Buying a new 2015 Passat TDI SEL from dealer in 2017.

eugene89us

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Location
Southern USA
TDI
2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL Premium
Wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for or against a purchase of brand new 2015 Passat TDI SEL from the dealer. The VW is offering a $5,000 rebate, with car's MSRP of $35,500. The dealer will also change brakes and tires, replace battery and windshield wipers. The car is impeccable otherwise.

Wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for or against the purchase. Additionally, I do not think I will offer more than $27,000 for the car plus taxes and licensing fees. So my plan is to have it for no more than $29,000 out of the door. My initial offer of $25,000 was immediately refused one week ago.

Thank you for your suggestions.
 

Locoelectrician

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Joined
Jan 10, 2015
Location
Ohio
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Golf SEL Sportwagen, 2005 Jetta TDI, John Deere 355D
I've been called crazy in other threads, but we bought a Passat SEL and a GSW SEL in the past two weeks. I had a 2013 Passat SEL that was bought back and I missed it dearly so I pretty much jumped at the chance. The 5k off is standard, but some of us have managed to get the dealers to further discount the cars, although not many. Both of our cars are "brand new" and spotless, but it is true that they are a few years old and the tech is a bit dated. The buybacks are supposed to be released for sale soon, but having a brand new TDI, with a zero cost loan, and a pretty amazing warranty was enough for me. Plenty of people are worried about the fact that they have been sitting, but that didn't bother me at all. Based on what the vast majority have reported, I doubt you'll be getting one for 27 out the door though. That's basically well below invoice and most dealers won't even move off of MSRP. Good luck though, we love both of ours and have no regrets.
 
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Skimax

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Mar 4, 2001
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White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
Look into leasing it with $8500 off MSRP if you can pay it off after 3 months. That's the deal we got, taking delivery on the 11th when we do the buyback on our 13 SE. 2015 SEL Premium about $28.5 out the door, no sales tax in NH:)
 
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eugene89us

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Location
Southern USA
TDI
2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL Premium
I feel a bit scared about leasing, too many variables. Plus, won't you end up overpaying some amount of profit for leasing company in the first 3 months? Leasing has to be profitable to the manufacturer. If I took a lease and paid the car off in full in 3 months, are there any penalties or fees that end up being assessed instead of just buying it straight from the dealer?
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
You can't pay cash for these cars and get the rebate. You're required to finance them. Lease is a better deal if you have the money to pay off the residual at the end of the lease term...on most cars. On a Passat SEL the interest cost may be higher than the $3,500 interest difference. But if you pay the lease off as early as allowed you'll stll save money.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
Wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for or against a purchase of brand new 2015 Passat TDI SEL from the dealer. <snip>
I am not calling anyone "crazy," nor will I do so. For myself, I wouldn't even dream of paying the prices you quote. Cars are what they are, and no car can be helped by sitting for two years. These cars are now basically three model years old, and as soon as the buyback is over, their value will reflect it. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy one, but at this point for no less than a third off sticker, plus new tires, fluids, etc.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for or against a purchase of brand new 2015 Passat TDI SEL from the dealer. The dealer will also change brakes and tires, replace battery and windshield wipers. The car is impeccable otherwise..

Just curious? If the car is BRAND NEW why would these things need to be done on it?
 

Mark_J

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Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Deer Park, Washington
TDI
2015 TDI Passat SEL Premium, 2017 Fiat Spider, 2017 Ford F350 6.7 Diesel crew cab PU, 2016 Harley Trike, 2016 Tesla Model X P90D (I know went to the dark side)
Good morning eugene89us, it appears you must be looking at a 2015 Passat SEL Premium based on the MSRP of $35,500. I purchased a gold exterior, dark grey interior, 2015 Passat SEL Premium on the lease with the same MSRP price. Never leased before, always owned my vehicles, but I have it in writing on the lease that there is no penalty for buying the car early, which I will do in July. (Basically paying it off early if it were a loan). And compared to the 72 month 0% loan VS the 2 year lease, the lease is $2,200.00 cheaper, even with the lease fees because they will discount the Passat $8,500.00 for the lease and $5,000.00 for the loan.
 

Mark_J

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Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Deer Park, Washington
TDI
2015 TDI Passat SEL Premium, 2017 Fiat Spider, 2017 Ford F350 6.7 Diesel crew cab PU, 2016 Harley Trike, 2016 Tesla Model X P90D (I know went to the dark side)
Also they replaced all the fluids, including the urea, new wipers, battery, and I got to choose the new tires. And they ordered mud flaps as part of the deal. Car is as clean as the day it was built and still has that new car smell. Yes it is a couple of years old, but the dealer took really good care of the 8 2015's they had and they sold all 8 of them in 4 days.
 

Trade Wind

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Feb 16, 2016
Location
Minnesota
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RIP 2012 Passat SE 6 spd MT
Eugene89, make sure to look carefully right underneath all the doorhandles for rust. More than one potential buyer has found this on 2015 TDIs, although not sure what models it was found on.
 

Skimax

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Location
White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
I feel a bit scared about leasing, too many variables. Plus, won't you end up overpaying some amount of profit for leasing company in the first 3 months? Leasing has to be profitable to the manufacturer. If I took a lease and paid the car off in full in 3 months, are there any penalties or fees that end up being assessed instead of just buying it straight from the dealer?

Our deal is about $2K< than if we bought it with the $5000 discount and 0%.

So yes the lease costs obviously don't give you the full $3500 difference but it's still better to have $2K extra in our pocket and the lease includes gap insurance until you pay it off after 3 months.
 

Skimax

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Location
White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
I am not calling anyone "crazy," nor will I do so. For myself, I wouldn't even dream of paying the prices you quote. Cars are what they are, and no car can be helped by sitting for two years. These cars are now basically three model years old, and as soon as the buyback is over, their value will reflect it. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy one, but at this point for no less than a third off sticker, plus new tires, fluids, etc.
I take your point. In our case we love our 2013 SEw/sunroof and would keep it if there was a fix available but.......so far no, so we're moving into a SEL 2 years newer with about 125 miles on it. The dealer said the drove the cars monthly a little bit. Our 13 needs or will soon tires, battery, 40K service etc.

A new car warranty and 11Y 162K mile engine, emissions warranty etc. + a SEL is worth the $2K more than our buyback offer.

The only downside is our SEL will be Silver not the Tungsten our SE is painted that we really like.

Glad we live where we have a choice of what we can do.
 
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jrm

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Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
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2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
yup they are holding firm here too, tired to get another nms or jsw but the prices they wanted were more than I paid for my Passat back in 2014 pre dieselgate :(
 

Skimax

Veteran Member
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Mar 4, 2001
Location
White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
Just spoke with our dealer, our 2015 is ready to be picked up tomorrow. They informed us they also replaced the DPF as well as servicing and the other items.
 

MyAvocation

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
yup they are holding firm here too, tired to get another nms or jsw but the prices they wanted were more than I paid for my Passat back in 2014 pre dieselgate :(
Anyone on the fence should wait for demand to quell.

According to an article from last week, reason for high price is pent-up demand for new TDIs. It's logical VWoA offering dealers huge incentives to exhaust inventory -- far beyond $8500.

I don't want a 2015, but at the right price??? Time will tell.
 

Skimax

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Location
White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
Does anyone know if VW is holding back new 2015s at the "factory" to be shipped to dealers after the dealer inventory is depleted? One dealer I'm aware of had 72 2015 TDIs on hand at the time of the announcement that they could be sold. Now they have 10. Most are black or white. The $5K and $8.5K incentives are good through the end of May.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Anyone on the fence should wait for demand to quell.

According to an article from last week, reason for high price is pent-up demand for new TDIs. It's logical VWoA offering dealers huge incentives to exhaust inventory -- far beyond $8500.

I don't want a 2015, but at the right price??? Time will tell.
If what people here, along with people I talk to daily, are any indication, you already missed out on manual transmission cars. So the risk in waiting is you'll get a TDI, but not the trim/color you want.
 

tadawson

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Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
The 'final fix' has been known for ages. Replace the wear parts, and add a DEF quality sensor. Hardly anything to worry about . . .
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
The refreshed 2016 TDI's were in production for 5 weeks prior to dieselgate- those would be the ones to snap up!
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
The refreshed 2016 TDI's were in production for 5 weeks prior to dieselgate- those would be the ones to snap up!
Except they're not for sale. 2016s never received EPA Certification and have allegedly all been shipped out of the US.
 

740GLE

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Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Just spoke with our dealer, our 2015 is ready to be picked up tomorrow. They informed us they also replaced the DPF as well as servicing and the other items.
What dealer? DPF on new ride????
 

Skimax

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Location
White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
When I called the dealer Tuesday to confirm our SEL was ready to pickup yesterday the salesman told me the service manager said it was ready and they had replaced the DPF, I questioned him on that and he said it needed to be replaced. Maybe he misunderstood the SM.

So we got the car yesterday....very nice new ride.

What they did replace were the key fob batteries, oil, cabin air, fuel filters ,wiper blades, motor oil and drain plug. The also flushed the brake fluid.

The R DRL was out and replaced too.

No mention on the service paperwork of the DPF being replaced.

Of course the emissions mod was done and the car test driven.

Also noted "completed brake pad/rotor cleaning via multiple hard braking operations in a safe area" and the car was checked and prepped for delivery.
 
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Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
When I called the dealer Tuesday to confirm our SEL was ready to pickup yesterday the salesman told me the service manager said it was ready and they had replaced the DPF, I questioned him on that and he said it was needed to be replaced. Maybe he misunderstood the SM.

So we got the car yesterday....very nice new ride.

What they did replace were the key fob batteries, oil, cabin air, fuel filters ,wiper blades, motor oil and drain plug. The also flushed the brake fluid.

The R DRL was out and replaced too.

No mention on the service paperwork of the DPF being replaced.

Of course the emissions mod was done and the car test driven.

Also noted "completed brake pad/rotor cleaning via multiple hard braking operations in a safe area" and the car was checked and prepped for delivery.
Just curious. I know you have different situations in the USA with your dealers than we have in Canada, but all these items they replaced was there a charge for them?
 

Skimax

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Location
White mts, NH
TDI
97 B4 variant(retired at 330K), 2000 B5 1.8T passat retired, 2013 SE (buyback5/17) 2015 SEL, 2015 E-Golf SEL sold March 2019, 2018 Volt LT and a 2007 PRHT MX5 for fun
Just curious. I know you have different situations in the USA with your dealers than we have in Canada, but all these items they replaced was there a charge for them?
No charge for any of them. We did buy, for $169, the 20K and 30K servicing option. In the USA the 10K service is included in the price of the car not sure if you get that in Canada.
 
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