Help!!! What should I do?! (buyback vs fix)

I am so glad I found this forum. Thank you all for your input. First and foremost I love my 2013 SW Jetta. I have taken great care and love how zippy and fun it is. I bought this car because it was a TDI and how easy it is to maneuver around.

While the buyback is tempting I cannot find a car I love as much as this without paying more. I got my VW on a 0% loan and have it almost paid off.

This is an unheard of offer and I want to make sure I am ruling with common sense and not emotion. I have less than 40k on this car and I was going to get a back up camera with sensors plus XEON or LED lights (TBD). OR I was going to take the money and run and by a Forester or something..........

Help. I need you guys to give me the skinny on the TDI modification. Also, once it is done is there anything I can put back on the car to get it more pep like a Smarty.

If you like the car and it has been reliable, get the emissions modification done, stick the money they give you in the bank, DON'T do any performance modifications, keep on driving it and enjoy your additional warranty coverage. With your low mileage and assuming it continues at the same rate, you will have warranty coverage on the engine, fuel injection, and emission controls for another 6 years.

"giving it more pep" means making performance modifications, and that would void the additional warranty coverage; put the thought out of your mind.

Thank you so much. I am not a TDI specialist at all I just love my car.......now I need to find a back up camera...

Thank you!

I felt the same way you did so I kept mine (with many more miles on it) and had the fix done two weeks ago. There were a few glitches (that were resolved) but I'm very happy with my decision. I haven't noticed any changes to the performance after a week of heavy driving. Mpg seems to be about the same according to the computer but I will know more after running through a few tanks of fuel.

You can decide to do nothing for another year.

Come next summer, reevaluate. Maybe there'll be a suitable replacement car that you're not "settling" for. Maybe the payment from VW will get you into a no-miles or low-miles car for a monthly payment you're willing to put up with. Maybe your needs will have changed. Maybe the Jetta starts giving you some trouble.

Or maybe you feel the same way, and want to keep the car.

There's no need to do the fix now, because that locks you in and erases your option for a quick "out" if you need it.

PacCoastFwy923 said:

You can decide to do nothing for another year.

Come next summer, reevaluate. Maybe there'll be a suitable replacement car that you're not "settling" for. Maybe the payment from VW will get you into a no-miles or low-miles car for a monthly payment you're willing to put up with. Maybe your needs will have changed. Maybe the Jetta starts giving you some trouble.

Or maybe you feel the same way, and want to keep the car.

There's no need to do the fix now, because that locks you in and erases your option for a QUICK "OUT if you need it.

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wish that were true but not for us guys that have a "rebuilt" title.. thought about a buyback but waiting till who knows when is most irritating!

It is true in the OP's case, because if he goes with the modification now instead of next year, he might end up regretting the decision a year from now because circumstances change.

If he waits a year to make his choice, he keeps his options open, plus he gets paid as much or more if he keeps it under 1,040 miles per month.

Branded titles are a whole different discussion.

Wait

How much are you going to spend on a backup camera? (My dad wasted hundreds of dollars on one, IMO)

What is the dollar difference if you do the buyback and pick up a used '15 GSW? Those have quite long warranties...

Also, as noted - you have no reason to rush and do the fix anytime before late next year. Wait and see if your needs/wants change in the meantime.

forrest resto`s said:

wish that were true but not for us guys that have a "rebuilt" title.. thought about a buyback but waiting till who knows when is most irritating!

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Have you started the paperwork? You can get fully approved, sign the offer form and keep rescheduling your buyback appointment until Dec 2018.
If you change your mind you can get the fix. No reason to wait to start your paperwork, especially if you think you'll get delayed due to a branded title.

I was in the same quandary. Mine was a 2009 JSW and just went past 100k miles. I looked at some deals and for a bit more, got an almost identical, brand new 2015, with better technology. It's still a risk, but the peppiness is still there. Seems to be doing regens pretty frequently, but I had a tune on my older car that reduced those. I may be hypersensitive to them now. Unless you find a newer one you want for a really good deal, delay your decision as long as you can. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Same story here. Initially I thought I should sell my 2014 Beetle back to VW for the good payment they offered. But then I started thinking and did my math again.
The car has only ~20k miles on the clock and is in pristine condition. The buy back amount (forget about the restitution amount for now) was ~$10k less than I paid for it 3 years ago. So why should I agree to lose $10k in three years on the car I consciously purchased and planned to keep for many years?

Don't count the restitution part of the buy back offer in. The restitution money is already yours whichever of the two options you select (unless you opt-out), so take this sum out of the equation.

BTW, I've just got an after-market reverse camera installed in my Beetle. Costed me $180 for the camera and 3hrs of service time.

^take your buyback amount and ask yourself if you would pay that much money for your car off a lot today, as is. Miles, etc. That's what a buyback is. If you wouldn't pay that inflated price to purchase your car today, why "pay" that much to keep it?

I don't see the utility in driving a TDI less than 20k miles per year, though. Too much of an ROI-guy, I guess.

Take the buyback. Buy a “new” 2015. I was upset at VW so my gut made me take the buyback on my 2015 GSW. After I cooled off I realized I missed the car, even though I loved what I replaced it with. I made out financially and I was able to take advantage of the opportunity to get another Golf S tdi. I was super excited to get it and i didn’t notice the vibration while braking on the test drive. Rotors warped while hanging out waiting around for EPA. My fault but the dealer is going to work with me. It’s missing some things that my my GSW SE had but my other cars make up for that. This one reminds me of my ‘83 Rabbit GTI. Simple but refined. The warranty is great and added to my piece of mind. I think that’s the thing that makes me most comfortable.

Mileage is very similar as my GSW 6sp pre fix. I know many complain about mileage loss after the fix. I have experience in pre and post fix. I expected the worst and set myself up for low 40’s or even 30’s. Hand calculated in 8k miles is 44-45 mpg and that’s great. It is higher than my 2013 JSW dsg. Fun factor is lower than my 6sp GSW but better than my JSW dsg since it has paddle shifters. I’ve come to terms with what it is. It’s my 14th VW and I have a love/hate relationship with VW. I’m a VW fanatic and have been for 40+ years. They upset me but I’m back. The fuel economy is a factor that outweighs all other issues.

I apologize for the long post but I’m very comfortable with the “new” 2105.

Ogcat

surfstar said:

^take your buyback amount and ask yourself if you would pay that much money for your car off a lot today, as is. Miles, etc. That's what a buyback is. If you wouldn't pay that inflated price to purchase your car today, why "pay" that much to keep it?

I don't see the utility in driving a TDI less than 20k miles per year, though. Too much of an ROI-guy, I guess.

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Not exactly. You failed to condiser the payment that comes with the fix, which levels the field between the two options a lot. For me, knowing the history of the vehicle that had only been owned by me vs. the unknown of a CPO made the choice to do the fix quite easy . . . there are multiple factors at play here other than money . . .

surfstar said:

^take your buyback amount and ask yourself if you would pay that much money for your car off a lot today, as is. Miles, etc. That's what a buyback is. If you wouldn't pay that inflated price to purchase your car today, why "pay" that much to keep it?
I don't see the utility in driving a TDI less than 20k miles per year, though. Too much of an ROI-guy, I guess.

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So, let's look at the numbers. I was offered ~$21k "vehicle return amount" + $7.2k additional restitution payment. The restitution payment is mine whichever option I select, so I remove this amount from the equation.
Now, the question is - would I pay $21k (gross, including tax and all other additional payments) for 2014 VW Beetle Sun & Sound & Nav with ~22k miles, with full knowledge of the vehicle's history.
To see what other options there are, I entered all those details to cars.com. These are the features I am looking for: HID, Sun/Moonroof, alloy wheels, Bluetooth, heated seats, keyless start, Nav, premium sound. Distance - 100 miles from me.
Here's what I got
Pretty limited choice dominated by Mazda.
So, would I pay gross amount of ~$21k for my car? Considering all available options, I think I would.

marmur99 said:

So, would I pay gross amount of ~$21k for my car? Considering all available options, I think I would.

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There ya go. Its different for every owner.

Me? I'm a cheap SOB. aka frugal

I paid $18,425 in 3/16 for a 2016 GSW (TSI S). I wouldn't pay over $20k for a used 2015 TDI GSW, based on my experience. I don't need the "features" of an SE/SEL and I've averaged 37+ mpg so far in my gasser. Fits our needs quite well. I do like the TDI torque and higher mpgs, but can't overcome the price premium, plus lack of android auto all wrapped in an older model year.

thank you so much! what camera did you get?

There are a number of ways of looking at fix vs. buyback, and they have been explored quite a bit since the settlement was finalized. I will reiterate what has been said by others, that there are multiple valid ways of looking at this.
Our way is pretty simple. We paid $29,198 new for our '13 Passat in July '13, and it now has @65K miles on it. We have been happy with the car, it has had minimal issues, not counting about four recalls. We've signed up for the buyback, which will yield only a few thousand less than we paid for the car. By the time we turn it in, I estimate the car will have between 80-85K miles on it. I am not one who subscribes to the idea that this is going to be a low miles car with another 400K on the engine. There are many other systems that are going to need to be repaired, and this car will be moving into that territory about the time we turn it in.
There are always those who cite the risk in driving the car until the end of the buyback period (usually the risk in totalling it out), but those same risks exist in any new car we might buy, so that's moot to us.
Of course, for those who have D2 flowing in their veins and must have a diesel at all costs....well, that's another story, and is well covered in other posts.

I started the paperwork for the trade in and the told me i can change my mind.

what camera did you get?