1999 vw tdi alh with 290k miles- advice on possible purchase

Hi, We are very serious about purchasing a 1999 vw beetle tdi alh. The owner seems to have really kept it up well and had the timing belt changed at 250k. It is, of course, a manual and has the papers for everything done. The owner commuted 45 miles a day and has added new snow tires with steel for it (upstate NY area). My husband knows a lot about foreign vehicles as he's from Italy and used German vehicles with very good running results in the past. I just want to be a little more certain with this one and how much life we can have. We have buses here and even a hospital nearby. The car would only be needed for work (7 miles away) and emergencies; we are realistic about the flaws in any vehicle this age with mileage but would like to at least have some reliability for some time. Also really worried about the cost of maintenance repairs here in the US.



Thanks so much for any input.

Honestly, that car isn't the best bet for the use you describe. You're going to pay a premium for a TDI when you aren't going to get the benefit of the higher fuel economy these cars provide.

If you want a German vehicle I'd encourage you to look for a similar vintage Jetta, Golf, or New Beetle with a 2.0L gasoline engine. These are less expensive, warm up fast in the winter (which would be nice where you live), and easy to maintain. It's far easier to find a mechanic who can service that engine than the TDI. And the rest of the car is similar.

I you're determined to get the TDI I'd see if the clutch has been replaced, make sure the struts, shocks, control arm bushings, and rear axle bushings have been replaced at some point in the car's life, and that the brakes are in good condition. Also make sure the turbo is boosting as intended. As long as the body has escaped rusting in your environment, and if the price is right ($2K or so would be fair if the car is clean cosmetically), enjoy.

A 99 that's lived it's entire life in the Binghamton area is bound to have some rust issues.
That's just a part of life in this area. Is it this one?


https://binghamton.craigslist.org/cto/d/1999-vw-beetle-tdi-alh/6762799783.html


If so from what I see rust doesn't look to bad, but a word of caution things always seem to look better in the pictures. What does the interior look like?



7 miles to work won't even get the engine warm this winter and so your mileage will suffer. With 290k on it now you will have some things that are just normal maintenance coming up soon if they haven't already been done. Like subframe bushings, front and rear control arms bushings and the like. Which the seller may have already done.


The timing belt at 250k means you've got another 60k till change out. Of course some like to say there is a 5-7 year limit on the timing belt regardless of mileage.


My rule of thumb for buying a car from someones yard or driveway is $1000 in parts over and above the purchase price, $2000 if you hire it done. But with the price of this one that's not to bad.

Seeing that nobody has responded yet i thought i would give a few tips. The things i will post below are not to persuade you in a certain direction, but a few things to keep in mind. I have had my 2001 NB for a few years now and have learned a few things along the way. Now I will pass them on to you.
1. Is your husband planning on doing the maintenance on this car himself? (don't have to answer just keep in mind). The beetle has the least amount of room to work on the motor, so depending on what is being done sometimes either more parts will have to be moved to get the job done which takes more time or you send it in to a mechanic.
2. If there is maintenance that needs to be done, and you don't want to do it yourself do you know a mechanic that will work on the car? Is he one you trust? (if you don't know one check the trusted TDI mechanics by state page)
3. As you said it can get expensive to have work done on the TDI's, but it will always depend on what is being fixed. These are foreign cars so the parts can cost more than U.S. cars.
4. A few things to think about for winter. i live in MN so it does get cold, and starting can become a issue sometimes. in other words you will want to make sure you have a good battery, starter, and glow plugs. Maybe heated seats
5. If the car has been taken are of well it should last a long time. At least 400k seems pretty common, but i have heard of people in the 500k-600k. there will be work that needs to be done from time to time, but hey if a gasser could last as long it would as well. Hopefully someone else in the high mileage area will have some better insight as my car is at 220k right now so i am not quite there.
If i think of more i will add to my list. I know you said your husband knows a lot about these cars, but i just wanted to point some things out that may not have been thought of. These cars are great the ALH is known to be one of the best TDI motors that VW made, so i am not trying to make it sound like they have a lot of issues. I love my diesel and wouldn't trade it for anything other.
Hope this helps,
GlowBugTDI

oh oops guess their has been some reply's, sorry guys