2003 Golf 4-Door GLS TDI 5Spd Manual - SOLD

stimpee

Active member
Joined
May 20, 2010
Location
Gallatin, TN
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI 4D 5M
2003 Golf 4-Door GLS TDI 5 spd Manual

Located in Gallatin TN, about 25 miles northeast of Nashville

SOLD



Link for pictures:




Or:


253,000 miles
Second owner - purchased from original owner in 2010 at 99.5K miles in Ohio - took it immediately to Growler TDI and had the timing belt done on it before I drove it to Florida. Also did the cams at that time due to pitting on the original cams.

Glow plugs and harness were all replaced before 200k miles due to persistent CEL.

Second timing belt done at 200,000 miles. Also did full intake cleaning at that time, plus replaced all engine mounts. I think I replaced the axles as well, but I cannot confirm, since I lost a bunch of my records. I have the metalnerd timing belt tools, and will be including them (possible with an extra tool or two for a B5.5 1.8T Passat that we no longer own) with purchase at the right price.

Full coolant change/flush at 212k miles.
Alternator pulley (clutched) replaced at 223.7k miles Jul 2017 - new accessory belt at that time.
Rear brakes done with new rotors and pads at 231k - April 2018 - fluid flush and bleed for all brakes
Both rear calipers have been replaced within the last 30k miles. Not sure exact mileage on left rear, right rear at 244K Aug 2019 - both due to leaks.
Tires - Sumitomo HTR/O2 replaced at 248k miles Nov 2019

Oil and filter changed regularly at approx 10k mile intervals - exclusively Rotella T6 5w40 oil used. Fuel filter at every 3rd oil change.

Has had "vent-ectomy" done, so it can easily go 700+ miles per tank - I have done over 800 on a long highway trip.

Windows and locks all work. AC works great. Original Monsoon stereo works well, but disc player skips/misbehaves sometimes. Missing a few knobs.

Has numerous nicks and chips on it, a few minor bumps on the right rear wheel arch and front bumper. No accidents other than driveway bumps though. Wheels and grille have been plasti-dipped black. If you don't like it, peel it off. The front left rocker has an indentation from improper jack/lift placement at some point in its life.

Interior is in OK condition. The covering on the sunroof control/motor panel is gone. The headliner is sagging in the back. The door handles and such are dirty. The center console cover is kind of shiny and semi-gross. The driver's seat has a hole in the left side bolster from wear. The rear seats are a slightly different pattern from the front. I replaced them about 8 years ago with nice clean used ones due to an incident involving a crated cat in the back seat, and some cat pee that made the car stink to high heaven.

It occasionally goes into "limp" mode under high load in 3rd gear or above at 2500-2800 rpm. If driven sedately for too long the turbo vanes can get "sticky" and cause power loss. Limp mode can be cured with a key off cycle. The vanes can be loosened with an "Italian Tuneup". It will likely need a turbo or some other maintenance on this at some point, but we have just driven around the limp mode for quite a while now. Will trigger CEL but will clear after several cycles without hitting the overboost point. Just passed TN state emissions today (9/23/2020).

All that said, I would trust this car in a heartbeat to take on a 1000+ mile trip right now with no concerns.

This is a super solid and reliable car. No rust that I am aware of. Solid mechanically other than that mentioned, and is a great platform for mods, etc. I would consider keeping it and doing that myself, but other priorities exist and it is time to move it to its next family.
 
Last edited:

stimpee

Active member
Joined
May 20, 2010
Location
Gallatin, TN
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI 4D 5M
Updated post with link to Google folder with pictures, since not certain if the Dropbox link was working...
 

fatmobile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2019
Location
north iowa
TDI
an ALH M-TDI in a MK2, a 2000 Jetta, 2003 wagon
How much did it sell for?
Someone was using this ad to judge the value of a '03 Golf.
 

Deckard

Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
Location
Sacramento, California, USA
TDI
03 Jetta auto TDI / 03 Golf manual TDI
Looks like it sold in less than 24 hours!
In Northern Calif a vehicle like the one mentioned above would sell in the neighborhood of $2,500 - $3,000
 

stimpee

Active member
Joined
May 20, 2010
Location
Gallatin, TN
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI 4D 5M
Funny enough, I had ZERO interest in the car on this forum. We posted it locally on FB marketplace and it sold in a few days.

Sold for $2500. Buyer remarked that it was MUCH cleaner than others he had seen with similar mileage and price. Opinion is that without the limp mode issue, it probably would have brought $3k. But I don't have the time to fix it, and in any case it likely just will need a new turbo. I had gotten so used to it, I could typically drive around it and avoid it.

I will miss the car. It has been GREAT. I bought it from the original owner in 2010 for $5k. Put 154k miles on it and two timing belts, many oil changes, some brakes and a few sets of tires. And averaged low 40mpg over the time we owned it. Can't complain.

Steve
 
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