pipe smells like burritos or Thai food… hmmm…..
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