This is the correct answer. He bags the money, sells at less of a discount that it would have cost to fix.

I was already mentally plotting out a trip west from NC, myself.

This falls squarely into “Nice Price/Bad Idea”.

I bought up some diesels to cash in on Dieselgate; my fav was an ‘09 Jetta that had over 240k. We called it “Methusala” and it was awesome in everyway. Never a sputter for all the miles I put on it, over 100 day.

This was a GREAT purchase!

Thank you for a great article about an obscure but interesting vehicle. I’ve always vaguely wondered why they had what I thought were double rear axles. Turns out they weren’t, and it turns out they’re mechanically more interesting than I expected. That’s the kind of thing I tune in for.

To own an out-of-warranty VW requires you to know a grey-haired German guy with rimless glasses at a VW shop. I had one of those, and he kept me in business as long as he could.

I had an 09 GTI.  It was worth all the headaches.  And I had two diesel Jettas and one diesel Golf that were wonderfully reliable.  But I also had a passat that was both boring and unreliable.  It’s a bad combo, and I think a cosmetically different Passat is still a Passat.

I can confirm.  

I’ve owned and loved six VWs post 2009, and I can tell you with certainty that this car is about 35k miles from being a $2k “has sat a while” “ran when parked” Facebook Marketplace trash ad.

If you can pay 8k for three happy years and one anxious, miserable six months before you have the guts to let it go while it…

If I though he was going to crash, I wouldn’t let him drive.
[Points at his temple, looking down smiling]

Presently in the market for something for my nearly-16-year-old. East of the Mississippi, I’d have been in the car with cash in hand. Wrenchable, already a little beaten on such that it’s not really going to get ruined by teen hijinks, useful as a truck, stick, and not really fast enough to get ahead of his teen brain.

…

If I said driving one was like driving a pretty frying pan, how far off would that be, from your perspective?  I drove one once and I did feel like a king.  But a king driving a frying pan.  Very heavy, though the feeling felt like quality, I guess.

I bought a TDI Beetle convertible just to sell it back. I thought I’d got it as a business transaction, but I fell in love immediately. I adored it. I’m 6'1" and all-torso. Sitting in a car with a hard top is like wearing a ball cap pulled low. The first time the top came down, it was like I’d opened my eyes for the…

Man, I would love to get in on that.

The fact that that recent extensive work was done, the engine bay is clean, and there is no nagging “ just needs a new driver’s door handle” comment gives me a peaceful feeling about this car.  A lot of money, but I’m going NP,

After a night’s sleep, I think I agree with you.  That BMW was so clean.

A minority position, perhaps, but I consider 140k miles on something not Japanese to be too high.  I’ve bought a GTI with not quite that many miles and found it be...less than reliable.  Sure it looks clean, but a car with 140k today has 160 in a year or two.

At 10k, anything without a V12: no AC, no dice.

I like Raphael. But lol.

It’s nice to hear from a person who found something they love in an imperfect care, rather than a rant about miniscule details in an essentially perfect car. Unabashed love for my most recent car, flawed or not, is an emotion I identify with strongly.