keep my 2014 Passat TDI or give it back and buy a 2015?

Hello all,

I've got a 2014 Passat SEL Premium as follows:

58,571 miles
original tires
original brakes
spoiler

I am definitely keeping a TDI Passat since I love the car so much, but I have two options:

- keep my current car, make the emissions mods, and pocket the $7,316 restitution payment

- hand in the car, get $28,966 and buy a used 2015 SEL Premium as follows:

12000 miles
1 owner, clean Carfax report
local VW dealer selling the car
phase 1 of emissions mods completed
no spoiler
3 months left on original warranty
2 year/24K Certified Pre-owned Warranty kicks in in 3 months ($50 deductible)
dealer asking price is $20,950

Doing the math and adding $2k in taxes and fees to the dealer asking price, gets me the 2015 for $22,950, leaving me $6,016 in my pocket compared to $7,316 if I keep the 2014. Getting the dealer down from their price evens out the costs almost 100%....but I lose my spoiler. :-(

It seems to me that it's a no-brainer to go for the 2015 due to the low mileage and warranty, assuming the physical condition of the 2015 is as good or better than mine.

Questions:
- Is there any reason to avoid the 2015 vs. the 2014 (reliability, engine, etc..)?
- The car has been on the market for a month...how much negotiating room is there likely to be, generally? I've always bought new...first time buying used.
- Am I missing anything obvious that would make me consider keeping the 2014?

Thanks in advance for any opinions...

Just realized that I probably posted this in the wrong forum...Can't seem to delete the post, though, so it will have to stay. Will re-post in the correct forum.

On a 2014 SEL the only available option is the spoiler - and that is dealer installed from what I understand. Don't know why the spoiler is so important to you as it is not in the same league as ones found on the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona / 1970 Plymouth Superbird as those were spoilers - actually were wings!

Back to the 2015 SEL you are considering - have you asked the dealer if they would add the spoiler for you? They might be willing to do that to make the sale especially if it's been sitting on their lot for a month already. It won't hurt to ask in the spirit of nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Me? I'm keeping my 2014 - know what I have and making a switch to a 2015 means you'll have to pay taxes on the full purchase price since you can't trade in your 2014 on it if you go the buyback route.

Thanks for the input... I was joking about the spoiler, definitely not a deal breaker! But as you say, no harm in asking.

Your point about knowing what I have is probably the only thing that's holding me back at this point.

Another thing to consider on the 2015 is the emissions warranty....

It will be covered for 160,000 miles for almost everything fuel and emissions related.

The 2014 will be covered for 120,000 miles.

Not to mention, I BELIEVE you would be able to file for the last 1/3 of the restitution payment after phase two is completed.

^ The warranty alone would be the deciding factor for me. The financial difference between the two scenarios is peanuts in the long term, you might as well get into a newer, lower-mileage car with a longer warranty.

If you get yours fixed you'll have about 60,000 miles of warranty left. If you get the newer one you'll have 150,000 miles of warranty left. That's a big difference for not much money.

I think the EA288 engine in the '15 will be less prone to repair issues than the '14. This one would be a no brainer for me. Go with the '15.