What to look for when purchasing older Jetta TDI

bravo69 · Oct 14, 2018

Hello,

I am about to see 2003 Jetta TDI manual for sale in NY with 144k miles. It appears in good shape.

can you help what to look for?

I want to make sure it has the alh motor. Can that be identified from the VIN or is it assumed because of the make/year?

I would expect some rust near fender well.

time belt was changed not sure when.

what maintenance is expected?

what mod's can be done?

Thank you

KyleMillione · Oct 14, 2018

Ok here’s the deal. If it’s actually an 03 it should be an ALH. Pop the hood and if the 1st thing you see is an injection pump it’s an ALH. I’d check for rust on the rockers, they are part of the unibody. Fenders can be replaced for afew bucks from a dead 1.8t that’s the same color at the scrapyard. If there’s no info on timing belt it must be done right away. 144k is about the upper limit of pushing it, and if the people that have it don’t care/know it has to be changed at 100k (some people are convinced it’s not worth doing because the car is at “end of life” according to the American way).

tdi-eyed · Oct 14, 2018

Well, and there's always the issue of 01m/automatic vs. 5-speed tranny. I would run vcds or codes for any vehicle, including trans if it is an automatic. see it and start it when its stone cold .....

bravo69 · Oct 15, 2018

Offinchurch said:
If you have vcds I would make sure that it is actually low miles. I just bought one with "148,000" mile on it after looking closer it had a little more wear and tear underneath than i thought it should, so I bought vcds before spending any money on it. Turns out the junker has 258,000 miles on it.

the vcds tells you actual mileage?

IndigoBlueWagon · Oct 15, 2018

Ditto on the rocker rust. Check the trunk lid, too, as they can rust near the license plate.

My rule of thumb is that most of these cars need about $2K in catch-up maintenance when purchased. I bet it has the original suspension, which I can assure you is worn out. Probably needs control arm bushings too, maybe rear axle bushings. Probably needs a turbo actuator at minimum if that's never been replaced. And it may have the original front brake pads and rotors. If you have someone do the work you're already approaching $2K for parts and labor. Factor this into your negotiations, and of course you can re-calculate if the seller has done some of that work, and re-calculate again if there's other things wrong that I didn't mention (there's usually one "surprise.").

Rocker rust repair is very expensive. You can do a cosmetic fix, but it won't last. Keep that in mind. As mentioned above, fenders are cheap.

WildChild80 · Oct 15, 2018

Offinchurch said:
If you have vcds I would make sure that it is actually low miles. I just bought one with "148,000" mile on it after looking closer it had a little more wear and tear underneath than i thought it should, so I bought vcds before spending any money on it. Turns out the junker has 258,000 miles on it.

That could also mean the ECU was swapped.

I've seen low mile cars beat to death by God knows what and I've seen high mile cars that look like a time capsule. That's a huge part if why I bought my 2000 base model, it looked like time stood still minus the head liner, door panels and paint and it has 302k miles, bought it with 297k and was a one owner car.

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KyleMillione · Oct 15, 2018

Offinchurch said:
If you have vcds I would make sure that it is actually low miles. I just bought one with "148,000" mile on it after looking closer it had a little more wear and tear underneath than i thought it should, so I bought vcds before spending any money on it. Turns out the junker has 258,000 miles on it.

If the computer was changed, they may not have updated the mileage when it was put in. Also I wouldn’t call 248k a jukner, it has lower mileage than both of mine. Honestly it doesn’t matter much on these things if they’re maintained properly. One of my buddies has one with 500k on it, and you really can’t tell the difference driving his and mine.

WildChild80 · Oct 15, 2018

Offinchurch said:
If the computer was changed would the vin still match the car? The vin that vcds pick up is the same as the car.

I thought it was all programmable but maybe not. I'm not there yet ..I know my ECU has been swapped because me and my buddy bricked the ECU when he owned it trying to code keys. I'll see if I can read my vin later today or tomorrow, I need to put it back in mellow mode to save fuel but I'm chopping up a tree right now

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WildChild80 · Oct 15, 2018

KyleMillione said:
If the computer was changed, they may not have updated the mileage when it was put in. Also I wouldn’t call 248k a jukner, it has lower mileage than both of mine. Honestly it doesn’t matter much on these things if they’re maintained properly. One of my buddies has one with 500k on it, and you really can’t tell the difference driving his and mine.

My 2000 drives like a new car from the shifter to how it handles and it's got 302k miles on it, I did replace everything except struts and bearings on the front though

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bravo69 · Oct 16, 2018

KyleMillione said:
If the computer was changed, they may not have updated the mileage when it was put in. Also I wouldn’t call 248k a jukner, it has lower mileage than both of mine. Honestly it doesn’t matter much on these things if they’re maintained properly. One of my buddies has one with 500k on it, and you really can’t tell the difference driving his and mine.

really great info. The car I want to buy is 2.5 hrs away and when I asked for the VIN he got very defensive and just wanted me to buy the car without asking so many questions. He is Mexican and may not know how and why we need the VIN. I may avoid buying this one. I really need to know what I am getting into before I put time on the road.

I would ask my mechanic if I can borrow his vcds before I go check out another car.

CleverUserName · Oct 16, 2018

bravo69 said:
really great info. The car I want to buy is 2.5 hrs away and when I asked for the VIN he got very defensive and just wanted me to buy the car without asking so many questions. He is Mexican and may not know how and why we need the VIN. I may avoid buying this one. I really need to know what I am getting into before I put time on the road.
I would ask my mechanic if I can borrow his vcds before I go check out another car.

He may be a curbstoner and the vehicle could be in someone else's name. I believe they call this "Title Skipping" or "Title Jumping". I do not buy cars from these people as I have had numerous negative experiences with them before I understood about this whole game.

It's in your best interest to ask questions. VIN or license plate is necessary to run a carfax report. Although the Carfax info has flaws, it still can tell you about the title and if the seller is being honest. Buying a car off of craigslist or any other classified ad is like walking through a minefield.

IndigoBlueWagon · Oct 16, 2018

When looking for an older TDI, (or perhaps any older car), I prefer to buy from the original or, at least, a long time owner. The owner should know something about the car, although he or she doesn't have to be an expert. And I'm not a stickler for service history (and I don't find Carfax particularly useful on older cars), but I do like to know that one shop or individual has taken good care of the car during its life. I don't mind if the car needs catch-up maintenance. And I tend to avoid heavily modded cars (I guess that would include my own

).

Example: My son totaled his '00 Golf a few years ago, skidded on ice. I found a car here that the owner had posted without pictures or a price. It was less than two hours from me so after talking to him I gambled on taking a look. '02 Golf, 245K miles. The miles put me off, but he was the original owner, the car had been garaged a lot of its life, and it was cared for by one of the best TDI gurus in the Northeast. It needed some work, but nothing insurmountable. Long story short, my son has driven the car over 100K miles in the last four years, it's only needed routine maintenance and wear items, and it is one of the best running TDIs I've driven. And it was very inexpensive. That's the kind of thing I'd look for.

bravo69 · Oct 16, 2018

IndigoBlueWagon said:
When looking for an older TDI, (or perhaps any older car), I prefer to buy from the original or, at least, a long time owner. The owner should know something about the car, although he or she doesn't have to be an expert. And I'm not a stickler for service history (and I don't find Carfax particularly useful on older cars), but I do like to know that one shop or individual has taken good care of the car during its life. I don't mind if the car needs catch-up maintenance. And I tend to avoid heavily modded cars (I guess that would include my own ).

Example: My son totaled his '00 Golf a few years ago, skidded on ice. I found a car here that the owner had posted without pictures or a price. It was less than two hours from me so after talking to him I gambled on taking a look. '02 Golf, 245K miles. The miles put me off, but he was the original owner, the car had been garaged a lot of its life, and it was cared for by one of the best TDI gurus in the Northeast. It needed some work, but nothing insurmountable. Long story short, my son has driven the car over 100K miles in the last four years, it's only needed routine maintenance and wear items, and it is one of the best running TDIs I've driven. And it was very inexpensive. That's the kind of thing I'd look for.

I have a choice to buy from a small dealer (not original owner) with only 95k miles or buy from 2nd owner who loves the car, hard to part with and has a ton of info but it has 158k miles. both around the same price and travel distance apart

IndigoBlueWagon · Oct 16, 2018

95K miles is pretty attractive. I'd look at a Carfax and see how many owners it had. If it's only one or two that may be worth considering. But 60K miles isn't a ton on these cars. If those are MKIV cars both are very low miles.

bravo69 · Oct 16, 2018

IndigoBlueWagon said:
When looking for an older TDI, (or perhaps any older car), I prefer to buy from the original or, at least, a long time owner. The owner should know something about the car, although he or she doesn't have to be an expert. And I'm not a stickler for service history (and I don't find Carfax particularly useful on older cars), but I do like to know that one shop or individual has taken good care of the car during its life. I don't mind if the car needs catch-up maintenance. And I tend to avoid heavily modded cars (I guess that would include my own ).

Example: My son totaled his '00 Golf a few years ago, skidded on ice. I found a car here that the owner had posted without pictures or a price. It was less than two hours from me so after talking to him I gambled on taking a look. '02 Golf, 245K miles. The miles put me off, but he was the original owner, the car had been garaged a lot of its life, and it was cared for by one of the best TDI gurus in the Northeast. It needed some work, but nothing insurmountable. Long story short, my son has driven the car over 100K miles in the last four years, it's only needed routine maintenance and wear items, and it is one of the best running TDIs I've driven. And it was very inexpensive. That's the kind of thing I'd look for.

do you or anyone know if there are any issues with the newer used vw tdi's from the diesel fix? I heard only 2015 is the only year where there were no or very minor changes. too soon to tell? still contemplating on getting a newer used 2015 or older 2003.

IndigoBlueWagon · Oct 16, 2018

Too soon to tell. But we an IDParts team member with a fixed '10 that's been trouble free. His was the first car our local dealer fixed, so it's been a while. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an earlier CR TDI.

bravo69 · Oct 16, 2018

IndigoBlueWagon said:
95K miles is pretty attractive. I'd look at a Carfax and see how many owners it had. If it's only one or two that may be worth considering. But 60K miles isn't a ton on these cars. If those are MKIV cars both are very low miles.

I just learned the timing belt/water pumped has not been replaced. It is due at 100k (1.9L) I believe. I have to drive it back home 220 miles.

I heard people replacing timing belts much later than the recommended service.

Should I replace it at the local dealership or do it after getting it back home?

Also can this be used to bargain the price down. Its not a private sale it is from the dealer which most likely he picked it up at an auction so it could probably come down with the price a bit. Maybe not. He knows the car will sell anyway

IndigoBlueWagon · Oct 16, 2018

I'd probably chance the drive and have it changed properly when you get home. But you should hope you're lucky and it doesn't fail. It's way past due for time, not miles. But a botched timing belt job may be worse than none at all. If there's a TDI guru near the sale site you could have it done before you travel.

bravo69 · Oct 17, 2018

IndigoBlueWagon said:
I'd probably chance the drive and have it changed properly when you get home. But you should hope you're lucky and it doesn't fail. It's way past due for time, not miles. But a botched timing belt job may be worse than none at all. If there's a TDI guru near the sale site you could have it done before you travel.

how about having the local VW do the timing belt?

CleverUserName · Oct 17, 2018

bravo69 said:
how about having the local VW do the timing belt?

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=493250

IndigoBlueWagon · Oct 17, 2018

bravo69 said:
how about having the local VW do the timing belt?

See the post above. Absolutely not is my answer. Look at the TDI mechanics page for a TDI guru that's nearby. But there may not be one.

bravo69 · Oct 17, 2018

CleverUserName said:
He may be a curbstoner and the vehicle could be in someone else's name. I believe they call this "Title Skipping" or "Title Jumping". I do not buy cars from these people as I have had numerous negative experiences with them before I understood about this whole game.
It's in your best interest to ask questions. VIN or license plate is necessary to run a carfax report. Although the Carfax info has flaws, it still can tell you about the title and if the seller is being honest. Buying a car off of craigslist or any other classified ad is like walking through a minefield.

Finally got the VIN from him. it turns out it is gas not diesel. He messed up on the description of the vehicle. That saved me a 2.5 hr trip

bravo69 · Oct 18, 2018

Offinchurch said:
For some reason the miles are stored in the ecu and the cluster seperatly, so if someone swaps the cluster for a low mileage cluster you wouldn’t know without checking. It’s a scumbag thing to do but it happens. Yes there is a way to check mileage of the ecu with vcds.

heres a good one for you. I went to look at this 2003 Jetta TDI with 115k miles. Someone beat me to it. I asked the owner if he sold it. He said the guy who got there first ran a carfax report and said it has 144k miles and was no longer interested. The owner didnt understand why the odometer said 115k but the car fax said 144k. He said he knows he put 14k on it so it really should be 158k.

The owner seemed honest and didnt want to sell the car until he figured out the discrepancy. I told him to run the vcds that the miles stored in the ecu and the cluster separately and someone swapped the low mileage with the higher mileage. But if that was the case than why does it read 115k?

How should I proceed? I want to try to help him and figure out the real miles. The car still has low miles and would like to buy it.

What to look for when purchasing older Jetta TDI

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