2010 Jetta buyback: By the numbers

A few weeks ago, I returned my 2010 Jetta for the TDI buyback after 8 years and 99k miles. It was a tough decision, the car was an awesome drive but the offer was too good to pass up and I already two other oil-burners in the stable. Before I turned it back, I decided to do the OCD thing and not only detail the car, but also fix it up. In the hope it's resold to another home.

In the months leading up to the buyback appointment, I found out my little-used extended warranty was still valid and was going to expire about the same time my buyback was going to occur. Since I paid $2600 for it back in 2012, I decided to get my money's worth out of it and get some minor and outstanding bits fixed. After replacing the A/C compressor, A/C condenser, a few hoses, an O2 sensor, and the serpentine belt, burned through about $3600 worth of dealer repairs. Only $130 of which I paid out of pocket.

After the repairs, I took it home for a thorough detailing. Some scratches on the rear bumper were touched up. The entire car was washed, clayed, sealed, and waxed. I didnt bother to do much paint correction since the car was handwashed from Day 1 and the last paint correction was last Spring. Some pics:







I've been keeping pretty detailed records of the car since I bought it new in 2010. So that meant I was sitting on about 8 years of driving data:

Miles: 99,053
Avg. MPG: 36.18
Fuel Costs: $9789
Service/Repair Costs: $6520
Daily mileage: 35.4 mi/day
Avg. range: 545mi/tank
Cost to operate: $0.165/mi

It's no surprise that the 23O6 recall in May 2015 hit the fuel economy numbers hard.



Compared to other cars I've had in my garage that had similar tracking, the Jetta ranked on par with other diesels, better than gassers, but not quite against mild hybrids:

2017 328d Sports Wagon: $0.099/mi (avg. 33.11mpg)
2015 Toyota Prius: $0.086/mi (avg. 39.46mpg)
2010 Jetta TDI: $0.099/mi (avg. 36.18mpg)
2014 328xi Sedan: $0.118/mi (avg. 26.86mpg)
2015 GSW SEL: $0.094/mi (avg. 33.57mpg)

The buyback itself was pretty smooth. I turned the car back Tuesday and by Friday the funds were in my bank account.

This car has treated me well over the last 8 years and I'd like to think I've been returning the favor to it as well. I can only hope it finds its way to a new home.

Wow you really are a rare person. I don't know of anyone really who would do all this for a car that was going to be given back to the manufacturer.

You have a real heart man. I hope she finds a good home.

Dang. That one just might get fixed and resold. Most of the 2009-10 cars around me are getting scrapped per two local dealers.

The MKV is a nice car.

Nice car. I continued to care for my 2012 Jetta, although not even close to the degree you did, right up until it was turned in, too. If VW puts your car back on the market, someone will likely get a steal on a just-broken-in used car.

My average fuel mileage steadily climbed right up through 109,000 miles when it was turned in. Surprise for me was that the 2306 recall had no effect whatsoever on my mileage or performance. I often wondered if they did anything at all.

Final update

Thought I'd update everyone on what eventually happened to the car. I ran a CarFax on the VIN and shows it was issued a junk title in December 2018. Sadly, odds are it was scrapped.