I own a (now scandalized) 2014 Jetta Sportwagen TDI. I never really loved it. So three weeks ago, before all this dieselgate business broke, I went into the dealer to see what I could get for it. They offered $19,750. Good for 30 days. That ends in a week.
So I have an pre-scandal offer on a now-scandalized car. Should I take the money and run?
I doubt the dealer will go through with the deal. But I’d go for it and see.
I agree with Uncle Turbo.
I doubt if that offer constitutes an enforceable contract to buy your car, but–Why not give it a try and then report back to us on the outcome?
Did the offer require buying a new car there?
Anytime you can sell a VW…do it.
The salesman said the offer was good for 30 days. Not sure how binding that is. I’m sure it was a trade in offer, but I could get into something gas-powered from the same dealership, I’m sure. I’d need a car anyway.
Do you have it in writing?
Yes. It’s in writing.
Let’s assume the offer is still on the table and valid. Should I take it?
take it !!!
Only you know how much of a loss you will take on the vehicle, how much you owe if financed and if you keep a car you don’t care for how much you will regret it later. This is a decision only you can make.
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Only if you really want another VW.
Their driving dynamics are excellent, but VWs are much more prone to weird electrical/electronic problems than American, Japanese, and Korean marques.
When you say that you “never really loved it”, what was the nature of your dissatisfaction with the car?
If the diesel engine was your only complaint, then–sure–why not buy another one?
But, if you found fault with…let’s say…the seat comfort…the ride quality…the reliability…or the legendary bad treatment of customers by VW dealers, I don’t see where it would make much sense to buy another VW.
What–specifically–do you not like about your current VW?
The fact that I brought in a 2014 for a trade in should give you an idea as to how I felt about the car even before the scandal, but 20,000 didn’t seem like enough of a reason to get into something different. Now, I’m worried that the trade in value will take a much bigger hit that just driving it off the lot.
Some people say I should just ride out the recall…maybe there will be a buy back or some other “make good” rebate. I’m not so sure.
The fact is, I was sold a diesel, but I don’t really need one. I only drive maybe 7000 miles per year. I was hoping to trade in a 2014 TDI wagon for the 2015 golf sportwagen (gas) because I like the new styling of the golf, but the numbers were just too far off at the time. Now it seems like I should cut my losses and take the 20,000.
“Now it seems like I should cut my losses and take the 20,000.”
Are you sure that the offer is good for buying the car from you, rather than as trade-in value for a new VW?
It would be very unusual for a new car dealer to make an outright offer to buy your car, rather than trying to induce you to do a trade for a newer model of the same make.
im okay with a trade-in.
I’d rather be in a gas-powered Golf Sportwagen or late model Audi A4 wagon than what I’m in now. I’m not sure there’s a non-vw/Audi wagon I’d rather be in anyway.
The problem with a trade in offer is that they can extract their $$ on the new car price. You could get a good trade in and a bad total deal.
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Yup!
A supposedly generous trade-in offer can be rapidly eradicated by…
…paying full sticker price on the new car
…paying the extra cost involved with one of those lovely “ADP” stickers on the window
…adding over-priced, low-quality dealer-installed accessories
…paying for Super Duper Wonderful paint protectant and fabric protection
…paying onerous prep fees and/or runner fees and/or registration fees
I agree with the others. If this is a trade-in, they’ll just put the new car at a price that makes up for the unexpected loss of value on your current car. If this does happen to be an offer to purchase it outright, then maybe in this unusual case it’s not a bad idea to dump it, although it’s hard to say for sure.
It seems VW dealers are looking for floor traffic and business. If you move to a gas VW there just might be a decent deal to be made. It is worth the effort, and the Golf Sportswagon is a nice package. If you don’t like the overall deal just walk out and wait and see what VW corporate does for owner’s of diesels.