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OK, so what is out there?
Looks to me like we are pretty much limited to VW's, Mercedes, and trucks, in the US market.
Am I right in seeing that VW only offers the TDI on the Jetta?
I'm looking for something fun- a Golf would work, but I'd like other options (think Mazda 3, etc.)
I'm also wondering if there are any decent diesel people movers out there smaller than a Chevy Subdivision.
A diesel mini van would be nice, but I'm not aware of any.
Are you talking new or used? I assume used since you mention the Suburban, since they don't make a diesel Suburban anymore, but the other stuff you mention is all new.
Bryce
Oh yeah, and perhaps you should define fun, because "fun" and "diesel mini van" here on the hardcore sport car forum aren't really equating. 
Bryce
Remember that the VW diesels are not REALLY out yet. We have a demonstrator Jetta and it is awesome. I would not be afraid to autocross it ;)
VW used to offer the TDI in the Jetta's platform mates like the Golf and New Beetle, too.
For people movers, there are diesel Dodge Sprinters and Jeep Liberties.
The US companies haven't offered diesels in passenger cars since the '80s. I once saw one of the rare BMW powered Lincoln MK VIII diesels in a junkyard - that's about the only Ford diesel car I'm aware of in the US, and GM pretty much pulled out of the diesel car market after the Olds diesel fiasco.
There's a lot of chatter on the MINI boards about BMW getting a MINI diesel certified for all 50 states. Now, that might be fun. And economical as they are reporting an expected 50+ mpg highway.
Nashco wrote:Oh yeah, and perhaps you should define fun, because "fun" and "diesel mini van" here on the hardcore sport car forum aren't really equating.
Bryce
Does a diesel 2nd gen RX-7 sound like "fun"? My brother acquired a diesel swapped 7, not exactly fast, but moves pretty good. We plan on converting it to WVO this fall. It gets about 35-40 mpg mostly city driving.
Diesel release for VW is planned as : XXXX units of auto Jetta sedans, XXXX units of manual Jetta sedans XXXX units of auto Jetta Sportwagens XXXX units of Jetta Sportwagens then end of the prod year. 2010 will likely open up the flood gates for Rabbits, Passats, and Beetles.
The new TDi is awesome.
TDi is probably the most fun for a diesel, but even used ones are $$$$ if you can find one. Its like $6500 around here for just the engine/tranny/wiring for a swap into an older car. Even a nice 1.6 diesel 80s rabbit is close to $5k. I drove a Mercedes 240d 4 speed and it was more fun than i thought it might be, but from what I understand they shouldnt be driven over 65-70 mph for long periods of time which is too slow to be safe on the freeway around here. It didnt handle near as bad as I would have thought, and I had no problem getting it up to 70 mph in a reasonable amount of time getting on the freeway.
Fun is what you make of it. That's why some of us run around cones, others prefer the track, and others like to rock crawl... If the wife's TDI were a manual, it'd be more fun, but it's more fun than the Camry that she also looked at...
MSMatt:
at the same time Lincoln offered a turbo diesel Mark VII, Ford also offered a diesel in the Escort, Tempo (not sure about the Topax) and in the Ranger. I actually saw a new, in the early '80s, Tempo sitting on a Ford dealer's lot in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. It was loaded to the max, and I remember thinking "who, in their right mind, will buy a loaded Tempo...and one with a 55+ horsepower diesel engine/automatic combo?".
I thought Jeep pulled the plug on the diesel Liberty...at least temporarily, while "clean, low sulphur, diesel" was being phased in?
Cummins Powerstroke Duramax and to a lesser extent the 6.5
My Cummins Ram is a very fun truck to drive. Nothing like 700 ft/lbs of torque to get moving.
Want to combine fun and diesel? I just to a quick look at the UK Suzuki website, and on the other side of the world they are offered a diesel powered SX4 and Grand Vitara. There's also a small Suzuki offered in the UK called the Splash....not to be confused with a Ford Ranger of the same name. The Suzuki Splash is a Chevy Aveo sized car, also with available diesel power.
Diesel? Fun? Yes.
Im building one similar to that. 
Aren't you supposed to be relaxing at the beach?
im relaxing, just got back from blender shopping-forgot to pack one.
Uh-huh.
good luck finding a liberty, not a lot of them, plus they were not CA leagal, IIRC, so several other states frown on them till they have at least XXk miles on them
Travis_K wrote:I drove a Mercedes 240d 4 speed and it was more fun than i thought it might be, but from what I understand they shouldnt be driven over 65-70 mph for long periods of time
You misunderstood. It's NOT that they shouldn't be driven over 65-70...
It's that they CAN'T POSSIBLY go any faster than that!
But your contention that 65-70 isn't safe enough to drive on the freeway is just plain silly. My diesel is a 1984 Volvo. I drive it on the freeways at 55mph (=40mpg!) all day long. Stay in the right lane, be courteous, and it's plenty safe.
OK, I should have been more specific.
I am referring to 2 separate cars. I would call "fun" a car than can carve a corner, and have reasonable acceleration. In this respect , the TDI's would probably cut it, but I'd like to know if there is anything else out there.
Yeah, I was looking at new for a little bit, but the truth is I can't afford new. My "fun" car will be under $5K, preferably Challenge priced. I've thought several times about building an old school diesel VW with a sport suspension swap and a turbo. I'm asking more about what is out there ready out of the box.
The second vehicle I will be looking for is a people mover. Wife's car. She doesn't care about fun, just safe, comfortable, and reliable. I'd like to find this under $10K, but would max out at $15K. She formally drove a Suburban, and that is a little too big.
I've got an F-250 7.3L turbo that will one day be retired and sacrifice it's powerplant to a sub 2500 lb racer, but that's another story.
That Mercedes 190D rocks!!
Nashco wrote:Oh yeah, and perhaps you should define fun, because "fun" and "diesel mini van" here on the hardcore sport car forum aren't really equating.
Bryce
Umm Nashco...
Isn't this the place where people race minivans? For that matter, the Challenge has also seen Mercedes, Cavaliers, and even a Zamboni. Just what is it that doesn't "equate"??
If you think diesel isn't hardcore, check out that 190D, F-I racing, or my diesel truck!!
I had fun with my Soyburban today, I loaded the dog up and headed to the U-Pull junkyard. I burned a few gallons of free veggie oil in the process..but no corners were carved in the process.
If I were trying to do a fun diesel on the cheap, I'd start with a diesel Rabbit (or Rabbit pickup aka Caddy). You can get decent driveable Rabbits in the <$2k range, Caddies in the <$4k (they've really appreciated!). There really aren't many other smaller cars in the <$5k range that are diesels aside from some rare, random stuff (Escort, Peugeot 505, etc.). Depending on what your expectations are, something like an old Toyota pickup might be fun, or you could also do an engine swap with something like a Datsun Z car.
I stick by my diesel minivan not being a hardcore sport anything. When you can make your diesel minivan as fun as the challenge Zamboni, I'll be the first to congratulate you.
Bryce
I don't have an answer to your question, just a sweet video of a diesel Rabbit carving up an Autocross course.
