Sell back TDI - how are dealers deciding what cars to resell?

I would like to accept the buyback offer on my 2014 Golf TDI, and just save the money at this time. I own a second car that will serve as a usable car for a few years.

Does anyone know how VWoA/dealers are deciding what vehicles to fix/resell and what to scrap? My local dealer said '09s and '10s with very high mileage are getting scrapped, but there isn't much other activity now.

Mine has 52,000 miles. However, the steering wheel is a little squeaky (assume they could replace the slip ring easily when replacing the airbag) , the original tires are still legal but will need replacement, the brakes work fine now but I would assume it needs front pads/rotors soon, and there is a 1/2" long crack in the windshield.

VW can fix all of that for less money than it would take me to do so, and it makes sense that they want to keep TDIs on the road as part of the settlement. Still, I'm not sure if they would consider it too expensive to fix anyway.

I really like the car, but would prefer to have money in my pocket. I would hate to see them scrap it, though. I took care of the car as if I was going to own it indefinitely.

Thank you.

Only cars I've seen on the secondary market right now are Gen 3's. I imagine those are getting turned first.

No idea if they will even resell 1-2 gen cars.

We bought a 15 golf gen 3 CPO. Its like new.

Buybacks get titled to michigan, go thru the fix, then get sold at auction. VW gets preference with their own lane. Thats the selection process.

Why should you care what they do with it?

No one knows, officially, what the decision process is, or will be.

In the case of your "Gen 1" 2.0 TDI, that process has not started, because those cars (to our knowledge) have not been approved by EPA and CARB for VW to fix and resell them ... VW is under orders to prioritize fixing cars that are still on the road (i.e. non-buybacks) and that's currently being enforced by the non-approval of them to do otherwise. So, it will get bought back, and sit in a parking lot somewhere waiting.

It is highly likely to be a purely economic decision. If someone (a VW dealer - or a private owner asking VW for a car in which yours meets their specifications) wants to buy that car then so be it. Someone will have to add up the cost of repairing everything needed to bring it up to whatever standard they wish, plus the cost of the fix itself, plus the implied cost of providing the warranty for that fix, and compare it to what they can get by selling the car. If there's a business case, it will probably get fixed and sold. If there isn't, it gets flattened and shredded.

Yours has a high probability of being eventually fixed and resold, given that it is a late model (as new as a Gen 1 can be!) and fairly low mileage and only in need of minor repairs. A windshield and a set of tires and a squirt of lubricant into where the steering wheel is rubbing something isn't much.

The older and high mileage cars are getting scrapped in advance of the approval for them to be fixed and sold, because someone has looked at what the cars could foreseeably be sold for (at wholesale) and realized that the cost of the fix plus the implied cost of the warranty isn't worth it, even outside of that the car may need additional repairs.

If it had been up to me, that decision would have been made before even shipping the cars somewhere to be stored for months. The good ones would have gone to storage. The bad ones would have gone straight to the local metal recycler.

2014Golf_CT, it sounds like you are thinking VW is in control of whether they buy back your car or not. That is not how it works. They pay you the same dollar amount regardless of the car's condition or their decision to resell or not.

Of course that assumes you and your car are eligible. To find out, answer all the questions at the Claims website. It will give you a written quote of what they will pay, given your car's mileage and options. If you like that amount, follow the remaining steps and get your money. After that, the car is their concern, not yours.

Trade Wind said:

2014Golf_CT, it sounds like you are thinking VW is in control of whether they buy back your car or not. That is not how it works. They pay you the same dollar amount regardless of the car's condition or their decision to resell or not.

Of course that assumes you and your car are eligible. To find out, answer all the questions at the Claims website. It will give you a written quote of what they will pay, given your car's mileage and options. If you like that amount, follow the remaining steps and get your money. After that, the car is their concern, not yours.

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That's not what his post says. He said he would hate to see is car, after buyback, get crushed. Although I understand this sentiment, the way to prevent it is to not sell your car back.

Dealers don't have any say in what cars are available for resale. The buyback process is administered by VWoA through a third party vendor. The dealer's only participation is to provide the buyback location. Bought back cars to to a holding area and VWoA will determine, when permitted by the courts, which cars they will offer to the wholesale market, with dealers having first dibs.