nobody??bump
#1
ok so as i said im wanting to buy a winter car, and i have a car in mind. but it needs a bit of work, im thinkin of driving it for winter, fixing it up a bit and selling it and hopefully making a couple bucks. but at the same time it might just be a little over the top. the owner emailed me the condition of the car.. so i havent looked at it personally yet. i wanna find out as much as i can about the car before i look at it cus its not very convenient for me to just go take a peak.its a 97 Auto Trans, 2.0 Jetta GL 308,000kms (191,382miles).. yep high milage! and im no fan of auto.. and those high kms on a gas engine kinda worry me! but for the right price i might concider driving it for a little while in winter. idealy id like to just swap engines and either have a good mk3 for winter, or sell it and make some $$. but i just dont have the time/space for that right now! anyway, interior is in good condition, its got a few minor exterior imperfections, a tiny bit of rust, and a few dents, one on one of the fenders and a few on the back of the trunk, looks like i could probably take the trunk upolstry off and pop them out a bit. from the pictures i saw, it kinda looks like the rear end is sagging a bit.. that could be money spent on struts too. not something id be excited about.
thing that worrys me the most is that its got some engine knock.. and the car has a slow antifreeze leak that the guy doesnt seem to know where its comin from. hopefully the head gaskets not shot/consuming antifreeze! with the amount of kms its at, i almost wouldnt be surprized. i'll check the antifreeze color and inside of the valve cover to see if there's any sludge at all. i'll also check the smell of the exhaust. i would like to know tho, which years of the mk3 2.0's had upside down oil rings?? this is also a pretty big concern of mine.
i guess the worst thing that could happen is if the car just died on me while i had it.. cus then id of course almost have to fix it up to sell it again, that could be lots of money. parting out is too much time/work for me right now. if it made it through winter and i could fix up a couple things i might be able to make more on it than what i bought it for depending on what he'll wanna let it go for. and keep in mind this is a IFFF i were to buy the car. i wanna hear from you guys and take a good look at the car before i think of even making a decision.. im not terribly familar with mk3's, i drive an 04 1.8T. so any little hints, tips, tricks would be much appreciated!!
yes i know the stickers are pretty lame!
Modified by Doug_1.8t at 8:35 PM 9-26-2006
#3
for the auto trans
my last car, a 1996 2.0 5-speed jetta trek had 298,000 miles before a friend crashed it, and it still started up and ran after the crash.
#4
i wouldnt trust the tranny with that high miles. its not surprising to see them give up around 100k miles.
Fernando Alonso/Ferrari Scuderia 2010 - 'This one is for you Flavio!'
#5
well if i did buy the car id want to either swap the whole engine after the first winter. or just swap the tranny with a 1.8 5speed. i hear they're a good tranny to swap. but yea im not a fan of auto on any car. tiptronic or not!anybody have any idea what an engine/tranny alone would cost (CDN $$). obviously its going to range with the condition of the engine.. just looking for a ball park price
Modified by Doug_1.8t at 5:07 PM 9-27-2006
#6
Auto trans = Grenade waiting to go boom.....you might be driving when it happens like I was
#7
haha. well these are good things to know. more insentive to do a tranny swap. would i have to upgrade axles and front end stuff as well?? or is it just a direct bolt on? for the 1.8 5speed on the 2.0?
#8
as far as the sag in the rear goes not a big deal, most mk3's with stock suspension sag back there, worn out bump stops. the high km's would worry me as that is what i would expect for the life of one of these motors give or take a few.
how much does he want for the car?
#9
well his wife is hoping for $2500CDN. but i basically told them whats wrong with their car, what its worth etc... cus the guy isnt mechanical whatsoever, he asked ME if that price is unreasonable. so they obviously dont know how to sell the car either. im gonna try and wind him down as far as i can go. i gotta take a look at the car in person as well. i dont wanna spend ANY more than $1000CDN on the car. even if he did go down to 1000, i still dont know if i'd buy it.. if i could find a motor/tranny for a good price id concider it.. but i dunno.. i dont want a money pit either. thats why i want something like an old mk1, or mk2 16v with no power options, just totally basic. so much cheaper and easier to swap/fix stuff!! sigh* decisions.....
#10
Quote, originally posted by Doug_1.8t » well his wife is hoping for $2500CDN. but i basically told them whats wrong with their car, what its worth etc... cus the guy isnt mechanical whatsoever, he asked ME if that price is unreasonable. so they obviously dont know how to sell the car either. im gonna try and wind him down as far as i can go. i gotta take a look at the car in person as well. i dont wanna spend ANY more than $1000CDN on the car. even if he did go down to 1000, i still dont know if i'd buy it.. if i could find a motor/tranny for a good price id concider it.. but i dunno.. i dont want a money pit either. thats why i want something like an old mk1, or mk2 16v with no power options, just totally basic. so much cheaper and easier to swap/fix stuff!! sigh* decisions..... id personally go mk1 or mk2 if your looking for a winter beater. mk3's are finicky, and i think we all know that car projects rarely go as smoothly as we originally intend.
Fernando Alonso/Ferrari Scuderia 2010 - 'This one is for you Flavio!'
#11
Auto trans on a VW
#12
yea its probably best i go for an mk1 or mk2. BUT the thing is its sooooooo hard to find one with out alot of rust, and if there isnt rust they're priced higher than what i can afford. i guess i'll just keep lookin. but i still wanna know which years of the mk3 2.0's had the upside down oil rings
#13
191K on a 97 is pretty high....Mine has 202K and it's a 94. However the 2.0 is a pretty reliable engine. I'm sure the guy has has some work done on it. Find out what all has been done. The Auto...is crap. If you can find a manual to swap that would be good. If you are looking to fix up the suspension cheap...like the rear sag...it's not that costly to fix. Check Tirerack for shocks for the rear and struts for the front. With that kind of milage you may want to get new springs too. (you really don't have too though) Again cheaper than coilovers, cup kits. The knock could be the water pump....replacement from GermanAutoParts.com is $50 and Dan J. Reed has a good right-up on it. That could be the source of your coolant leak too. The head gaskets are pretty tough. Go look at it first for sure.
#14
cool thanks! yea im forsure looking at it before i make any decisions... PLUS if he doesnt wanna go down to $1000 there's no way im buying it anyway. thanks for the helpim still wondering what years had the upside down oil rings tho!!??
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