Dieselgate is fresh enough in people’s minds that trusting VW can be stretch. Today’s Golf is well-optioned but also rocks the TDI. Let’s see if its priced to make that stretch a little less sweat-inducing.

When it comes to cerveza, old is not so bold. Left open to the air just a few hours a cold refreshing beer will go warm, and worse, flat. Yuck. The same disdain for old and unappealing was laid upon yesterday’s . Rare it may have been, but that didn’t overcome its inherent decrepitude. Not even a rebuilt driveline could muster much love, and at $7,800, it went down in both flames and an 88 percent Crack Pipe loss. Geez, now I think we all need a beer.

Before we can crack open that nutritious breakfast brew, we have to take a look at this and see if it fares better than yesterday’s Corona.

The diesel’s days are numbered here in the States, at least as far as consumer cars go. Big trucks and transporters will still go the sloppy fuel route, but even those markets are seeing encroachments from electric alternatives. The metaphorical stake through the heart for the diesel car was, of course, Volkswagen’s shameful emissions cheating scandal.

That pretty much put a fork in the German carmaker’s diesel dreams and caused them to shift to electric motors for their market-demanded efficiency models. It also meant that the diesel models already on the market would have to serve to meet the demand. That has driven up their prices. Mazda, oddly enough, is debuting a that may fill the void, but we’ll just have to see how that goes.

This 2014 Golf TDI is kitted with a number of options that serve to make it even more desirable than just its bad-boy reputation. Key among those is a six-speed manual transmission.

Yes, VW shifters are generally notchier than a pair of cheap Channelocks, but the action is nothing you couldn’t get used to. Paired with the torquey 2-litre turbo-diesel four, it makes racking up impressive MPGs a heck of a lot of fun. Except in LA traffic—a manual in LA traffic can get old pretty damn quick.

Wrapped around that efficient if the besmirched drivetrain is a sixth-generation five-door body. It doesn’t seem like 2014 was all that long ago but here we are today when that year’s Golf is now two-generations back. Crazy!

That was the last year for the MKVI which had been introduced way back in 2008. The model runs on the PQ35 platform which was taken from the MKV edition making it even older under the skin. That’s okay though since Golfs are almost always good and this model enjoys some modernities along with its aversion to fuel-ups.

You get a moonroof here, and that sits atop a cloth interior featuring electric font seats and split-folding rears. The dashboard contains both automatic climate control and a stereo that also does navigation. Golf’s generally are both tastefully appointed and pretty well screwed together inside and this 24,000-mile example seems to support that reputation.

The exterior, in Reflex Silver Metallic, looks to be in as-new condition. Salamanca alloys underpin and look free from curb rash as well. One of the cool features of these cars is the external hatch lever which is also the rear VW badge. Flipping the top of that in to pop the latch allows access to the load area. That’s a whimsical little detail that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from the Germans.

The mechanicals are still covered by a 4yr/48K extended warranty, although it makes sense to look into the details before getting too excited about that. It’s also claimed to be a one-owner car and to carry a clean title.

I’m not going to say that this TDI is an exotic owing to its engine and options, regardless of it sharing dealer lot space with both a BMW i8 and Audi R8. It is a car that, outside of diesel VW fanbois (and gurls) is looked down upon even if it isn’t the model with the cheating heart. That all being said, it still seems like a compelling package, and, just like honest politicians, they ain’t making these anymore.

That drives prices up. The asking for this TDI is $15,999 and if you look around you’ll note that price is fairly high for a 2014 Golf that doesn’t have an R badge and a bad attitude. Of course, this TDI has heavy on the options and light on the miles, both of which make that price a bit more appealing. What you’re going to need to decide is whether they are appealing enough. What do you think, is this Golf a hole-in-one at that $15,999 asking? Or, is that price simply another VW scandal?

You decide!

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H/T to VBinNV for the hookup!

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