I love my 96 Golf GL (2.0 AT w/ only 64,000 miles on her) but it needs about $950. worth of work to get it in top shape (coolant flange, timing belt, hoses, belts, ignition wiring, plugs, engine flush, valve cover gasket, etc.). If I plan to sell or trade it in the next year is it worth the investment of this much money? My feeling is that the work IS worthwhile if I sell it outright but will mean little as a trade to a dealer who's only going to wholesale it anyway. Comments?
Never, Never trade in a car to a dealer. If you do, you will loose out every time. It will mean more money in your pocket if you sell it yourself. Then you can negotiate with the dealer on the price of the new car without the complication of a trade-in - and the dealer will have one less way of hiding the actual price.
In pure financial terms you're right, however, if you balance that against the work that's needed (dealers rarely check this stuff on a trade-in) and the time / effort of having a load of tyre kickers coming round to have a look, plus the hassle of being without a car between selling yours and buying a new one, then quite often a trade-in is the best option overall.
Agreed. I'd go drive a couple cars (new?) and see if there's something you like first. If you do, just do the stuff to keep it reliable for the short term (belts and hoses) and trade it. If you don't, fix it up like you want it and drive it 'til it makes no sense.
The only things I've found that I'd like to replace my '95 Jetta GLS with is either the Audi A3 or Acura TSX. Both are $30k cars! OK, the Saab 92X with the GM discounts running now (~$22k?) was pretty good, but I really didn't like the very noticeable turbo lag. Everything else felt like a step down from this 10 year old, 100kmi Jetta. Amazing.
When you think about it, $950 isn't even a down payment on some cars. It's only about 3-4 months of payments. If you get through that period without more stuff, you're ahead of the game.
I agree with Mark, You will also save on gas, coolant and have a much better running vehicle. You will get more money from a person for a car that is running well!!
But if you 'give' it to the dealer...............do nothing since you will get nothing!!!
Thanks for the tips. I'm leaning toward having the work done and keeping the '96 for another year or so (I've been saying that for several years now.)
The problem with selling it outright is that where I live (Middleofnowhere, Florida and 50 miles to the nearest VW dealer) you rarely see a VW of any type. If it's not a pick-up truck nobody wants it. But, it won't hurt to try.
Re: Mark Randol wrote, "The only things I've found that I'd like to replace my '95 Jetta GLS with is either the Audi A3 or Acura TSX. Both are $30k cars!"
Well, the Mazda3s has some appeal for me, but I haven't tested one yet. Hey, it's only 30 miles to the nearest Mazda dealer. :)
The Mazda3 was ok. It wasn't 20k better than my 10 year old, 100kmi Jetta tho'!
Actually, didn't like the shifter. Guess I'm picky about that on a manual tranny. The automatic might be better in comparison. I didn't try it since I don't like auto trannies in small cars. The exception might be the Audi A3's DSG. Believe the hype in the brochure. It's a sweet tranny. If I got one I'd probably still go with a manual since I'm so used to one I'd do the paddle shift all the time anyway.
Toyota Matrix, et al. Ugh. Honda? Didn't like the dealer I went to. Don't think they have anything remotely Golf-ish anyway. The Ford and Chev dealers, to their credit, flat said they didn't have anything, but showed me a Mustang (nice - no drive tho') and the Cobalt (wasn't impressed, but it's on the entry level, so what to expect?)
Not looking at new VW's since they're basically riding in the bilge of every survey I've been able to find for reliability, customer satisfaction, etc, etc. Not that mine been stellar in the reliability of the body pieces either, but it's only left me stranded once. Not bad in 100kmi IMO.
Not trying to one-up you, but my '88 Cabbie Convertible has now clocked over
260,000 miles and still looks and runs good. With the price of gasoline going through the roof though, it is looking more and more like a good candidate for a conversion to an EV.
Never, never, ever trade in your old car to a dealer. These people want something-for-nothing and will only offer you a fraction of what the car is worth.
Actually, the time spent with tire-kickers and answering questions over the phone is very, very small. You could literally earn a THOUSAND dollars an hour for selling the car the yourself.
Hey, no problem. Wasn't braggin'. Just stating a fact.
I'm really impressed by either how much my tastes have improved or by how crappy cars have become.
I'm not entirely pleased with my Jetta. Having to R&R wiring harnesses and window regulators every couple months does not a happy owner make. Danged car can't stay totally fixed for more than about 2-4 weeks, then something else goes to heck. That's been it's whole life, not just after 10 yrs & 100kmiles. OK, 97kmiles :)
Want a laugh? Check out the '06 Honda Civic. Looks like a Saturn w/ interior design by Fisher-Price Toys. Of course Honda will have the last laugh - all the way to the bank. The new engine is said to be very efficient and lighter than the current 1.7.
I'm also very gun shy of new VWs. The company has lots of management and labor issues/problems that always seem to affect product quality. Doug Flint, at Car Connection.com, took on VW quality in his latest column:
Yeah, tell me about it. I'm the original owner on this car...
I've been telling folks the good news and bad news about VW.
Good news: It's easy to work on. Bad news: You'll need to.
Funny thing is tho', that when the stuff gets replaced by German parts, the failure rate goes down. Mostly the stuff from Mexico has been the stuff that's broken. I saw that the new Jetta's were from Puebla too and just walked away. IIRC the GTIs are in the Czech Republic or Brazil. Sat in one and didn't like the seating position :(
Passat's a little big for what I want, but then again so's the new Jetta.
Just for grins, see if you can find a Ford dealer with a Focus ST. BTW, it only comes in a 5spd. I went in prepared to be totally underimpressed, but was surprised. With the current incentives, you can find a 2005 for under $15,000 right now, although there aren't many left. I thought it had a good shifter, smooth clutch, excellent body dynamics a road feedback, and a surpriseingly good interior. Reminded me of what Jettas used to be like. Engine is a 150HP 2.3L mill lifted from the Mazda parts bin, and it has a nice broad torque band. The car is getting lukewarm reviews from the press, simply because its not the 170HP power plant, and hyper stiff suspension of last years SVT. Point taken, but SVT was a couple of grand more, and really overpriced for the Focus platform. Reviewers are also complaining that Ford didn't bring in the new platform that they are releasing in Europe this year. Yeah, if you read up, that one is going to be far more expensive too.
I was ready to buy one, but the spousal unit thought we needed something bigger, since we have three kids. Yeah, it is a step down, from my longterm Passat, but really, it would be a secondary car for us. Most kid hauling is done in or stone boring, but reliable Toyota minivan. The most they would have to be subjected to in my car is a few miles, a couple of times per week. Still seemed like a great city type car, with well above average handling, for little money.
re: "The Mazda3 was ok. It wasn't 20k better than my 10 year old,
100kmi Jetta tho'! "
Anyone interested in the Mazda3 - or others in this class - should take a look at the road test comparison at Edmunds.com:
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where the Mazda3 came in first. They said, "Sporty yet upscale, nimble yet comfortable, the 2005 Mazda 3 is a dream car among economy sedans. It's the new Jetta VW should have built. Need an affordable compact car this year? Buy this one."
Update 9/10/05. I decided to repair my 96 Golf 2.0 and keep her on the road for a while longer. Work included:
coolant flange valve cover gasket vacuum lines timing belt and tensioner distributor cap and rotor spark plug wires and new plugs feed and return hose for heater A/C belt V-belt two tires engine gunk air filter
She's running great and getting much better mileage. :)
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