Will TDI ever be available CA, NY, MA, ME?

I think it requires the low-sulphur fuel which I don't think arrives for at least another year or two.

yes you can buy a TDI in a neighboring state but I think California has managed to make it difficult by requiring that the car have 7500 miles on it before it's considered "used" and you can bring it in w/o trouble. You might have to find a friend in another state who will let you use his/her address to register the car for the first year there while you rack up some miles and then you later "move" to California. :)

No...you can't bring in a "new" TDI to Calif, as the car is not Calif Emissions Certified. Should you try and get around your Calif residency, you will need to be a cash buyer, as financing will be impossible to obtain, and you will need an out of state residence address to use. In addition, you would get the double hit for sales taxes, as Calif will come after you for the 7.xx% upon bringing a car from out of state. You can bring in a used TDI, that has over 7500 miles on the odometer and save the depreciation hit as well, as well as paying only for Calif taxes.

I'm pretty sure you can buy TDIs in California. Saw several Jettas last summer on the dealer lot in South San Francisco.

rgds Joel

lgcharlot wrote:

According to vw.com, neither 1.9 TDI nor V10 TDI models are available in CA, NY, MA, VT, or ME.

-- Mike Smith

You can buy 2004 and earlier TDI's...just not 2005 models. See

Typical California logic... How is a car going to pollute any less once it has 7500 miles on it?? There have to be some REAL geniuses running that state...

I keep hoping for the day that an earthquake causes the entire state to break off and float away...

Booker C. Bense

Indeed. Cali has boutique gas formu's, too - in NoCal the stuff is refined literally 15 miles away, and when we lived in SoCal they were even pumping some it right there in the basin. Still, prices are near $.50 above everywhere else b/c of the silly laws.

I would love that. Just moved to Yuma, Arizona, and I dearly miss the ocean!!

rgds Joel

Gee thanks from us here in Cali. I'm not really sure why anyone who lives elsewhere would care what we do here in California. Although the emissions and related laws here seem ridiculous, keep in mind that this is literally the car capitol of the world. The average family owns 2 cars in this state and nearly

I was discussing this with someone a few days ago. The refinary is less than an hour from were I live here in Souther California, but gas here is anywhere from

No you can't. TDIs were no longer available here starting with 2004 models when the 100hp PD version of the 1.9TDI (golf/jetta) and 134hp 2.0 PD TDI version (passat). The ones you saw were either brought in from out of state or were 2003 or older.

You couldn't buy the 2004s either. 2003 was the last year here. The PD engine (appeared for '04) cannot be had as new in CA.

and 2002 isn't "new".

Based on your post in teh no CAT thread, please do us all a favor and make sure you are at least visiting out there when it does....

Higher demand, relative to supply. Consider refinery capacity (that is making the CARB fuel) and the preponderance of gas guzzling vehicles. Fuel economy does not appear to be a high priority among most vehicle buyers in California (yes, there are few buying Priuses, wondering how to get TDIs, or buying small cars specifically for fuel economy, but that number is dwarfed by those buying giant SUVs and the like).

True, and another reason why the seemingly silly emissions laws are in effect in such number here. And another reason why gas made for California isn't as good as what's sold in a lot of the rest of the country. Steve Grauman

I dunno about that. Even the biggest, thirstiest SUV made today is much, much cleaner than just about any car from the '70s or '80s. The problem isn't all the *new* cars, it's all the *old* ones.

-- Mike Smith

You're missing a vital point here: If they burn more fuel, they HAVE to emit more HC's, NOx, etc....for stoichiometry, you put more in you will get more out.

Though, not due to government regulations. If the car is 50-state compliant, you can haul it in and drive it with a few hundred dollars in state-to-state transfer fees.

Las Vegas is a good place to look - tons of used and new TDIs and a short drive to California.