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What Car Would You Buy With Your Dieselgate Cash?

Bad news: You had to give up your five-year-old TDI Volkswagen; Good news: VW is giving you a check for $15,000.
www.thedrive.com

It’s true that Volkswagen is on the hook for buying back billions of dollars of emissions-noncompliant diesel cars. That means, TDI owners are getting checks, some for more than 150 percent of their cars’ pre-scandal bluebook value.

That sounds like a sweet deal. But what if, like many VW TDI owners, you really like your car? What do you do now? Do you put the money down on a new car — and what kind? Or do you buy something older and pay it off in full? Do you get something with diesel-level mileage? Or do you say screw it and buy a burnout machine? We covered this question on the site recently. Now we address it on AFTER/DRIVE.

This week, the guys from Classic Car Club Manhattan and I talk through some of the options a dieselgate-cash buyer might have when looking for a TDI replacement. It’s a Zac show, so you know the nerd factor is turned up to 11. 

Mike Spinelli Avatar

Mike Spinelli

VP of Content

A sucker for Ford-era Jaguar XJs and glitchy, early-90s BMW V12s, Mike was the founding editor of car culture site Jalopnik, and a former editor-in-chief of 0-60. He's also a co-host of the TV show /DRIVE on NBC Sports, which can be seen from time to time on NBCSN, usually after midnight.