FS: 1996 PASSAT TDI Wagon B4V

Owned since 1997 - approx. 92000 miles - very nice low mileage B4V

Asking $9000. All new upgraded brakes and slotted/drilled rotors, VR6 Clutch with new slave, clear headlamps (Canada), Hella fog lights, Mark 1 did timing belt, all bearings, and water pump at 83K, recent new air conditioning compressor, new windshield two weeks ago (bullseye crack took off), VW 14" alloys, chipped, syn oil, orange VW anti-freeze, no rust with the exception of one little spot under window on front pax door, minor parking lo door dings. Will add more photos to post, if this attachment works. If not - I'll just point to Photo Bucket site.


http://s808.photobucket.com/albums/zz7/Grynchlynch/?action=view&current=IMG00049-20090920-1736.jpg&newest=1

Please PM or email Greg at grynchlynch@yahoo.com if interested. Located in Southern Maryland by Pax River.

For what it is worth. I can attest to the condition of the car as I saw & drove it last week. For those interested in a nice B4V, it is worth the time to investigate.

The reason I did not buy it? Asking price + what I would want to do to it is above my budget for another car just now. But, for those in need/serious want of a B4V, it is worth your time to inquire.

Good Luck with the sale.

Very nice car grynchTDI.
You might want to re-consider the asking price if you want to sell this car in the forum. I don't mean to scare and low ball you.
I would consider this car except, have all the recalls been done by a VW dealer? The biggest one would be the heater core recall. If this one hasn't been done it would cost about $2000 to replace & install a heater core that cost about $100, since VWUSA has closed the recall heater campaign on B4.
It's a big 2-day job. To replace the heater core, it requires the removal of the dashboard/center console, steering wheel, stalks so the the dashboard can be taken straight out. The A/C refrigerant needs to be evacuated by a professional licenced A/C tech., then the A/C lines and heater coolant hoses have to be disconnected from the engine compartment. Finally, the heater, a/c, and plenum assembly can be removed as a unit from the interior to access the heater core.

Being that the car only has 93k miles, has a new clutch, new AC, new brakes, new TB job, and other b4v's with 160k miles + go for $7k stock. I'd say he's in a good range.

Tdi

Your link only gives access to 1 photo.

BoiseTDI said:

Your link only gives access to 1 photo.

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make that 1 lousy photo

You need to get some better photos of this special opportunity, you need to get the people excited!

Welcome aboard, Mr Grinch !

Lousy photo

Yeah - I know - I've got more that i'll upload tonight. They are not the greatest as I quickly took them with my BB before leaving on a business trip. Work just finds a way to keep interfering in my life - but better than the alternative. Grinch

Good luck in your sale.........The days of 9000.00 B4V's are gone.
Keep in mind this is a 14 year old car........

I disagree. He'll get the $9k.

Tomo, you math is off. It is only 12 years old.

Phoenix42 said:

Tomo, you math is off. It is only 12 years old.

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LOL......Did you do that in your head.......in my book 1996-2010 is 14 years..........

Like I said "GOOD LUCK" in your sale!!!

$1500?

Please have some respect & consideration for the op and let him sell his car...seriously man?? By the way, I come up with $4525 private party value in excellent condition (kbb), not sure where you are looking.

tomo366 said:

LOL......Did you do that in your head.......in my book 1996-2010 is 14 years..........

More power to him if he gets that much money.......

However book value on the car is 1500, thats what it can be insured for or goten a loan for........

Dan, you say that because you have one you are dumping money into.........

There have been several sold here this year here in the 4500-5500 range
and I personally know of one which I had the chance to buy that the new owner sunk big bucks in after purchase.........

Like I said "GOOD LUCK" in your sale!!!

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T_D_I_POWER said:

Very nice car grynchTDI.
You might want to re-consider the asking price if you want to sell this car in the forum. I don't mean to scare and low ball you.
I would consider this car except, have all the recalls been done by a VW dealer? The biggest one would be the heater core recall. If this one hasn't been done it would cost about $2000 to replace & install a heater core that cost about $100, since VWUSA has closed the recall heater campaign on B4.
It's a big 2-day job. To replace the heater core, it requires the removal of the dashboard/center console, steering wheel, stalks so the the dashboard can be taken straight out. The A/C refrigerant needs to be evacuated by a professional licenced A/C tech., then the A/C lines and heater coolant hoses have to be disconnected from the engine compartment. Finally, the heater, a/c, and plenum assembly can be removed as a unit from the interior to access the heater core.

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I have owned 3 B4 Passats.........all sedans 1 97 and 2 96 still have both of them and love them dearly!! although I always wanted a Wagon.
I have never even heard of Heater Core issues on B4's, A2's yes but never on B4's and mine have all been no trouble..........

Another 'never heard of it' with regards to B4 heater cores.
Two B4 sedans, two B4 wagons, zero heater core leaks.

$9k is (much) higher than I'd pay. I sold my last one for $7250 and I was pleased with that amount. If you can find a willing buyer and get your minimum amount, (even if that's not your opening $9k), I expect that both you and the buyer will be pleased.

Add me to the list of ZERO heater core problems with any B4 I've even touched, let alone owned.

Sold my B4V earlier this year with 195K miles. No heater core issue and not aware there were any. Bump for your sale.

My B4 had a leaky heater core .

Only one I have ever seen though.

The heater core test. Drive the car untill it reaches a normal engine operating temp. Turn on heater and put HVAC dial selector on face. If you smell anti-freeze, and see vapours coming out thru the vents, then heater is leaking. Do the same by turning heater off and turn on A/C. If you don't detect any anti-freeze smell under either test then please ignore my post completely, as someone said it's a very good buy.

My 1st B4S Passat heater core was leaking so badly that the dealer covered the work under the fan cooling system recall. The 2nd B4S Passat, missed it since the previous owner ignored it.

Owner of two- no heater core issue. Know four others- no heater core issues...

The $9K might come if fuel prices go up... just depends on patience. Willing buyers are few and far between right now.

r90sKirk said:

Add me to the list of ZERO heater core problems with any B4 I've even touched, let alone owned.

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I had one literally explode on me. ('97 Passat GLX/100K miles)
VW replaced it at no cost.

I've never heard of any more than isolated incidences of heater core problems with B4s. And I think I would have. I'd like to see any hard data on a recall, if it exists.

These cars are still unique. The combination of space, comfort, and economy has yet to be duplicated, and, with current safety and emissions standards, probably won't be. I got nearly 45 MPG on a recent trip in mine at 70-80 MPH.

How many sub-100K B4Vs are left out there? There are probably a few people on these forums that have more in their B4s than the asking price of this car, and have many more miles on them.

It's hard to tell from the photos, but if this is a clean car that's been cared for you'll find a buyer. Good luck with the sale.

I wish I'd have been able to keep mine...

The cool thing is, these cars have developed a 'classic in their own time' status almost, and have a near cult following...so the nice ones will likely remain nice and well cared for for years to come. This year's fest proved that out, some VERY nice examples there.

One of the reasons I passed on this car (although I am still considering it) is the depreciation hit that I think will occur. It is a nice car, albeit 14 years old per Tomo, with what I wanted to do, & needed things, I would have 10K to 11K in it (assuming the asking price). What will the car be worth in 3 to 5 years? will the cult following be as strong? Stronger? Weaker? The car at that point in time, would then be 17 to 20 years old, perhaps, 200K miles+/-.

At the $4 to $6K that some of the cars sell for, it a "No Brainer", or even the nice GLX @ $7 to $8K, the anti in is not as high. With that said, it is a nice B4V.

Well, resale value is kinda like the stock market: you only really LOSE money if you sell. The difference, though, has to do with a liability a car has. Most of these cars, especially the higher mileage ones, won't necessarily be worth what you might pay if there was an insurance issue such as an accident, theft, or tooefing. So then what? If you become simply too afraid to drive the car but cannot technically get collector car insurance for it, then what?

I mean, I get so sickened by salty roads I generally avoid driving ANY of my Volkswagens in such conditions if at all possible. The Japanese make millions of cars every year for such sacrificial purposes, and who cares about them? They rust away anyways. But if you are unable to go to such extremes as I am, then keeping that "classic" B4 in top condition and justifying its perceived value could be a really tough job.

Agreed, and at the invested valve vis-a-vis, the "book" value in the event of a loss, either partial or complete, one is essentially co-insuring the car. A partial loss brings quick CTL status, a full CTL, and one is only being partially compensated for the loss. Perhaps a classic policy may fill the gap.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I've never heard of any more than isolated incidences of heater core problems with B4s. And I think I would have. I'd like to see any hard data on a recall, if it exists.

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My dealer tied in with the engine cooling fan recall when they did the heater core, as the heater core was leaking very badly. So, this was case by case kind of work that dealer will do. My car was in the dealership for 3 days.
This would be a perfect car for you, since it has a bigger pay load than your current JW TDI when I met you in April at Rocketchip TGT in Jacksonville.

Look at Peter's signature again. He's got a Wagon just like this, low mileage. And another low mileage Jetta too.

Just replaced a heater core in my B4V but it was a VR6 for about 130K, the TDI doesn't make enough heat to wear out the core typically... I do have a Webasto unit that runs everyday in the colder months for at least an hour a day though, I'm sure that had something to do with it also.

My core was shot and the foam was shot too, that can be a big issue, total loss of control with the flaps and foam chunks in the eye aren't much fun.

I wouldn't sell mine for this amount, what the heck would I replace it with? I see no reason why this car shouldn't get the asking price. It's what someone is willing to pay. Compare an 11K investment with other options. Would you rather spend 12-16K on a B5.5V and then get stuck with chain and cam repair bills bringing you up to something shy of 20K over a few years ownership for a used car that KBB's for much less? Nice cars but having owned a B5 1.8T, they do lack something that I just can't put my finger on, I guess "soul" could be a word used to describe it.

They're (B5.5) smaller, automatic ( yuck ), costlier to repair, get less mileage, more complicated without much benefit, etc.

Yes, the insurance issue is a big one and I've gotten bit twice but fought and come out OK each time. They're not for everyone of course, you certainly won't see me driving a sacrificial Corolla or Camry anytime soon. People spend a lot of money on stuff, the northeast is a fairly affluent area and the majority of cars I see on a daily basis seems to average out in the 40K+ range, they depreciate like mad and let's face it, they're just the big/luxury version of the sacrificial cars mentioned above, nothing more. I see old Lexus running around now with rusty fenders falling off and suspensions off kilter, basically one wheel in the grave, they didn't stand the test of time like some other cars we know...

The B4V is special in many ways. Heck, it's got the same dash as a Corrado It's practically an A2, which in my opinion is one of VW's finest cars ever made.

Anyways, best of luck OP. What on earth are you replacing it with?

I bought my '96 B4V last year with 340K on the odometer for $1750.00 It had some issues. It would leave a trail of smoke as it was driven down the road, and the doors (all four) were rotted on the bottom.Window regulators were broken. It leaked oil.If this was a B4 sedan, it's probably a $500 car.(maybe)
The IP had been incorrectly resealed and it was a simple matter of doing the 'hammer mod' to cure the smoke problem. I replaced the oil feed line to the turbo. I found a complete set of doors (matching color!) for $100. (All of the regulators work!)
The car looks great, runs great and doesn't use a drop of oil
I'm going to keep it off of the salty Upstate New York winter roads from here on in.......

oilhammer said:

Well, resale value is kinda like the stock market: you only really LOSE money if you sell. The difference, though, has to do with a liability a car has. Most of these cars, especially the higher mileage ones, won't necessarily be worth what you might pay if there was an insurance issue such as an accident, theft, or tooefing. So then what? If you become simply too afraid to drive the car but cannot technically get collector car insurance for it, then what?

I mean, I get so sickened by salty roads I generally avoid driving ANY of my Volkswagens in such conditions if at all possible. The Japanese make millions of cars every year for such sacrificial purposes, and who cares about them? They rust away anyways. But if you are unable to go to such extremes as I am, then keeping that "classic" B4 in top condition and justifying its perceived value could be a really tough job.

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Bob S. said:

One of the reasons I passed on this car (although I am still considering it) is the depreciation hit that I think will occur.

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If you buy any new car, the depreciation will soon be more than the full asking price of the car listed here. Why are we talking depreciation on a 13-14 year old car? On the nice ones, it's appreciation from its book at about 6-7 years old. And also, why are we talking current book value? How many times have we all discussed how KBB, Edmunds, etc. alleged values are innacurate?

Bob S. said:

What will the car be worth in 3 to 5 years? will the cult following be as strong?...

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The "cult following" has remained unchanged IMO, and in 3-5 years, if you take good care of it, its resale value will still be high.

The car is rare to begin with.
The car is a one owner (even rarer) with low miles, and (based on the current owner's description) is well cared for.

....and I'm taking a guess here, the owner can swing hanging onto it.

Bob, are you buying the car to sell it or to love, drive and enjoy it? If you think THIS car needs ~~3K to bring it to your standards, how much time and money will you have to spend the one you get for 5K?

How much is our beauty B4V worth? Don't know, don't care. We enjoy the car each and every time we use it. We appreciate its uniqueness, take good care of it, but also have hauled couches, motorcycle parts etc etc,...and at the moment a half a dozen A4 skid plates...


and grynchTDI, about 20 more photos taken with an actual camera(not from your phone during a rainstorm ) would not hurt!

*many B4's and V's past and present, no heater core issues