Would you buy this 2013 Jetta Sportwagen?

[Clint82]

In the market for a JSW. I found one in Arizona with 182,000 miles for $6k. The current owner seems to have taken care of it and done quite a bit of maintenance in the 6 months he has had it. He is active duty military like myself and just got orders overseas so that is why he is selling it. I was really close to pulling the trigger and flying down from Las Vegas to Tuscon to get it but decided to run an Autocheck first. He has had it since 176,000. Since then, he has changed the timing belt, water pump and associated pulleys, serviced the DSG and DPF, and new exhaust manifold, front and back EGRs, valve covers. He says the car still has about 10K left on the VW emissions warranty. Car only has 1 key fob. Comes with 2 sets of wheel and tires. He did say it needs a new DMF. He said it started rattling but it has since stopped and it wasnt a priority since he was selling it. The car itself looks clean inside and out. He says everything works and has sent me additional pictures and videos of startup and some in-cab acceleration. All seems well from those. Here are my main concerns from the Autocheck:

1. The first owner in Georgia appears to have leased it but it may have also been a fleet vehicle. They put 148k on it in 2.5 years. None of the maintenance shows up on the autocheck. Doesnt mean they werent doing it, but if they were it wasnt being reported through a dealership/quick lube/fleet management service history system that made it onto the Autocheck.
2. The emissions fix was done at 148k after it left the first owner. The second owner in Arizona seems to have done decent maintenance from 148k-176k according to the Autocheck.

Just some FYI info about me. Ive owned a 7.3 diesel from 182k-292k. Not scared of higher mileage vehicles as long as the maintenance has been done. I also do most maintenance/repairs myself.

Thoughts? I’m torn on this one.

 

[ticaf]

8 year old car, with roughly 200k miles, for $6k ? I'd say it is steep. but it is all about the market.

 

[Clint82]

8 year old car, with roughly 200k miles, for $6k ? I'd say it is steep. but it is all about the market.

yeah from what I am seeing it isnt unreasonable. What are your thoughts about the maintenance history?

 

[DrGERTol]

I've noticed that AutoCheck doesn't catch every service event, even at dealers, so use it as a guide. Same with CarFax. We ended up driving 3+ hrs to west MI to look at our '11 JSW TDI 6MT with high miles last summer, and don't regret it (even have another 6+ months on the emission warranty).

Having 10K miles of emissions warranty left is a bonus (confirm it HERE).

If you decide to get it, I can point you to the full official service manual/wiring diagram PDF set.

 

[Clint82]

I've noticed that AutoCheck doesn't catch every service event, even at dealers, so use it as a guide. Same with CarFax. We ended up driving 3+ hrs to west MI to look at our '11 JSW TDI 6MT with high miles last summer, and don't regret it (even have another 6+ months on the emission warranty).

Having 10K miles of emissions warranty left is a bonus (confirm it HERE).

If you decide to get it, I can point you to the full official service manual/wiring diagram PDF set.

Thanks for that link. According to that, its covered for another 14k miles.
I also read the parts covered under warranty and see the turbo is included. Now I’m wondering if the DMF would be covered by that?

 

[turbodieseldyke]

Now I’m wondering if the DMF would be covered by that?

Highly doubtful.

 

[JELLOWSUBMARINE]

If it has no records of 40k DSG services, that would be one of my biggest concerns. What exactly does the past owner mean by serviced the DPF? How many miles on the new DPF or does he mean he poured a can of soot burning magic in it? Was the DPF ever replaced and did it get 507 oil since? DPF's can and if improperly cared for will cost lots of $ quickly.

 

[Clint82]

Highly doubtful.

yeah I’m an idiot. For some reason I was thinking it was turbo related but now I know its transmission related lol

 

[Clint82]

If it has no records of 40k DSG services, that would be one of my biggest concerns. What exactly does the past owner mean by serviced the DPF? How many miles on the new DPF or does he mean he poured a can of soot burning magic in it? Was the DPF ever replaced and did it get 507 oil since? DPF's can and if improperly cared for will cost lots of $ quickly.

I clarified that with him just a few minutes ago. He said he had it replaced at the dealer a couple months back.

 

[hskrdu]

My thoughts: I would rather spend more money for a JSW with lower miles- not because I'm worried about high mileage, but to get more of the emissions settlement warranty. This may not be the same for you, where 70 miles to Indian Springs may quickly drain away any warranty coverage, but for me, concerns about Mk6 HPFP or intercooler issues, etc. are a significant factor. We skipped over the Mk6 because of this- other owners may have a different take. Obviously the JSW you are looking at sounds like it has had a lot of warranty and maint items done in a short time, and I understand the reason for selling, but the PO has only had it for 6 months and 6k miles, and I always prefer cars with long ownership histories and complete paper records for maint. A new used TDI would force me to refresh those items that are outside of the PO's 6 month window and which don't have a receipt. Lastly, the DMF service isn't a massive cost, but I'd rather invest all those costs into a lower mile Mk7 GSW and get the longest chunk of extended emissions coverage available. Of course, this might be sig more than you want to spend.

 

[Clint82]

My thoughts: I would rather spend more money for a JSW with lower miles- not because I'm worried about high mileage, but to get more of the emissions settlement warranty. This may not be the same for you, where 70 miles to Indian Springs may quickly drain away any warranty coverage, but for me, concerns about Mk6 HPFP or intercooler issues, etc. are a significant factor. We skipped over the Mk6 because of this- other owners may have a different take. Obviously the JSW you are looking at sounds like it has had a lot of warranty and maint items done in a short time, and I understand the reason for selling, but the PO has only had it for 6 months and 6k miles, and I always prefer cars with long ownership histories and complete paper records for maint. A new used TDI would force me to refresh those items that are outside of the PO's 6 month window and which don't have a receipt. Lastly, the DMF service isn't a massive cost, but I'd rather invest all those costs into a lower mile Mk7 GSW and get the longest chunk of extended emissions coverage available. Of course, this might be sig more than you want to spend.

All great points. If budget werent a factor, I would love to get a MK7 but thats not the case. I will definitely keep in mind your mention of the HPFP and intercooler issues and do what I can to inspect those for issues if possible. Thanks so much!

 

[hskrdu]

I think then that all the routine TDI buying caveats apply. I would prioritize one that has a solid paper history, and if possible, be willing to wait a bit for the "right" one. If it's going to be a Mk6 JSW, the extended emissions warranty can save thousands and thousands when dealing with fuel and emissions-related issues, so maximizing warranty time would be important to me. Lastly, with cost and reliability as factors, I'd suggest considering why the Mk6 is your primary target. A MkIV with an ALH or BEW is less costly to purchase, maintain and own, and the ALH is hands down the reliability and FE champion. They are also easier to work on yourself. Take the difference in purchase price between a JSW and MkIV JW and invest it into driveability / comfort items and upgrades, and the MkIV will be an highly enjoyable place to spend a commute.

 

[Clint82]

Well I ended up pulling the trigger and getting it. So far so good. Picked it up in Tuscon and drove it 6 hours back to vegas and got 45mpg. Now I will be looking to replace the DMF and inspect a few things but more posts to follow for those. Thanks!!!

 

[Porch]

Well I ended up pulling the trigger and getting it. So far so good. Picked it up in Tuscon and drove it 6 hours back to vegas and got 45mpg. Now I will be looking to replace the DMF and inspect a few things but more posts to follow for those. Thanks!!!

Drive the heck out of it and take vw to the cleaners for all the warranty repairs. I got everything except the turbo and the engine block replaced on my car, but it had the full 54000mi. of warranty on it when I got it. Helpful hint for longevity- don't lug it around at less than 1800rpm when you're cruising, will save your dpf a lot of grief.

 

[MrCypherr]

Keep up with the maintenance and it will take care of you.