Thank you Marin!
Thanks to all who posted on this thread. I was contemplating purchasing a wagon located in Dallas so I had Marin check it out for me. First, Marin uncovered a lot. I know my way around domestics pretty well but I'm glad I had Marin on my side for this one. I've owned two GLI's, one Golf and one TDI prior to this so I was familiar with VW's but I'm no expert. Furthermore, since I was about 5 hours away, I needed someone on the ground to do an inspection so I didn't blow a whole day of work to look at a potential wagon to buy. Marin was my eyes and ears for this purchase and I couldn't have had anyone better for the job. I knew exactly what I was getting into at the end of our 30 minute conversation. The day before the inspection he took a lot of time to explain exactly what he does in a pre-purchase inspection and I relayed my concerns about what I knew about the car already. I could tell that he knew his stuff when he explained what he does to inspect a TDI and after he actually completed the inspection, I was even more impressed. I had access to one previous pre buy inspection performed at Rusty Wallis VW but Marin blew this one out of the water with what he found.
After Marin got me up to speed on the car, he told me that the seller had just called and asked when he could get the car back. Unbeknown to me, the seller had another buyer setup to view the car immediately after the pre purchase inspection. We were both floored since he never mentioned this to either of us in the several conversations we had leading up to the pre buy inspection! I wasn't even going to be given a chance to buy the car. I was 5 hours away with cash in hand but the seller explained that he had a buyer here with cash in hand. What was I to do?! I offered to paypal a deposit, drive up the next day or whatever else he wanted to feel comfortable turning away these other buyers. Marin even offered to put cash in the buyers hand right there for me and told him that he should at least give me the chance to buy the car since he knew I was out of town. I was shocked. The seller still persisted in letting the new potential buyers have a chance but he at least agreed to pay for my pre purchase inspection.
So, what did Marin do next? Well, he armed these new buyers with the knowledge he just gave me and passed along my pre-purchase inspection repair list to the potential buyers so they knew exactly what they would be getting into. I think it must have scared them because in the end, those buyers passed and I finally had my chance to buy the wagon.
Although most of the items on the repair list I could have accomplished at my shop in San Antonio, I had full confidence in Marin's ability and I knew I wanted a few of those things done prior to driving it home. So, who else better to do it than Marin??!!! Marin gave me a detailed quote, provided pictures, called me several times and drove the wagon 80 miles to make sure it was up to snuff before I flew in to drive it home. When I got to his shop, we must have spent at least an hour talking about my vehicle, his business philosophy and future plans. I managed 46.1mpg (ALH, auto trans) on the way home down I35 without incident. The TDI ran flawlessly. And just to show you what kind of guy Marin really is, he called me that night to make sure all was well and to inquire about the car.
Overall, it was an A+++ experience. I highly recommend that you at least call and talk to him if you need to get your TDI serviced or if you need a pre buy inspection. Without a doubt, he is on your side. Not only did I find one heck of a mechanic but I also consider him a new friend. Thank you Marin!
Once again, a big thanks to this forum. Without these reviews, I would have never found someone as thorough as Marin.
Tim