SOLD! 1999 Jetta TDI, ONLY 81,039 miles, Original Owner, Black sedan, Cincinnati

Hello! I'm brand new in the TDI Club and I would love to get advice on properly pricing my 1999 Jetta. I've read through the tips about making for sale posts, and I hope to do this right!
It's finally time for me to part ways with my dear Jetta. The reason for selling it: my kids are ready for a newer car. They just don't seem to appreciate it like I do.
I am the original owner of the car and have regularly maintained it. It has remarkably low mileage for a 1999 car: only 81,039 miles. The mechanical state of the car is excellent, and the physical state is very good.
There are a few cosmetic things that need addressing such as the old tint on the back passenger windows that is simply old and hazy. An easy fix (remove and replace). The front bumper looks great but there is a small break in the plastic underneath where it has caught on parking blocks. These Jettas are known for their low front bumpers. The left front hub cap is missing the VW logo and the last 'T' and 'A' are missing from the word JETTA on the back, so it says JET.
The timing belt was changed in 2012 by Leonard Harvieux of Wild Rose Motors in Whittier, CA. He also installed a new Bosch starter in 2015. (We moved from Los Angeles to Cincinnati in 2015.)
The oil changes have all been done as recommended as far as schedule and type of oil (full synthetic). I have all of the paperwork on all the work ever done on the car--it's a big stack.
It has a metal skid plate protecting the underside, not the original plastic one. (Leonard Harvieux also installed the skid plate.)
I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Please advise on an appropriate price for this unique Jetta and ask me questions! Very much appreciated.
(I tried to upload photos here but had no luck. Below is the link to a Flickr album of photos of the car.)
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmLJ5ckS

I'd give $500...
It's worth a lot more than that, and I'd not recommend selling for only $500. (Unless you want to sell it to me for that, lol) Look on kbb.com or a similar vehicle pricing website, and know that often with the TDI cars, they tend to go under real market value, since they consider Diesel to be a con, instead of a pro. Honestly, it's really hard to find a nice low mileage manual alh TDI. They are reaching premium prices.


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Ha! $500 is quite a lowball figure! The online pricing websites quote almost $4000 for the car considering the condition and the low mileage...

Positives:
Mileage
No rust
No accidents
Mech condition and upkeep
Paperwork & 1st owner history
Paint decent
No sunroof (for some buyers)
Skid plate installed

Negatives:
It needs a full timing belt service!
It's a 1999
It's a GL (not GLS)
No sunroof (for some buyers)
Interior shows age
Steel wheels (for some buyers)
The little things that say "attention to detail" are not done.

My .02: $2900 at the low end, $5000 to the buyer who really wants a low mileage, 1st owner car. The TB service will hold down the price for most knowledgeable buyers.

Thank you for your input, hskrdu.

Re: timing belt-- This is the work that was done in 2012: 100K Long Life Timing Belt, Timing Belt Tensioner, Serp. Belt (4), Engine Mount Bolts (3), FIP Bolts, Vacuum PumpGasket, Water Pump, (3) Idler Rollers, (1) bolt for Lg. Idler Roller, G-12 Coolant.

It is a GLS according to the paperwork I got when I bought it (see Flickr photos).

I think the interior looks pretty great for being 21 years old.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Very useful info about the car:

Has it been in accidents? NO

Any body damage, dents, etc.? SMALL DING ON BACK LEFT PASSENGER DOOR FROM SOMEONE ELSE’S CAR DOOR OPENING WITHOUT PAYING ATTENTION TO MY CAR NEXT TO IT.

How about rust—from road salt/chemicals? NO RUST

Transmission appears to be manual; is that right? MANUAL TRANSMISSION

If it has air conditioning, does it work correctly? AIR CONDITIONING WORKS

If it has power windows, do they all work correctly? POWER WINDOWS WORK CORRECTLY (THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW TINT IS PEELING A LITTLE ON THE BOTTOM, SO I DON’T LOWER THAT WINDOW TO AVOID IT PEELING MORE.) BUTTON FOR DRIVER’S WINDOW IS SLIGHTLY LOOSE BUT STILL WORKS.

Do all the power door locks work correctly? POWER LOCK BUTTON ON INSIDE OF DRIVER SIDE DOOR WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. I USE THE KEY TO LOCK/UNLOCK.

Does the cruise control work correctly? CRUISE CONTROL WORKS CORRECTLY

If it has sunroof, does it work? DOES NOT HAVE SUNROOF

Is clear-coat peeling from the paint? CAR WAS REPAINTED IN NOVEMBER, 2015. NO CLEAR COAT IS PEELING.

What is the condition of the seats, particularly the driver's seat? SEATS ARE IN GOOD CONDITION, INCLUDING DRIVER’S SEAT.

Are seat cushions made of fabric or something else? SEATS ARE BEIGE FABRIC

What is the condition of the brakes? RECENT SERVICE MEASURED BRAKE PADS: FRONT MEASUREMENT BRAKE PAD WEAR PERCENTAGE REMAINING: 80%
REAR MEASUREMENT BRAKE PAD WEAR PERCENTAGE REMAINING: 60%

Is the exhaust system original? ORIGINAL EXHAUST SYSTEM

When does the current license expire? LICENSE EXPIRES IN DECEMBER, 2020

Have you had mechanical problems with the car? NO MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE CAR. REGULAR WEAR AND TEAR. ALL SERVICE DONE AS NEEDED.

Is the check engine light on? CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT ON.

1999JettaTDI said:

Re: timing belt-- This is the work that was done in 2012: 100K Long Life Timing Belt, Timing Belt Tensioner, Serp. Belt (4), Engine Mount Bolts (3), FIP Bolts, Vacuum PumpGasket, Water Pump, (3) Idler Rollers, (1) bolt for Lg. Idler Roller, G-12 Coolant.

Click to expand...

Timing belt service is due every 100K miles or 7 years, whichever comes first.

Post an asking price or this thread will be locked, forum rules.

P.S. Nice car!!

1999JettaTDI said:

Thank you for your input, hskrdu.

It is a GLS according to the paperwork I got when I bought it (see Flickr photos).

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Didn't see GLS on paperwork; is that info on papers in stack of receipts?

clyde said:

Didn't see GLS on paperwork; is that info on papers in stack of receipts?

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It's on the second to last photo in the Flickr album. Top of the page. It's the paper you get when you buy a new car with all the specs...

JDSwan87 said:

Post an asking price or this thread will be locked, forum rules.
P.S. Nice car!!

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Ok. I'm asking $5000 OBO.

It's a great car and I am so bummed to be selling it. I would keep it if I had room in the garage!

1999JettaTDI said:

Ha! $500 is quite a lowball figure! The online pricing websites quote almost $4000 for the car considering the condition and the low mileage...

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If you couldn't tell, I was trying to be funny. [emoji23] I had a guy seriously offer that for my last car which I had listed at $2200!
My mk4 I sold was an alh, but it had 220k miles, was an automatic, was not really good shape, had been in an accident and had a different color hood, and it still listed at $2500+ I'd say that you could probably sell it pretty easily for $5k

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NEVER buy a car from a New Car Salesman,
named ... Jim-bo!

(joke)
it's in the pictures!

1999JettaTDI said:

Thank you for your input, hskrdu.

Re: timing belt-- This is the work that was done in 2012: 100K Long Life Timing Belt, Timing Belt Tensioner, Serp. Belt (4), Engine Mount Bolts (3), FIP Bolts, Vacuum PumpGasket, Water Pump, (3) Idler Rollers, (1) bolt for Lg. Idler Roller, G-12 Coolant.

It is a GLS according to the paperwork I got when I bought it (see Flickr photos).

I think the interior looks pretty great for being 21 years old.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Click to expand...

Right, the TB service was done- but it was in 2012. Knowledgeable buyers will be looking to do a complete TB service due to age of the components. We all know the belt itself will last a long time under the right conditions, but the VW service is based on mileage or time. I replaced all of our Mk IVs at 90k miles or every 5 years.

GLS- Sorry, I'm so used to thinking of the later models, I forgot the early GLS lacked so many options. Some buyers won't care, the handy ones will look forward to DIY projects, but others will be missing ESP, MFSW, Double DIN, heated seats, winter package, etc.

I'm not being critical of the interior. Obviously it doesn't need new seats, but it shows its age. We've had numerous MkIV's in the family, yours looks better than some, but not as good as others. Some buyers won't care, but you asked...

hskrdu said:

Right, the TB service was done- but it was in 2012. Knowledgeable buyers will be looking to do a complete TB service due to age of the components. We all know the belt itself will last a long time under the right conditions, but the VW service is based on mileage or time. I replaced all of our Mk IVs at 90k miles or every 5 years.

GLS- Sorry, I'm so used to thinking of the later models, I forgot the early GLS lacked so many options. Some buyers won't care, the handy ones will look forward to DIY projects, but others will be missing ESP, MFSW, Double DIN, heated seats, winter package, etc.

I'm not being critical of the interior. Obviously it doesn't need new seats, but it shows its age. We've had numerous MkIV's in the family, yours looks better than some, but not as good as others. Some buyers won't care, but you asked...

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I'm here for the honest assessments/opinions, hskrdu. Thanks again.

I put my car up for sale in this forum hoping to find people with a discerning eye as well as due appreciation and dare I say respect for vehicles such as mine. I've found both.

I'm a fan of my Jetta for many reasons, one of which is its simplicity. I need it to safely and comfortably get me and my passengers from point A to B, and it does that perfectly. I don't love the bells and whistles of today's modern cars. I appreciate appropriate, not excessive, functionality in my vehicle. That's me! But my family feels differently and so here I am, feeling guilty and sad about putting it up for sale!

1999JettaTDI said:

I'm a fan of my Jetta for many reasons, one of which is its simplicity. I need it to safely and comfortably get me and my passengers from point A to B, and it does that perfectly. I don't love the bells and whistles of today's modern cars. I appreciate appropriate, not excessive, functionality in my vehicle. That's me! But my family feels differently and so here I am, feeling guilty and sad about putting it up for sale!

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Simplicity can be great- and again, I wasn't knocking your car, but rather trying to speak to your question about value. Someone will want it based on low mileage alone- that will be their primary consideration. For others however, lack of ASR/ESP/Winter pkg/etc will be a factor. (Honestly, none of these made the MkIV more complicated, and you can see I listed the sunroof as either a pro or con). The MkIV improved every year of production, and for some buyers the quirks of the first year are a consideration (we had a '99 Jetta among our 6 TDIs). Brian (Oilhammer) just had a post about traits of the '99....you'll appreciate his conclusion.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5576215&postcount=8

Man, seeing Harv's name is a blast from the past...

That said, I'll be the first to offer an honest $3000. I know its a bit lowball, but hopefully no offense, and maybe that will get the ball rolling.

Just a friendly bit of advice: before jumping headlong and enthusiastically into a purchase as significant as buying a car, *please* make sure your wife (or significant other) is fully on board with the plan!

I've met (virtually) multiple wonderful people who have had to back out because someone at home said "No!".

This is a thing. It happens. The more you know...

its worth at least $2500 minimum; 1 owner car with those low miles ....! And at $2500 someone smart will buy it up in a second.

Just to poke, and I did not sift through the pics, but it is going to want suspension bushings. I got my '04 Jetta with 70k on it, and on the long drive home I could feel it wiggle. Not as much as my older Golf but enough that before it turned 100k its suspension got a total make over.
cheers,
Douglas

Pm sent

Apparently you dont want to sell

treeeman00 said:

Apparently you dont want to sell

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Sorry for not responding! A bit distracted lately...

Yes, the Jetta is still for sale.

I have someone who is planning on buying it who lives a couple hours away. A couple weeks ago he came here and drove the Jetta and loved it. He just needed to line up a ride to get back down here to pick up the car.

He was about to come down to do the deal last week, but then the world turned upside down and he couldn't leave his house...

So when we are all mobile again, I am expecting to sell him the car.

If that doesn't happen for some reason, I'll make that clear here.

Be safe and well, everyone!

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush... in other words, if you don't have a deposit on the car, you are a fool to turn other possible interested buyers away. GLWS.

I’m not a fool! Ha. Any other full asking price offers are being fielded in the meantime. Thanks!


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Hello! I'm reactivating the sale of my one owner 1999 Jetta TDI with less than 82,000 miles on it. Please read through this thread for details. Photos of the car are on the first post via a Flickr link.

A true TDI enthusiast will be hard pressed to find a better car (or any car!) that's 21 years old with such low mileage and in such great condition.

I originally posted this sale right before the pandemic hit, so that's why I took a break from pursuing the sale. Things are still pretty haywire out there, but I thought it would be a good time to put the car back on the radar.

I'm asking $5000 for this unique vehicle.

Has this car sold?

Still for sale!


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Engine build code

Could you please verify the engine build code for your TDI- I believe there were multiple build codes in the ‘99 model year. Here is a link on how to do so if you are unsure how to do so: https://www.blauparts.com/blog/how-to-find-your-vw-engine-code.html

Thanks!

I’ll look for the code shortly and report back.


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