It's the question on hundreds of thousands of VW diesel owners' minds: what should I do?

Should I simply sell the car back to Volkswagen, now that I know what amount I'm likely to be offered, or should I wait to find out what any modifications might entail?

An article we did three weeks ago looking at the pros and cons proved surprisingly popular.

DON'T MISS: VW diesel deal: what should I do? Take buyback? Wait for updates?

So we decided to throw the question out to our Twitter followers as well, asking them what they would advise a VW diesel-owning friend to do.

The options were, essentially, to sell it back, find out about the modifications, sell it privately, or do nothing at all.

As it turns out, fully four-fifths of our (admittedly green) followers would advise their friend to make the car go away.

By far the majority—two-thirds of all the votes—suggested taking the buyback.

A smaller proportion, 15 percent, suggested that owners "sell the car," which we intended to mean on the private market.

ALSO SEE: Which electric car excites you the most? Our poll results

The do-nothing choice was a mere 9 percent, meaning that among our survey respondents, few seem to subscribe to an attitude more commonly seen on diesel forums.

That might best be described as, "I love my diesel VW just the way it is, and they'll pry the keys to it out of my cold, dead fingers."

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SE

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SE

Such an approach may work in states with minimal or no annual emission testing, but in California—where a large proportion of the affected 2.0-liter TDI diesel models were sold—regulators will likely require that cars show proof of modification if they are to remain registered after a certain date.

That's why owners express frustration with the uncertainty over modifications; the extent of the impacts to performance and fuel economy in VW diesels modified to meet the emission laws remains unknown, and they'll want to know that before they decide what to do.

CHECK OUT: FTC warns VW dealers not to mislead owners about buybacks

This poll didn't prove as popular as previous polls we've put out having to do with electric cars, especially future models.

But for VW owners, this one's an important and challenging decision, given that their diesel car could well be the second-most-expensive item they own.

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