brotha bran
Veteran Member
2003 Golf 4-Door GLS, 178k miles (in Maine)
***Car is currently sold to a friend pending pickup and payment on July 7th. Will re-list if deal falls through. Thanks for anyone who has shown interest.
2003 Golf GLS TDI (Indigo Blue)
178,000 miles (daily driver..so this isn't exact)
5 speed manual
4 door w/ hatch
Beige cloth interior
Monsoon stereo
Cruise control, A/C, power windows/mirrors/locks
Sunroof
VW Jarama wheels
Toyo Spectrum Touring Radial tires (P195/65 R15 89T)
History:
I bought the car in March of 2007 with just over 128,000 miles on it. Before purchase, I took it to the closest TDI guru, Jonathan Hess (JollyGreenGiant). He gave me the go-ahead with one major caveat, the timing belt needed immediate replacement due to going 28k over it's scheduled time. All the rollers and everything looked fine but I didn't want to take any chances. The TB was replaced immediately after purchasing the car and then driven back up to Maine that night. Other parts of that initial service by Jonathan included new coolant, fuel filter, oil cooler seals, sway bar bushings & brackets. Jonathan installed new Koni Red Shocks/Struts (replaced springs also) all around in fall 2008 and I installed new Akebono pads & Brembo rotors up front at the same time. I also installed a DieselGeek skid plate (added FMJ last fall) and plastic hood guard pretty early on in ownership.Other than that there have been some minor items that needed replacing and I have immediately fixed any issues that popped up. New Beru glow plugs and a glow plug harness, new Pierberg MAF, Bosch Icon wiper blades, coolant temp sensor, vacuum pump line, antenna base, and new McMaster vacuum lines. Also made a few "improvements" with PD Engine cover attachments, a new cupholder center console, and Weathertech window deflectors and rubber Monster Mats. New battery in 2009 (OE from dealer).
MAINTENANCE:
I can only guarantee what this car has seen since I have owned it, but it seems like it was cared for (minus the TB) previous to me. Oil changes have been every 10k miles always with spec oil from IDParts.com (Total Quartz 0W30 505.00). Have gone through a couple new fuel filters during ownership. I performed an intake manifold cleaning at around 160k miles.
The Good:
While there's 178k miles on it right now, it drives like the car is just hitting its stride. I consistently get 40-45 mpg. Other than some annoying vacuum issues which I easily fixed with new lines, I've never had the car come close to quitting on me. I'd imagine this could be a reliable vehicle for many, many years to come. Car has never been smoked in.
The Bad & The Ugly:
I'll group these together because there's more good than bad about this car, and there's not really anything I'd call "ugly" per se. The interior is a bit worn down with age, some minor "dents" and scuffs in the headliner. As far as the exterior, there are some minor nicks in the hood from rocks and whatnot. A thumb sized dent in the drivers door frame up top, a wavy dent in the driver's side rear quarter panel, and a parking dent in the rear wheel well. Finally, there's a chip and some rust forming on the lip of the hatch door. Again, these are really the only negatives about this car, but then again it's a 7 year old vehicle that's spent its life in New England, so I'd call these things normal wear.
Why I'm selling:
The only reason for selling this car is that I'm nearing the end of the restoration of my 1976 Bay Window Bus. I don't need two vehicles in my life, so the Golf has to go. I know I'll regret it, especially the major loss in fuel economy, but I've got a lot of money into that Bus, and I can always buy a new TDI if I ever need a different ride.
Price:
My research tells me that if I didn't have these dents and other visual wear, I'd be looking at the $7-8k range as a starting price. With the wear on the exterior and interior, I've adjusted accordingly, but kept my starting point at what I think is very reasonable for both parties due to the strong running nature of this car and the improvements I've made to it from stock.
I am going to start by asking $6,000 OBRO.
If you're interested, please shoot me a PM and we'll talk. If you express legitimate interest, I'll offer up my cell number so we can discuss things further and so I can set up a time to show the car. I'm willing to travel a reasonable distance if I know a sale is going to happen. I'd really like to sell this to a member on here so I know it'll be taken care of.
***See all photos here***
***EDIT 6/6/10: I wanted to update to note a few things. I have an appointment to get the new tie-rods installed tomorrow, and an alignment will be done after. I also have another appointment scheduled for this Thursday for a few recalls to be completed, as well as the keyfob to be coded with my manual key. Also, while there are some minor marks/stains in the headliner & seats, I'll likely have it detailed within the week so it'll be as clean as possible. Again, this is a 7 year old vehicle so these are nothing more than you'd expect from a daily driver.***
***Car is currently sold to a friend pending pickup and payment on July 7th. Will re-list if deal falls through. Thanks for anyone who has shown interest.
2003 Golf GLS TDI (Indigo Blue)
178,000 miles (daily driver..so this isn't exact)
5 speed manual
4 door w/ hatch
Beige cloth interior
Monsoon stereo
Cruise control, A/C, power windows/mirrors/locks
Sunroof
VW Jarama wheels
Toyo Spectrum Touring Radial tires (P195/65 R15 89T)
History:
I bought the car in March of 2007 with just over 128,000 miles on it. Before purchase, I took it to the closest TDI guru, Jonathan Hess (JollyGreenGiant). He gave me the go-ahead with one major caveat, the timing belt needed immediate replacement due to going 28k over it's scheduled time. All the rollers and everything looked fine but I didn't want to take any chances. The TB was replaced immediately after purchasing the car and then driven back up to Maine that night. Other parts of that initial service by Jonathan included new coolant, fuel filter, oil cooler seals, sway bar bushings & brackets. Jonathan installed new Koni Red Shocks/Struts (replaced springs also) all around in fall 2008 and I installed new Akebono pads & Brembo rotors up front at the same time. I also installed a DieselGeek skid plate (added FMJ last fall) and plastic hood guard pretty early on in ownership.Other than that there have been some minor items that needed replacing and I have immediately fixed any issues that popped up. New Beru glow plugs and a glow plug harness, new Pierberg MAF, Bosch Icon wiper blades, coolant temp sensor, vacuum pump line, antenna base, and new McMaster vacuum lines. Also made a few "improvements" with PD Engine cover attachments, a new cupholder center console, and Weathertech window deflectors and rubber Monster Mats. New battery in 2009 (OE from dealer).
MAINTENANCE:
I can only guarantee what this car has seen since I have owned it, but it seems like it was cared for (minus the TB) previous to me. Oil changes have been every 10k miles always with spec oil from IDParts.com (Total Quartz 0W30 505.00). Have gone through a couple new fuel filters during ownership. I performed an intake manifold cleaning at around 160k miles.
The Good:
While there's 178k miles on it right now, it drives like the car is just hitting its stride. I consistently get 40-45 mpg. Other than some annoying vacuum issues which I easily fixed with new lines, I've never had the car come close to quitting on me. I'd imagine this could be a reliable vehicle for many, many years to come. Car has never been smoked in.
The Bad & The Ugly:
I'll group these together because there's more good than bad about this car, and there's not really anything I'd call "ugly" per se. The interior is a bit worn down with age, some minor "dents" and scuffs in the headliner. As far as the exterior, there are some minor nicks in the hood from rocks and whatnot. A thumb sized dent in the drivers door frame up top, a wavy dent in the driver's side rear quarter panel, and a parking dent in the rear wheel well. Finally, there's a chip and some rust forming on the lip of the hatch door. Again, these are really the only negatives about this car, but then again it's a 7 year old vehicle that's spent its life in New England, so I'd call these things normal wear.
Why I'm selling:
The only reason for selling this car is that I'm nearing the end of the restoration of my 1976 Bay Window Bus. I don't need two vehicles in my life, so the Golf has to go. I know I'll regret it, especially the major loss in fuel economy, but I've got a lot of money into that Bus, and I can always buy a new TDI if I ever need a different ride.
Price:
My research tells me that if I didn't have these dents and other visual wear, I'd be looking at the $7-8k range as a starting price. With the wear on the exterior and interior, I've adjusted accordingly, but kept my starting point at what I think is very reasonable for both parties due to the strong running nature of this car and the improvements I've made to it from stock.
I am going to start by asking $6,000 OBRO.
If you're interested, please shoot me a PM and we'll talk. If you express legitimate interest, I'll offer up my cell number so we can discuss things further and so I can set up a time to show the car. I'm willing to travel a reasonable distance if I know a sale is going to happen. I'd really like to sell this to a member on here so I know it'll be taken care of.
***See all photos here***
***EDIT 6/6/10: I wanted to update to note a few things. I have an appointment to get the new tie-rods installed tomorrow, and an alignment will be done after. I also have another appointment scheduled for this Thursday for a few recalls to be completed, as well as the keyfob to be coded with my manual key. Also, while there are some minor marks/stains in the headliner & seats, I'll likely have it detailed within the week so it'll be as clean as possible. Again, this is a 7 year old vehicle so these are nothing more than you'd expect from a daily driver.***
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