Mine is just about 6 years old. All the cars I was looking at (I looked at and drove nearly every one) was under $25k. One got significantly better gas mileage than the rest. Maintenance costs have been commensurate to other cars I’ve owned. As a result, I’ve spent less than half the money on gas as everyone I know with a similar commute, but a regular gas engine has.
[edit] somehow got to VW on a day that they had a TDI Jetta available for test drive, but the clutch was too damned heavy for full-time city driving, so I ruled it right out. It was two-three times heavier than my Acura’s clutch.
[edit 2] @chgoliz: doh! fixed.
