Total Operating Expenses: 2017 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition

Important Numbers: 2017 VW Jetta TSI Wolfsburg Edition as of Sept. 25, 2022

• Fuel cost per km: $0.10 (Canada, southwestern Ontario)

• Total cost to run car per km: $0.43*

• Fuel consumption: 8.06 litres/100 km (This climbs during the winter months as I do more in-city driving at that time. Annually, I've averaged about 9,200 km.) 

•  Present distance travelled: 57441 km
  

• Total Fuel used: 4,629.11 litres

• Total Fuel cost: $5,531.99

• Total "directly" out-of-pocket expenses: $24,821.04**

(** The above includes down payment, monthly car payments, fuel costs, all maintenance charges, insurance, car washes, parking, etc.)
* Will change over time.
______________________________________________________________________

I had a 2011 diesel-powered VW Jetta TDI. Because of the diesel scandal, VW bought the car back at fair market value. VW Canada also paid a bonus to make full amends for their questionable TDI claims. All in all, I got $16,700 which I put towards the purchase of my present 2017 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition TSI.

The only complaint I have with the car is the finish. Before I took possession of my black Jetta, it was parked where the paint surface was damaged. Before delivery, the dealer buffed the car but the paint, especially all the top surfaces (roof, hood, trunk), remains badly scarred.

In bright sunlight from the right angle, the swirl marks caused by the dealer's buffer are visible. This sounds worse than it is but I am sure when I go to trade in this car the paint finish will be a problem. For this reason, I will be keeping this car for a long time. Luckily, I love the car and keeping it is not a problem.

On the plus side, I have come to trust Greg Wagner, a service advisor at Dalmar Motors in London. He's been a very decent fellow and I do not hesitate to recommend Dalmar to others based to a great extent on my good experiences with Greg Wagner.

I have a spreadsheet tracking all costs. The numbers in this post are from that spreadsheet. If you have been following this post for sometime, you will have noticed that the costs have been going up recently. For instance, the price of gasoline has soared recently and my gas cost per km has gone up a penny. I had thought the longer I kept the car, the cheaper the running costs. Inflation has stood that belief on its head.