2001 Jetta TDI (ALH 1.9) pricing advice?

Hello folks,

I'm the second owner of this 2001 Jetta TDI 4-speed (01M automatic) sedan in Reflex Silver with 201,000 miles (I bought it 'new' in '04 with 96,000 miles on it). This car has been my daily- and long-haul driver for 14 years.

The Good: It runs very smoothly, no rust, clear finish, ice cold A/C, super reliable (it has started every. single. time). Cloth interior is clean-ish with no rips. Manual windows (no electric regulators to break).

The Bad: It has some minor bumps and dings from living in Brooklyn for the past 14 years and with kids for the past 10 years (some interior trim pieces are broken, chipped, etc).

Recent work done at 200,000 miles: timing belt, water pump, and all related belts/rollers, oil change, LED bulbs (2 sets + halogen Sylvanias)

Not-so-recent work, but in perfect working order: tires, A/C, turbo, suspension/ball joints, headliner, Blaupunkt Toronto (with all new speakers throughout).

Might need in coming months: brakes (minor blue spots on hard braking).

Standard equipment:

ABS (4-Wheel)
Air Conditioning
Power Door Locks
Cruise Control
Power Steering
Tilt Wheel
AM/FM Stereo Cassette (will include original stock stereo and code)
CD/Multi Disc
Dual Air Bags
F&R Side Air Bags
Alloy Wheels
Three original keys and codes (two with remote access, one valet key)
Repair records for many items in my 14 years of ownership.

Click to expand...

This car is much beloved, but a relative made me an offer I can't refuse on a newer car and I can't have two cars in Brooklyn.

Can you offer me pricing advice? KBB says ~$1,600, but that seems low for a TDI.

Thanks,
Dan

Boy I hope for your sake that "newer car" isn't that chain chucker Tiguan in the background, LOL.

If your Jetta is a 2001, and it is an automatic, it is a 4 speed, and it is the much unloved (for good reason) 01M automatic. That almost cuts its value in half from a manual car. The 5 speed automatic came out in 2004.

Prices vary a great deal, manual ALHs are regarded as one of the best... the "Chuck Norris" of the TDI world as I like to call them. Still, it may only bring $2500-3000 right now.

Gas is cheap. Americans have short memories.

Thanks, OilHammer. Thankfully it's /not/ the Tiguan pictured across the street. It's an '09 Prius. The only thing I would have preferred is a brown 2015 SportWagen TDI with a manual.

I don't have a lot of details about the previous owner and whether they did mods to this car, but I'd swear there are five gears -- I recall counting the car shifting through five speeds when merging from a stop on a long on-ramp. I'll take it out again tonight and count through the gears and re-post my findings. I'll also see if I can find a part number on the transmission.

The initial posting has been corrected to reflect that it's a 4-speed transmission. I guess I was having confirmation-bias-induced-hallucinations when I heard a 5-speed auto!

As I recall (I will be corrected if wrong...I am certain), what you are feeling is the torque convertor lock up after getting into third gear prior to shifting to the 4th gear.
THAT is the way they are supposed to feel when they are running correctly. This is what mine does as well. When these auto's work....they are really kind-a neat....so thinks me.

Aha... that makes sense! I look forward to hearing what others have to say about this.

The thread has turned into a conversation about the 01M tranny... are there any further opinions about what the fair market value for this car is? Examples on EBay are all over the place (Craigslist too).

I just found one of my customer's cars, an automatic 2001 Jetta TDI, with 370k miles on it, a good home for $1200. And the car was in good shape, maintained by me since new, on its second transmission but still working normally, has had during its life the pump rebuilt, the entire suspension refreshed with Bilstein parts, everything worked, needed nothing.

If it was a manual, I could have sold it for double that.

I would say look in your area and see what they are going for. As cars age, the value varies greatly because the condition varies. I would think in your area the car would be pretty rusty and beat up, but this is obviously relative.

$1,500 - $1,800. You could ask $2K but I don't think you'll get it. It's an 18 year old car, not cosmetically perfect, with a drivetrain that, although reliable (transmission notwithstanding) is expensive to maintain. For many buyers looking for inexpensive transportation, this may not be their best option.

Thanks everyone for the great advice!