I’m back again to seek the wisdom of the internet. I’ve found an '06 VW golf GLS with about 168k miles for $2000. Are golfs a good car? Is this a good price for the car? Seller seems motivated and willing to lower price. What are some red flags to look for should I check it out?
Red flags? the fact that it is 13 yr. old VW. I work next to VW dealer, one thing I have noticed is that very very few of the VW dealer mechanics drive a VW. Whether or not that means anything I don’t know. Just my observation.
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You really need to start here: KBB.com for the price
Then go here: CarComplaints.com for the problems
Once you get over 10 years and 125,000 miles or so, condition is EVERYthing. This could the the best GLS on the planet and well worth more than the $2K asking price. It could be complete junk because it wasn’t maintained and it will be a money pit if you get it for free. A careful inspection will minimize the risk of the latter.
A quick inspection by you will tell you if is worth spending $125 on an inspection by a pro.
Test drive - surface streets and highway - does everything work? Does the car pull to one side or another, vibrate, smoke, misfire, rattle, overheat, smell funny? Does it shift well?
Look at the car; Are the body panels wavy? Misaligned? Rusty? Do all 4 tires match? Do the front tires match? Do the wheels match? Mismatched tires show the owner was cheap. So what other maintenance was neglected?
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Some are and some are not . Sorry Mr. Pickens , but how many times do you need to be told that spending 100.00 to 125.00 at a shop to look at a used vehicle is the best way to give you a fighting chance for a decent vehicle . And even that will not insure it will last one day or longer.
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I checked KBB but hadnt checked carcomplaints so that was helpful. The complaints were pretty low. Two transmission related complaints and a few recalls were all I found.
I don’t think anyone has told me to spend 100-125 dollars on a professional inspection yet, except mustangman a few minutes ago.
Maybe because the others weren’t even worth the cost of a pre-purchase inspection.
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That’s fair.
Which means nothing on a 13 year old vehicle. It could have had more than one transmission replacement by know. Current condition is all that matters . Are all of these things Craigslist stuff ?
Of course I don’t understand the idea of buying an old vehicle just to drive and let your main vehicle just set . By the time you spend 2000.00 on a vehicle plus tags , registration and insurance and possible repairs that just does not make financial sense .