Depends on how much you want to spend on the engine job... And the whatever else is broken job... And the next broken thing after that ...
Face it a 95 with a blown engine is worth just about what scrap is selling for and not much more. It's old, doesn't run, and may need some extensive work. OK, you may be lucky, and only a few things, but once you put about $1000 into the engine, what do you have? A car that has a book value of maybe (depending on condition) of about $2000 max. Good deal? No, not even slightly. If they will give it to you for free take it, if not walk away.
Well I paid $400 for a 1996 Jetta with automatic transmission last year. It also would not start. I got it running very well, needed an ign coil, and then could not easily sell it due to body blemishes. I only got $1200 here in Chicago. BTW the owner also wanted $800 for that dead '96 Jetta, and no one else wanted it. ;-)
So $800 is too much with it being DEAD and not having a perfect body. You can't tell what else is wrong, like the transmission might have a bad reverse gear.
Pay $200-400 and hope that at least the transmission is good. You will make money on parting it out, if you have to. ;-)
My son's on his second 1995 Jetta. He loves the car from a driving standpoint. From a repair/reliability standpoint, both have been a pain in the neck (and elsewhere). We're hoping the (manual) transmission gets him to the spring so we don't have to change it in the cold. This one's had a new wheel cylinder, a master cylinder, a front wheel bearing, a front transmission seal (and, of course, the clutch as a result), and some things I can't remember right away in under a year.
Having said that, the first one threw a timing belt without bending any valves, so the engine might not actually be damaged. If the mileage is low the one you're looking at might be worth the money, but I keep asking my son whether he can spell "Honda" or "Toyota" because they...just...keep...working! (My other son's about to break 190K on a
1991 Accord, which in its lifetime has had fewer problems by far than either of the two Jettas have had in two years.)
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