Keep it, I guess?

kathie659

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
Jetta 2001
01 jetta...160k miles. Timing belt and usual parts changed last year 2k. Rear bearing last week couple hundred. Other than a dented door, skid shield ( think mechanic didnt reattach last week) and crackling speakers...its in great shape.
I am buying a Passat, I drive 2 grandkids around, car seat barely leaves room for kids in back seat).
I'm told I'd be lucky to get $1,500...
I'm thinking for that amount, I may as well keep it.

What is the minimum miles I should drive each month? I dont want car rusting up or tires rotting from sitting....
 

Black00Jetta

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2003
Location
Relocated to AZ
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Black 5spd
Keep it. Save it for longer road trips. There are no minimum miles to drive, tires dry rot by sun and age. Is Jetta kept indoors (makes a difference on the tires)?

I would be happy if mine only had 160k on it!
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
sell it. you can get 2 grand for it, but if you keep it, your going to pay at least $350 a year in insurance, then another $100~ to $150 for tag registration renewal and what not depending on PA's laws (even though im next to PA im not sure on what they are.
tires are good for about 5 years or so, same with the timing belt. So in a 5 year span, your looking as a total of about 2,600 spent when it comes time to put new tires and service on it. seems like you can do better than waste $600 bucks.
thats assuming you can get cheep insurance on it to sit around. Also cars dont age well if there not driven on a monthly basis, they end up collecting dust, dry rotting, and mildew forming on the interior.

food for though.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
you can always part it out. so far ive made about 2500 on my jetta part out, and im keeping the engine!. i expect to make a total of about 3500 by the time she is stripped down.
you could get about 5 grand if you part her out!
 

kathie659

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
Jetta 2001
Spoke to my mechanic. He says the later model diesels aren't as good as older ones. He claims the mileage isnt as anywhere as high as older, more expensive to repair....he reminded me that my old car is in good shape and he thought it would run for a long time......... If I'm not getting another diesel? I'm not buying another vehicle
 

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
Keep it at 160k you’re just getting started. My 05 Golf is at 354k and climbing. I’m coming up on another timing belt change in about 10 k miles.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Pro's
High milage if modified, about the same if stock (for a TDI)
simple
cheep to repair
long life



Cons
not as reliable if modified to get higher MPG
poor safety compared to cars 10 to 15 years newer,
high amount of maintenance compared to a new car
parts are harder to find as the years go on
rust bucket
if its so much as fender bender, the car is totaled as its not worth much, vs a new car


all in all, sell the thing, buy a car with 55mpg stock, many do exist and are just as reliable if not more
2015 is currently the cut off for decent TDI's if your going to make your argument
 

rocketeer928

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Location
Enfield, Connecticut
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
My 2003 Jetta TDI has ~151K miles on it and I have no plans to get rid of it at this point. It's a great driving car, I get 45-50 mpg, and I would never get the price that I would want considering the upgrades I've put on it.

If your Jetta is working well and your mechanic gave you the thumbs up, then it sounds like you have your answer.


if its so much as fender bender, the car is totaled as its not worth much, vs a new car
This is my biggest concern and I'll be heart-broken if/when this happens to me.
 
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Rob Mayercik

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
Simple answer to the "totaling" question: carry only liability insurance on it, not collision/comprehensive.

The insurance company can only "total" a car if it's got collision/comp on it.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Spoke to my mechanic. He says the later model diesels aren't as good as older ones. He claims the mileage isnt as anywhere as high as older, more expensive to repair....he reminded me that my old car is in good shape and he thought it would run for a long time......... If I'm not getting another diesel? I'm not buying another vehicle
Your mechanic is partly right and partly wrong. There are those with 2015's that are getting excellent mileage. Some that are not. My daughter picked up a 2015 Passat SEL pretty darn cheap and it does extremely well economy wise. My 2015 Beetle on the other hand not so much, but still decent. I would keep yours and drive it when I wanted to and use your old car when you can to pile the miles on it. At some point the current diesels will be gone forever and you won't get one at any cost. I almost always keep a second car around for those just in case moments... company comes to visit, kids need a car, car in the shop etc. Having a cheap second car around is a good thing for me.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Simple answer to the "totaling" question: carry only liability insurance on it, not collision/comprehensive.

The insurance company can only "total" a car if it's got collision/comp on it.
you cant be more wrong about that. In the case that its the owners fault, then kinda your right. Insurance policy can actually force the DMV to deam your title as a salvaged title if the damages are bad enough that the repairs are that extensive. that is a total as far a title counts.

if its NOT your fault, they can still total the car very easily if your looking for repairs from the at fault party.

i seriously suggest you actually read your policy, it sounds like you dont know and are just guessing. you might be surprised at how screwed you can be on insurance once you read what you have been paying for all these years.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Your mechanic is partly right and partly wrong. There are those with 2015's that are getting excellent mileage. Some that are not. My daughter picked up a 2015 Passat SEL pretty darn cheap and it does extremely well economy wise. My 2015 Beetle on the other hand not so much, but still decent. I would keep yours and drive it when I wanted to and use your old car when you can to pile the miles on it. At some point the current diesels will be gone forever and you won't get one at any cost. I almost always keep a second car around for those just in case moments... company comes to visit, kids need a car, car in the shop etc. Having a cheap second car around is a good thing for me.
cheep second car vs a quality 1 car argument
you end up paying MUCH more in the end with 2 rather than 1.

if you want to keep it, pull the tags and insurance and park in in a garage, preferably climate controlled, still going to spend a grand when your going to put it back on the road.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
$200 a year for me. $150 in insurance and $50 for tags. I try and have something that will tow as my 2015 Beetle won't take a hitch due to the def tank. I just sold my 2000 Chevy K1500 4x4 ($7500) as it was too much for my needs and the price offered for it was too good to pass up. Bought a 2004 Jeep Liberty 4x4 3.7 V6 for $1k, from a young girl from California who didn't want to have the water pump fixed. $50 fixed that and good to go. Bought a hitch and am installing it. Should be easy and cheap to have around. Loaner/standby/hauler and more economical and smaller than the Chevy I had. A good cheap car is a good thing to have as a backup or other needs.

 
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Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
$200 a year for me. $150 in insurance and $50 for tags. I try and have something that will tow as my 2015 Beetle won't take a hitch due to the def tank. I just sold my 2000 Chevy K1500 4x4 ($7500) as it was too much for my needs and the price offered for it was too good to pass up. Bought a 2004 Jeep Liberty 4x4 3.7 V6 for $1k, from a young girl from California who didn't want to have the water pump fixed. $50 fixed that and good to go. Bought a hitch and am installing it. Should be easy and cheap to have around. Loaner/standby/hauler and more economical and smaller than the Chevy I had. A good cheap car is a good thing to have as a backup or other needs.

, dont forget fluids, brake fluid and oil both have a life of about 2 years sitting around in the system.
Still a few grand over a few years is too pricy for my taste. My motorcycle costs 97 bucks a year to insure. And it's still annoying to let it sit over the winter!
You can get better rates on the car if you prove to the insurance company that it only gets a few thousand miles a year. There are insurance programs that you pay per mile on the odometer with a milage book. I have to keep the tags on my Jetta due to the lease I have and I have not more than 10 miles on it in 2 years.and I've been able to keep the premium down to 35 a year on it but I have to submit pictures of the odometer every renewal and have them signed off by my local agent.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I guess if your money is so tight that you can't afford $200 to $300 a year to have it around you should probably sell it. I spend more than that on one dinner out. Still using it for something also has value and defers its cost. Hauling something for free or not renting a car has some value as well. Not to mention it is right there at your finger tips and convenient.
 

Rob Mayercik

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
you cant be more wrong about that. In the case that its the owners fault, then kinda your right. Insurance policy can actually force the DMV to deam your title as a salvaged title if the damages are bad enough that the repairs are that extensive. that is a total as far a title counts.
if its NOT your fault, they can still total the car very easily if your looking for repairs from the at fault party.
i seriously suggest you actually read your policy, it sounds like you dont know and are just guessing. you might be surprised at how screwed you can be on insurance once you read what you have been paying for all these years.
Ok, I read up on my policy, and that "which company do you put in a claim to" does make sense.

That being said, most states will require at a minimum liability insurance on any vehicle actively registered for use on the roads. If the O/P intends to keep her 01 and drive it periodically, it makes no sense to carry any more than the bare-minimum required coverage on it, given its age. If it's going to be placed into "cold storage" (a year or more), then maybe it makes sense to drop the insurance completely, but if there's a chance it'll be used, go minimal.
 
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