Acura/Honda vs Jetta TDi?

[geeman237]

I am on the lookout for a replacement for my 2000 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 with 262k miles and 15 year ownership. I'm an ex-Brit now living in the US. I want an estate (wagon to the locals) and have my eye on a couple of choices locally. I am not savvy on modern cars at all, my head is firmly in the classic world.

My criteria :
- Daily 20 mile round trip commute, mostly dual carriageway style road.
- Its just me, no wife or kids or pets.
- Only very occasional long journeys.
- Not too bothered about tech gadgets or high performance or even mpg for that matter.
- Do like a nice interior, comfortable ride, and something that will be reliable and not break the bank when/if something goes wrong.
- I do my own basic maintenance, oil changes, brakes etc.
- I'm looking to keep this car for at least another 10 years

Here are my two current top choices and I am asking PH'ers for some input on these two cars, mostly from a reliability/servicing point of view, and the background on the VW. Anyone any real knowledge on either of these cars?

Choice 1 : 2011 Acura TSX estate with 71k miles (I think these were sold as Honda Accords in the UK. Check out the listing and read the CarFax report.
The Good : Original one owner car with reasonable service history. Upmarket interior, all the bells and whistles (well, at least compared to my Jeep), should be reliable. Reasonable mileage.
The Bad : The cosmetics aren't great. Previous owner had a dog that appears to have scratched some of the plastic door handles, although these seem to be made from a poor material originally. Wheels were scuffed but have been repaired by the dealer, lots of minor paint scratches, again, dealer has taken car of the worst. The door exterior window seals are crumbling.going gooey and need to be replaced. Tyres are dry rotted and need to be replaced.

Acura Listing : https://www.mcdanielsacuraofcharleston.net/used/Ac...
Acura CarFax : https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx...

Choice 2 : 2014 VW Jetta 2.0 TDi Sportwagon with DSG gearbox and 51k miles
The Good : As new interior. Newer, cheaper and lower miles than the Acura, cosmetically so much better. One original local owner. It does appear to have had the VW 'dieselgate' updates complete.
The Bad : The CarFax shows two accidents. Its listed about $4000 below "book price'. You might also say the colour.

Jetta Listing : https://www.lowcountryvw.com/inventory/used-2014-v...
Jetta CarFax : https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx...

[Sc0tchland]

geeman237 said:

I am on the lookout for a replacement for my 2000 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 with 262k miles and 15 year ownership. I'm an ex-Brit now living in the US. I want an estate (wagon to the locals) and have my eye on a couple of choices locally. I am not savvy on modern cars at all, my head is firmly in the classic world.

Here in the UK we can't see those carfax pages

[geeman237]

Sc0tchland said:

Here in the UK we can't see those carfax pages

As in the links don’t work or the CarFax thing in general?

[Sc0tchland]

geeman237 said:

Sc0tchland said:

Here in the UK we can't see those carfax pages

As in the links don’t work or the CarFax thing in general?

Only works in America, I put an American VPN on and it worked OK. Turn it off and it throws you to an EU page with no information.
Quite a cool service though..

[geeman237]

Here are screenshots of the Acura Carfax







Here is the Jetta. I went to look at the Jetta again today. I looked carefully on the left side for any damage evidence. I reckon the complete sill was replaced. The bottom rear corner of the rear left door had a much closer gap than the right side. Makes me less interested, as there could be some misalignment.