Volkswagen Passat Forum banner

Worth $800

Tags
$800 worth
3K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Passat1974 
#1 ·
Hello, names kyle and I'm thinking about buying an early 2000 VW Passat (89,000 Mi)and the asking price right now is currently a $1000 but I have talked the owner down to $800. I'm wanting to know if it's a good price because, what I know it needs as of right now is a new clutch, a right passenger window regulator, a few door switches, and little odds and ends like tires and shocks all around. the reason I'm asking if it's worth it or not is because I have not been able to drive the vehicle.
I have only been able to start it up and let it run for about 30 minutes or so just to make sure that it doesn't overheat and trying to hear any odd sounds What do you guys think is it worth it?
 

Attachments

See less See more
4
#3 ·
I'm probably going to sell my pristine 2002 soon, for an asking price of around $4,000.00. However I've put about $3k into it in the last 6 months for new timing belt kit, water pump, struts and shocks, AA & AB Schrader valves to repair the A/C, some paintless dent repair for door dings and also fluid changes. It runs perfectly, needs nothing and looks nearly new. In effect you'd be getting my very nice car with a full service history from new (Carfax shows 55 services) for $1000. It kind of puts your $800 car in perspective, right?

It's not for sale yet, and won't be until I complete a deal for a 2007 Subaru STi I'm looking at buying. In any case, I'm not trying to sell the car to you, but give you some perspective on the car you're looking at. There are cars like mine out there if you look hard enough. Sometimes the cheapest car turns out to be the most expensive car. Good luck whatever you decide!

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alloy wheel Full-size car
 

Attachments

#4 ·
89K is very low mileage, clutches even DIY clutches are expensive. Looks like a 1.8T GLS. KBB says it's worth between $500 and $1,600. Since the body panels don't match, I presume it's been in an accident. You need to drive it and see if it tracks and stops in a straight line. It's a crap shoot. If you are looking for a daily use car, you might have to keep looking.
 
#5 ·
The questions I would ask myself and the owner of the car are:

89,000 is really low mileage for a nearly 20 year old not-collectable-at-all car, why? That seems really suspect. It's not like a Corvette or a Bentley, it's a Passat...

With such low mileage, why does it 'need' a clutch, for reference, in both my old B4 and my current B5 the original clutch was alive and kicking for well past 130k.

This car needs shocks, because of age not mileage, there are hundreds of other bits that die of age in cars too, for example, all of the control arm bushings are likely crumbly toast too, timing belt, engine oil seals, vacuum lines, etc.

In my experience, it is rarely if ever the switch in a B5, switches generally give intermittent operation, not total death. Additionally the fact that its having trouble with more than one door suggests water damage, and knowing B5s, it probably will involve pulling out the interior and troubleshooting a waterlogged CCM. If that is the case, you'll soon find out how much the car relies on the CCM and what a pita it is.

As a parts car or for one that I was stripping down to go racing, I'd consider it if the carfax came back clean, otherwise, id really consider a different car if I was looking for a daily driver because after the money you're going to dump into it to get it drivable, you're totally in a different car money bracket. I paid $3200 for my B5 with 89k a decade ago, and it was ready to drive, from PA to FL that day, you might be better served to save a bit more and find an actual driver and not throw down on something with a tempting price.

Just my two cents though, ymmv
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top