Finally joined the TDI club, hope I didn't make a mistake...

I've finally bought a TDI, a 98 Jetta, and hopefully I didn't make a mistake

It was no pristine example...
Issues:
Rust in the fenders and a few other assorted spots
E-brake just barely holding on…but holding
No radio
Rust
Tires only have a couple of mm before the wear bar
Several dents and a missing piece of trim
Rust…have I mentioned it was originally a Massachusetts car?
Unknown check engine light
Temp sensor or possibly thermostat is dead


But there were some good things:
Engine is strong
Trans is strong, though with typical Mk III vagueness in the shifter
Clutch is strong, chirps the tires in first
Steering is good
All the mirrors and windows work, including the sunroof

It has manual windows and mirrors, so I won't have to worry as much about the regulators.

In the end, they were asking $1995
We agreed on $1800 including all the DMV fees, so $1926 out the door. I should be picking it up in the next couple of days.

So, think I made out, or have I bought a parts car in the making?

timing belt system needs replaced asap.

sounds like a pretty solid deal provided you don't mind the rust. how many miles btw?

ARCJr said:

In the end, they were asking $1995
We agreed on $1800 including all the DMV fees, so $1926 out the door. I should be picking it up in the next couple of days.

So, think I made out, or have I bought a parts car in the making?

Click to expand...

Are you going to have to put $4,000 in it to make it pass NJ inspection and make it street-worthy

Welcome aboard, Arc!

Depends on what your goals are for this car. Are you looking for a car to hold you over for awhile, or long-term ownership?

Timing belt service definitely, with waterpump. New CTS and thermostat if you suspect it is bad. New E brake cables. All new vacuum lines if not already done. Brakes PRN.

Not a bad price for a beater. Long gone are the days with you could buy a decent car for <$1K.

Yeah, not happy with the rust, but just as long as I can keep it from spreading I think I'll be okay. I wasn't exactly looking for something aesthetically pleasing
It has 191k and change. From the Carfax it seemed to be well maintained at the original dealership in Mass for at least the first 100k.
Are VW dealer service records centralized? Are the records of service at one dealership available at all of them?

NJ Inspection is depressingly easy to pass...depending on the cause of the CEL. I'll hook it up to my VAG-C...excuse me, VCDS, and see what it has to say.

The timing belt looked...ok. Definitely first on the list of repairs. I was planning on doing it myself, until I realized all of the tools and crap you need for a TDI, seems a lot more difficult than an ABA or AWM. I'll take it to a specialist.

Pardon my newbness, but CTS? PRN?

Long term plans? If it lasts three years and then explodes, it'll still pay for itself in gas savings, not to mention all the miles I won't have to put on my A4.

dieseldorf said:

Welcome aboard, Arc!

Click to expand...

Funny, I actually joined back in '03 but I couldn't afford TDI as a beater at the time, so I just kind of lurked...for 6 years

I figure I'm the winner of the "Oldest account with fewest posts" Award.

CTS = coolant temp sensor

PRN = as needed. A medical abbreviation that sometimes slips out when I type. Such as "take 1 tablet q (every) 4 (hours) PRN for pain."

Ah, thanks!
Brakes, thankfully, work well, outside of the e-brake. Probably just overly stretched cables, as was mentioned. Same thing happened on my 93, back in the day.

If you drive the car year round in NJ or anywhere in the Northeast, I doubt you will be able to "stop the rust from spreading" very much. The original VW fabrication was good, but once there are rusting edges of metal exposed, moisture plus winter salt will keep on working on it. Enjoy it while you can!

The plan is to remove rusted areas where there is no longer a solid panel, apply Eastwood Rust converter, then prime with rust encapsulator. We'll see...

Oh, and when the weather is really snowy, I'm taking the A4 quattro anyway!