Saying Goodbye to my B4

Yblocker

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
Oakland, CA
TDI
1997 Passat
Hi all. The time has come to move on. The B4 I have is a very "well sorted" example, and is rust free with decent black paint and leather interior. Selling it won't be easy because I have put so much work into it and I REALLY do like driving the car. Smooth. powerful. Economical.

We have too many cars around here, and my interests tend more towards camping and fishing. I just bought an '87 Westfalia that I intend to re-power (probably with a 2.5 Subaru and 5-speed locking transaxle).

My question is what I can reasonably ask for a nice B4? I have a sinking feeling that the market for these cars is dwindling fast. What do you guys think? $3,500? $5,000? I'll take a loss.........but that's how it works I guess.
 

BadMoonRising

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2018
Location
NJ
TDI
96 Passat Wagon
This makes me so sad! Around here (NJ/NY/PA) the pricing is all over the place, I'm always looking for them to flip

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk
 

Yblocker

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
Oakland, CA
TDI
1997 Passat
Thanks Steve-
I am a bit torn as the car really is in a good relaible place right now. And it just drives so damn well.
But I'm trying to pare down the fleet:

1956 F100 family heirloom with a sweet running 4-barrel Y-block that I built about 10 years ago- can't sell, don't want to sell.
2006 Outback- 130,000 miles, all wheel drive, great for ski trips and to carry guys for backpacking.
2014 Smart electric. Perfect for short trips around town.
1987 Westfalia. This is a new project I just bought and I may re-power it with a Subaru 2.5, an ALH or maybe a VW 1.8T. This is for the wife and I for camping.

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I just can't justify owning and maintaining 5 cars!
 
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Yblocker

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
Oakland, CA
TDI
1997 Passat
I posted my car on Craigslist a week ago. Based on the response I'm getting (0), the market appears to be rather soft for a $5,000 B4 Passat.
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
It is indeed, sadly.

Neat cars that you really don't see much on the roads these days, but no one seems willing to buy them and sink money into them.

My sedan needs to go as well, but it's difficult knowing the amount of money that's gone into it is just going to evaporate. But I have too many and not enough places to put them all or money to keep up on reg and insurance for them all every year.

Mk4s don't go for much money either unless it's a wagon. Even then, way less money for them now than a few years ago.
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
You should try eBay. Detail it, clean up the undercarriage and take pics, with it on a lift.

I remember a wagon that sold for $11k, on eBay... if it actually sold.

-Todd
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
Yeah, it's gonna be a real tough sell at $5k, I'm thinking you'll probably be getting somewhere in the $3k range for it, being it's a sedan. If it was a wagon being that clean would be in the $5k range. Real tough to find them clean and rust free like yours. I'd hold onto it till the gas prices spike, then you may get what you're asking.
 

Yblocker

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
Oakland, CA
TDI
1997 Passat
I don't have any kind of misconception that I'll ever get back what I put into the car. The $5,000 asking price is just something i puuled out of my ear really. The other factor is the price of diesel now. Here is the Bay Area, it's the most expensive fuel. The new regs for ships needing to run cleaner diesel may be a factor in rising demand, and meager supply.
 

turbodieseldyke

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Free Mustache Rides
TDI
98 jetta
It was the new tax imposed by the state, which hit diesel much, much harder than gas. There's a ballot measure, Prop 6, to repeal it, but ... good luck with that. It's ridiculously easy to scare some people into taxing themselves.
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
It was the new tax imposed by the state, which hit diesel much, much harder than gas. There's a ballot measure, Prop 6, to repeal it, but ... good luck with that. It's ridiculously easy to scare some people into taxing themselves.
You got that right... at least in this state that's the case.
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
It was the new tax imposed by the state, which hit diesel much, much harder than gas. There's a ballot measure, Prop 6, to repeal it, but ... good luck with that. It's ridiculously easy to scare some people into taxing themselves.
People are conned into these measures all too easily and they can almost never be undone. For an example look at the ACA and how difficult it's been to get that undone, and it will likely never be completely undone.

In Iowa a few years ago an additional tax on fuel (all fuel) was put through the legislature and it was done in a matter of days against opposition. It was accomplished because fuel costs were relatively low and the probability of getting it passed seemed to be very high. They did it so quickly so as to avoid growing protest from constituents. They knew if it dragged out that constituents would bring pressure to defeat it. It's the absolute worst kind of political abuse.

Ron Paul once famously said that every new piece of legislation always takes two more pieces of legislation to straighten out the original mess, and I think to a great extent he's right.

Steve
 
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