There's no major update for the MK3 Golf TDI yet. I picked up the car pictured below. It's an original 1997 Golf Variant Syncro (4 wheel drive) TDI!
Drove it 4,155km home in 3 days. A few things happened on the way:
1. Almost got ran off the road a couple times by gangstas in Detroit.
2. Stopped at Chicago VW to pick up a new thermostat - lots of employees were checking out the car.
3. Got scared when I stepped on a poisonous looking snake next to a diesel pump in Butte, Montana. It turned out to be a fake, and a lady working the gas station had a good laugh. I suspect that she put it there to make her dull days more interesting.
For those wondering what I'm going to do next:
1. Full bodywork+respray for both MK3s (make rust-free and ding-free).
2. New suspension+wheels for the Variant.
3. MK5 or MK6 seats in Variant?
3. HFLOX Warp 2 or 3 nozzles and a smoke-free ECU tune in the Variant.
It'll be a while before I do more engine modifications in either TDI. I'm tempted to drop a ~2010 CR140 TDI engine into the Variant and there won't be much worry about traction if I push 400ft-lb torque.. but the original engine is in such perfect shape - it runs like new with no smoke and no leaks.. so it'll be hard for me to chuck that out, for now!
Mark