In a week I turn 40. So it’s time to go out and get the red sports car, right?

Well, it is red, although I don’t know of anyone who would call it a sports car. Yesterday I bought a 2002 VW Jetta TDI.

I found it on eBay and bought it in Richmond. One of the reasons I wanted a diesel, in addition to the close to 50 mpg fuel economy, is to be able to run biodiesel in it. So when I needed a ride to Richmond I asked Lyle to run me up there. He picked me up in his “convertable” – a Mercedes 380SL that has had a diesel engine put into it (I’m not sure what engine went into the thing as Lyle doesn’t know much about cars and less about displacement).

I bought it at a wholesaler and I think I got a good deal on it. I’ve been watching eBay and Autotrader for Jetta’s for over six months, and it is surprising how much older cars with high miles are going for. To find a late model car with low miles at a reasonable price seemed lucky, and it was about half the price of the Mini Cooper S I wanted, which made Andrea happy.

I’ll probably be blogging more about this car and my experiences with it elsewhere, but for now here are some pics.