Should I buy this VW Jetta??? - General

So today i was offered a 1996 VW Jetta GL 4-Cylinder 2.0L 5-Speed with Trek interior. The car is said to be in good shape with 168,000 miles on it. The only things that are needed are: *CV Axles *O2 Sensor *1 Tire. The CV Axles run around 100 to 130 dollars. O2 Sensor is under 40 dollars. And tires are cheap. The car was offered to me for $500. Is this a good deal? Based on the KBB Values it definitely seems like it. Any Input is GREATLY appreciated.

Take it to a mechanic, have it inspected. If everything is OK except for those items, I would buy it. It's a steal.

[QUOTE=>VLN<;20900618]Take it to a mechanic, have it inspected. If everything is OK except for those items, I would buy it. It's a steal.[/QUOTE] Thanks

With that many miles on it it wont be long before serious mechanical faults such as head gasket, cam belt, fuel pump or starter motor start setting in. With CV axels it could be a more serious problem if it's been left to long and you end up having to replace the entire bottom arm of the suspension. I wouldn't recommend you but that car, it's too close to the end of its life to own for a first car, I think you'd forever be spending money on repairs. I know VWs are reliable but even that's a lot of miles for a VW. If it was a deisel then it wouldn't be as bad but for a petrol engine its a hell of a lot.

We have a "Cars" thread in general, maybe you should put your question there between the car heads :) Anyways, it sounds like a good deal, but get it checked by a mechanic like VLN said.

It's too new, get an older jetta they are gorgeous.

[QUOTE=sam.clarke;20900689]With that many miles on it it wont be long before serious mechanical faults such as head gasket, cam belt, fuel pump or starter motor start setting in. [/QUOTE] Not really, VW jetta's have solid engines, they can easily run +500k km without any [U]Major[/U] faults, my dad used to be a vw mechanic in germany so pretty much got my experiences from him..

[QUOTE=zotic;20901020]Not really, VW jetta's have solid engines, they can easily run +500k km without any [U]Major[/U] faults, my dad used to be a vw mechanic in germany so pretty much got my experiences from him..[/QUOTE] They are supposed to be very reliable sooooo..

[QUOTE=sam.clarke;20900689]With that many miles on it it wont be long before serious mechanical faults such as head gasket, cam belt, fuel pump or starter motor start setting in. With CV axels it could be a more serious problem if it's been left to long and you end up having to replace the entire bottom arm of the suspension. I wouldn't recommend you but that car, it's too close to the end of its life to own for a first car, I think you'd forever be spending money on repairs. I know VWs are reliable but even that's a lot of miles for a VW. If it was a deisel then it wouldn't be as bad but for a petrol engine its a hell of a lot.[/QUOTE] It's not that many for a VW. Better than a FIAT, mine has had all those problems you've mentioned and I've been told the engine's on it's way to dying, and it's only done 68,000

Its too old imo Get a polo

Get a mk2 polo and slam it.

Post some pictures of it

I own a Jetta MKIV and while Jettas (especially the older ones) are very nice looking cars the cost of getting them repaired will hurt. Honestly though if you're looking into doing repairs and maintenance on it I'd say go for it. Mind you the previous owner will make it sound like it only needs a part here and there but in reality there's a chance a mechanic will find a lot more wrong with it. It could be worth it to save up maybe $2000 or $3000 and get a Jetta in a little better shape.

Get it. It should at least make it to 200k miles if you fix the broken parts. Think of it, if you live 25 miles away from town and go there daily, it will last you about 1 1/2 years, for $500. If you live in town, it could last you even more. CV shafts on VW's are easy to replace, O2 sensors arent too bad, and you can have the tire mounted and balanced at a shop and only have to bolt it on. If you really want to go cheap, you can look around at local junk yards and try to find a VW like yours and get both shafts for $50 or so.

[QUOTE=njfelix;20901358]They are supposed to be very reliable sooooo..[/QUOTE] Well wasn't it that what i just wrote? :b

If its being offered for 500, straight up its a good deal. In the very least you can pay... 500 for the car 200 for decent tires (good to get new fresh ones) 50 for the O2 sensor (giving leeway on price to comp.) 140 for the new Axle (which is the avg. price here in CO.) --- 890 in all for the car. Here in Denver you could sell a fixed up VW jetta for 2Gs at least. I bet its similar in other places, unless you live out in the middle of nowhere like Montana or Wyoming. If you wanna buy a car, go there. It's definitely a buyer's market. Still though, get it checked out by a mechanic to make sure everything else is in order. Hate to see you buy it, spend the thousand-ish to fix it all up and have the tranny go out. But VWs are like rocks. They last for decades and run excellently during those years. Not too many shit VWs out there.

Jettas from the 90's were made in mexico. Unless it's running on diesel, you're probably going to get problems with it. Not mentioning the rust problems on most VW. But for 500$ it could be well worth it.

[QUOTE=zotic;20902191]Well wasn't it that what i just wrote? :b[/QUOTE] I was thinkin out loud lol