Euro members: Help a yank with a diesel rec for Eastern Europe
 

Hello,

New here, but bracing myself for a 3 year move to Sofia and double the fuel costs. I'm currently getting about 16 liters/100km in my gas guzzling 2007 Audi S6 and I think it makes sense to sell it and get a clean diesel. And as you know, we have a limited selection here in the US.

I'm looking for suggestions and used car sites for pricing out some options for a clean diesel. Here are my preferences:
- AWD
- Sedan or small SUV
- targeting 8 liters/100km in mixed use
- manual preferred

I'm hoping to find something a few years old, from 2010-2012 at about EUR 20-25K. At 8 l/100Km I estimate I'll save about EUR 1000/year in fuel, but I don't want to give that all back in depreciation.

What models should I look at and what are the best sites for used car shopping?

The Audi TDI's are nice. I was part of a group that drove a 2014 Audi Q5 TDI Quattro from LA to NYC this past fall. We did it in just over 46 hours, and we averaged almost 39 MPG (US).

was that the 2.0 TDI?

No, the 2014 Q5 has a 3.0 TDI.

There are lots of Audi variants that would suit your budget, keep an eye out for a Quattro and it has AWD. Audi's TDI engines are bombproof and can do hundreds of thousands miles with little fuss. Subaru also offer some good diesel boxer engines with AWD too, as an idea.

I was looking at S3 TDIs from a couple years back, but then I discovered they didn't come with Quattro in the US.

The first decision is to buy US or wait until after we get there and see what the market is like in Sofia. They have 2-4 yr old 3.0TDIs out there, some even with a manual - only new ones here.