2006 Jetta TDI, put some work into it or sell as is?

[atikovi]

I have this 5-speed with 324K miles that looks and runs great but needs a few things to sell for top dollar. The timing belt and cam were replaced around 220K, so the belt is due now. I could do it for the cost of the parts. Headliner sagging. I could R&R it and a shop recover it for $150. Those 2 jobs probably are $1200 retail in cost. So could I get mid $2K without that work? Or if I did it, could I get mid $3K?

 

[soot1]

One way to find out would be to put it on Ebay with full disclosure of the vehicle's condition and set the reserve for $2,500. Wherever the bidding stops is a good indicator of what the vehicle is truly worth. If the final bid is over your reserve, good for you! If not, then you probably need to lower your expectations.

 

[banshee365]

That's a lot of money for 324k miles, either way.

 

[oilhammer]

If the car was in good shape, it would not bother me. It'll likely still outlast anything that Volkswagen will sell you new today.

I have usually had the best luck selling used cars in the "needs absolutely nothing" category when they have higher miles. And the headliner is common, and not at all mileage linked. I have a few 2005.5-06 garage queens that have less than 80k miles on them come through here with saggy headliners, or headliners that have already been repaired.

 

[atikovi]

One way to find out would be to put it on Ebay with full disclosure of the vehicle's condition and set the reserve for $2,500. Wherever the bidding stops is a good indicator of what the vehicle is truly worth. If the final bid is over your reserve, good for you! If not, then you probably need to lower your expectations.

I'll rephrase the question. Will it sell better if I spend $300 for something that would cost most people $1200 at a shop to have done, and list it for $3500 instead of $2500, or will most people not care and just shop for the lowest price?

 

[atikovi]

I have usually had the best luck selling used cars in the "needs absolutely nothing" category when they have higher miles.

Agree with that completely.

 

[soot1]

I'll rephrase the question. Will it sell better if I spend $300 for something that would cost most people $1200 at a shop to have done, and list it for $3500 instead of $2500, or will most people not care and just shop for the lowest price?

I wasn't quite sure how much you intended to spend on the repairs, but if it's only $300, I would go right ahead and fix what needs fixing. If someone plans on buying a car in that price range as a daily diver, chances are that person will not have any budget for needed repairs, so if you can advertise the vehicle as "needs nothing, major service just performed", you are certain to see far more potential buyers than if you left the headliner sagging and the timing belt replacement looming. You should definitely be able to recover the cost of the parts and then some. However you chose to proceed, I would still recommend you try E-Bay. It will cost you close to nothing and your vehicle will get exposure far beyond your local area.

 

[atikovi]

That's what I thought. I sell on Ebay frequently so they charge me up front, $50 minimum, and typically around $100 with a reserve fee, buy it now fee, 10 day listing fee, etc.

 

[soot1]

I didn't realize it is that pricey to sell stuff on E-bay nowadays. Last time I sold anything via that channel was 10 years ago when I sold my 1993 Dodge Ram, and what I got for the truck surpassed my wildest expectations, which is why I am suggesting you do the same. If I recall correctly, it cost me less than 30 dollars, and I paid for extras such as 16 hi-res images. Anyways, that was in 2009 and I am sure a lot has changed since then.

 

[atikovi]

Ever since Ebay changed the policy so that sellers can only leave positive feedback, it started to go down hill. It's a whole different ball game from 10 years ago. I still use it but now it might take 3 or more runs to sell a car so fees add up for me. I too remember the golden years when you list a car one day, and you wake up the next morning to find it sold and the deposit in your Paypal.

 

[mextdi]

If you are going to look into doing the headliner, I would suggest doing the sunroof drain lines at the same time. I spent a whole day doing a headliner only for it to be ruined a few days later by the water leaking into the car from the faulty sunroof drains. The sunroof drains will be easily accessible once the headliner is out. I had to bend my headliner down the middle to get it out of the car because it won't fit through the trunk easily like it would on a Golf.

 

[atikovi]

Which timing belt kit and water pump is recommended? I can get a Contitech kit for $93 and VW pump from the dealer for $88. Or Dieselgeek has a complete kit for $195.

 

[banshee365]

I usually use this one: https://www.cascadegerman.com/product/038198119std-brm/

I don’t care for the motor mount bolts as I don’t remove the motor mount for BRM timing belts. In my experience you sometimes cause more problems when messing with those bolts.