Is this worth it? 04 Jetta Tdi

[BandDingOw]

Hey all, im looking at this 04 BEW. Plan on picking it up Friday. I just wanna know from the experts whether this is a good buy? i Kbb it and on the high end its worth about $3500 but considering what hes replaced doesnt seem unreasonable.

2004 VW Jetta TDI


https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/marysville-2004-vw-jetta-tdi/7377243467.html

 

[jmodge]

The date is wiped off the timing belt tag as well as the installers name. 50mpg out of an ‘04? Paint faded on the trunk lid, new battery, leads me to think it has been sitting awhile. OEM starter? I would be suspicious of a few things, seems maybe a little high. Check for weather cracking in the tires too.

 

[kennethsime]

Do you really want an 04 Jetta TDI?

I paid $3700 for my 04 Wagon with about 130k a year and a half ago. I didn't even try to haggle - it was almost exactly the car I wanted:

1. Wagon
2. Manual
3. Green
4. One owner, no major mechanical issues, low mileage.
5. I saw almost, because the BEW is almost as good as easy to work on as the ALH, and makes a little more power.

I paid more like $7,700 for my 2003 Jetta ALH Sedan back in 2010 or so, and it had around 140k on it at the time but was in slightly better shape. I drove it to about 230k before it was totaled.

I wouldn't be scared by the mileage. The body and interior look pretty darn clean for a car that old - cleaner than my 04. Make sure it has thorough maintenance records - regular oil changes and proof the timing belt was done at 146. I 50mpg highway and 40 city is ambitious at best - the guy is exaggerating, to put it lightly.

The recent work he's put into it doesn't necessarily warrant the high price - why did he have to do that work in the first place? What'd he break? Passing that cost on to you is just silly. However, the used car market is rough right now, and maybe that's just the price of playing the game these days.

I'd probably show up with $3,000 cash and ask him if he's feeling lucky.