Buying 2002 Jetta with 01M trans

Cptcrnch

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Location
FredCo MD
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI wagon; 2014 Golf TDI (buyback 7/26/17)
So I have the opportunity to buy a 2002 Jetta tdi from a mechanic that's across the street from my place. He bought it from one of his customers who didn't want to put the $$$ into it to bring it up to speed. The mechanic has cared for the car since the 80k mile mark and it's currently at 220k and all work hasn't been done one time with genuine VW parts. Timing belt and turbo were done recently by the mechanic along with other work. It needs a few suspension bits. Mechanic said he would let it go for $3k with suspension work and a few other things included. It has the typical VW interior issues for this era car. This is above blue book value for the car but given the the demand of these cars it didn't really surprise me as he knows what he has with this TDI.

My biggest concern is the auto trans. I've read the threads here on forum and know about the issues they have. This trans has the hesitation between neutral and 1st and reverse. If I bought the car it would be my commuter to work (1000 miles/month all highway) and DD. As I'm not super familiar with these cars and most of the threads I've been finding about the trans are several years old I'm just looking for some recent feedback on whether the risk is worth taking or should I just let it go.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Buying a car that comes with a mechanic is not a terrible idea. But I would shy away simply because of the transmission.
To consider it prepare yourself for the possibility it will need attention, some will go a long time, but too many do fail. Ask the fellow if he would do a future swap to a 5 speed, see what that might cost you.
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
My personal opinion? You're grossly overpaying; the 01m cars with over 100k miles on them are an economic zero.

Why? Because WHEN the AT fails the cost to replace or fix it will exceed the value of the vehicle; it therefore is worth zero "as sits."

This is true for MOST cars over 10 years old with an AT, incidentally. It's also why the MT vehicles continue to have value -- the clutch can and will eventually fail, but unless abused the gearbox ITSELF is usually good for somewhere between 300-500,000 miles and a clutch job has a *rational* cost associated with it while a complete gearbox (AT or MT) does not.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yeah those transmissions are not the best, but in some cases a rebuilt or new valve body can breathe some more life into them to remedy that delay in engagement.

But it is a gamble in that it *could* die unexpectedly out of the blue any day, or could continue to work long enough to get some value out of the car as a means of transportation.

I'd pay $3k for a manual ALH car in decent working order so long as it wasn't all beat up, but an automatic maybe only $1k.

But he WILL sell it to someone, and it would sell even faster if it were not for the super cheap fuel prices we have right now.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
From an owner of an 02 TDI wagon with the 01M, $1k for that Jetta.
It sounds like it has every strike against it:
220k miles,
01M acting up and probably throwing a few codes,
not a wagon,
meh interior, etc.

It already has more miles than mine did when the trans went bad.
The rebuild was $2400 with a 24 month full (w/ loaner car) warranty.
I have made heavy use of that warranty, btw. Shops that do the 01M right are rare.
 

fruitcakesa

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Location
Vermont
TDI
04 jetta 5 spd wagon
I sold my 02 wagon with an 01M that lost reverse, though all the forward gears work fine.
I included with the sale most of a 5 speed swap kit and still got <$2k for it all.
 

Cptcrnch

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Location
FredCo MD
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI wagon; 2014 Golf TDI (buyback 7/26/17)
Thanks for the great feedback everyone. My initial gut feeling was to let it go and It sounds like that feeling is correct. It's a shame it isn't a MT.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
It's a shame they all weren't manuals, given the 01M option.
Well, yes and no. If mine had been a manual my daughter wouldn't have wanted it.
After driving it for the last year and a half she now says she wishes it was one! :rolleyes:
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
My daughter learned on my '03 TDI (stick), and I gave her the car on her 18th birthday. She's now nearly 21, still driving it, and it has over 200k miles on it..... with some care (and luck) it'll probably be on the road for at least another 100k miles.
 

Ed ke6bnl

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Location
High Desert So. Ca.
TDI
2002 TDI Jetta
From an owner of an 02 TDI wagon with the 01M, $1k for that Jetta.
It sounds like it has every strike against it:
220k miles,
01M acting up and probably throwing a few codes,
not a wagon,
meh interior, etc.
It already has more miles than mine did when the trans went bad.
The rebuild was $2400 with a 24 month full (w/ loaner car) warranty.
I have made heavy use of that warranty, btw. Shops that do the 01M right are rare.
I agree. I bought an 01M 2002 136k the trans started to act up I added a trans cooler to it (would go to 240 degrees) It now runs below 180 degrees in 100 degree weather we are having here near you in Agua Dulce. and has not showed any bad signs since the cooler and maybe 4k miles. I will go with it till it dies then not rebuild but get rid of it if it goes.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
Its to bad VW mated one of their best ever engines (ALH) with a mediocre to just plain bad transmission. (01M)
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
It's a shame they all weren't manuals, given the 01M option.

Volkswagen would have been cutting out a LOT of possible American buyers had they not offered an automatic.

When I was at the dealer, there were a LOT of lost sales of B4 and A3 TDIs due to the manual-only availability, which made no sense to me because VAG did sell those models with automatics in other markets. You'd think if ANY place they'd want to make them available it would have been here.

To that end, a substantial number of 1998 New Beetle TDIs were sold here with automatics as soon as they left the transport truck. They did not send many here, but every one that we got had a waiting list of buyers. And the '98 NB was already a very hot seller. I saw a TDI/automatic NB sell for $1600 OVER MSRP, and there was the beginnings of a bidding war on the showroom floor over it, too. :eek:

I would never choose an automatic if a manual was available, but I think it is wise to offer both. Of course, now we get neither. :(

But what is sad though is that by 1998, the 01M already had a decade (if you include its precursor 095/096 versions) of a Failtastic track record, and I have it on what I feel was good authority that THAT stupid transmission single handedly ended the 10yr/100k mile powertrain warranty VoA had here in the middle '90s. Because there were a LOT of 2.0L gas A3 Jettas sold here that lunched their transmissions in the 70-80k mile range, and I know Volkswagen was losing a lot of money on them because of that warranty.
 
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jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
Volkswagen would have been cutting out a LOT of possible American buyers had they not offered an automatic.

When I was at the dealer, there were a LOT of lost sales of B4 and A3 TDIs due to the manual-only availability, which made no sense to me because VAG did sell those models with automatics in other markets. You'd think if ANY place they'd want to make them available it would have been here.

To that end, a substantial number of 1998 New Beetle TDIs were sold here with automatics as soon as they left the transport truck. They did not send many here, but every one that we got had a waiting list of buyers. And the '98 NB was already a very hot seller. I saw a TDI/automatic NB sell for $1600 OVER MSRP, and there was the beginnings of a bidding war on the showroom floor over it, too. :eek:

I would never choose an automatic if a manual was available, but I think it is wise to offer both. Of course, now we get neither. :(

But what is sad though is that by 1998, the 01M already had a decade (if you include its precursor 095/096 versions) of a Failtastic track record, and I have it on what I feel was good authority that THAT stupid transmission single handedly ended the 10yr/100k mile powertrain warranty VoA had here in the middle '90s. Because there were a LOT of 2.0L gas A3 Jettas sold here that lunched their transmissions in the 70-80k mile range, and I know Volkswagen was losing a lot of money on them because of that warranty.
Agree 100% that from a marketing point it was the way to sell cars in the North America market. Just too bad that the automatic option was the 01M and that so many buyers were unaware of what they were getting.
Friend of mine bought a (2000/2001/2002)??? Jetta 2.0 new that came with the 100K miles powertrain warranty. His 01M started to act up around 90+K, before the warranty was up, but the service department kept telling him it was "normal". He was wanting to get a new Passat in a year or so and I encouraged him to get the tranny issue resolved before his warranty was over. Finally took it to a different dealership and they replaced the unit under warranty, which greatly improved his later trade value.
 
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