1997 Volkswagen Passat

TDI Diesel Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Manual

wvwgg83a4vb005856

Clear

Diesel

1997 VW Passat TDI Diesel B4 sedan GREAT SHAPE--**NO MOTOR** This Passat is a really sweet ride, and a really sweet deal. It's in great shape -- I don't mean that it's showroom quality, I mean that it has been regularly driven and very well maintained, and that it's a very good specimen that would be a great daily driver for almost anyone. I drove the car almost daily as my main ride for a few months before I took the motor out, and I really enjoyed driving it. I was very carfeul and took a very long time looking for this car. I wanted a motor that would last me many years and many miles (I put the VW motor in my 4WD Toyota pickup, but that's another story). I was inspired to do this because I know from years of experience that the VW Passat TDI's of the 1997 vintage are awesome cars that last forever--they'll easily last 500,000 miles if you treat them well, and this one has definitely been treated well. So I now have the "lasts forever motor", and am selling the "lasts forever" everything else. Obviously, being the kind of guy that does stuff like put a VW diesel motor in a Toyota 4WD pickup, I know a fair amount about cars. So the details I'm providing here are accurate, and if you want more info, I really can talk about this stuff 'til I'm blue in the face, and am very happy to answer any of your questions. Here are some pictures (ignore engine pics): http://s825.photobucket.com/albums/zz180/truckeebiofuels1/1997%20Passat%20TDI/ So here's what's for sale:Everything but the motor, ECU, and accelerator. The ECU and accelerator shouldn't pose a problem for you. If you already have or will get a VW motor, the ECU should be with it, and it's very rare that the existing ECU wouldn't work, even on a wrecked car. Same with the accelerator. (FYI, unlike most other cars, the TDI's accelerator is actually electronic, it works like a dimmer switch or a volume knob, so I needed to keep it with the motor since the Toyota accelerator is not compatible with the VW motor). History: It's German-made Passat B4. I got it from the family that bought it brand new, and who maintained it very well--I have lots of receipts to prove this. In fact, it looks to me like I may actually have a receipt for every penny ever spent on this car. Almost all of the work was done by the VW dealership. It has never needed any major work, routine maintenance only. VIN is wvwgg83a4vb005856. You are welcome to do a Carfax or similar report. Miles driven: It has 176k miles on it. I'd estimate that this car is good for another 176k, if not more. Body/appearance: No rust--it's been in Nevada its whole life. The paint is in darn good condition. There are three places where the clear coat has oxidized off--exactly as you'd expect from a Western US daily driver car, and just where you'd expect: a little bit it on the hood, a little bit on the roof, a little bit on the trunk lid (see the pics). Other than that, the paint is basically pristine. It has a few very minor scratches, but I'd say fewer scratches than you'd expect from most cars of this car's age. No dents, save the front driver's side quarter panel, where a cheap patch job gave the previous owners just what they paid for (see the pics). Interior: Great condition. Light gray color. Cloth seats, significantly-less-than-normal wear, no stains, no unsightly wear marks, no holes. Everything the driver needs works--all the dials, gauges, lights, wipers, etc. The sun roof works, and is an awesome feature. The air bags are all present and accounted for. The passenger side rear door handle has come detached but the handle and door still work fine. The driver's side window needs work; the window motor works fine, but the window itself doesn't function properly, though it stays rolled up. This is probably an easy fix, but I didn't bother with it because I knew I'd only be driving the car for a short time. The passenger's side sun visor has come undone. I have it, and it will be any easy fix. Driving: Drives *totally* great, and just floats and cruises the awesome smooth way these cars are supposed to, and has the unbeatable turbo-powered get-up-and-go. Front end is super-tight, no slop, nothing squishy, rattle-y, or squeaky about it. Shocks are fine and should remain so for a good long time. Alignment appears to be perfect, it steers arrow-straight. The front right CV joint makes a slight clicking sound when taking a hard left. This is pretty much what I'd expect from this car at this point in its life, though I gotta be honest here and say that this probably means that after about another six months of driving, the CV joint would need to be replaced. The rear end is also rock solid. Good shocks and springs, never feels bumpy or like it's dragging. These rear ends are not prone to problems, so I wouldn't expect it to need anything any time soon. But the rear disc brakes will need to be replaced before too long. This is a pretty low-effort job, and the rear brakes last forever on these cars. The rotors may or may not need to be turned at that time--I haven't scoped that out. Transmission/clutch/flywheel: This is a five-speed manual transmission. The tranny works perfectly--no sticking, no slipping, no noise, no leaks, etc. I can tell by looking at it that the clutch is essentially brand new, which is great for you, because the current clutch will probably last as long as the first one did. The flywheel is in great shape, no worn spots, no broken teeth, etc. Fuel efficiency: The VW TDI motors are some of the most fuel-efficient motors on the planet. The five-speed manual transmission is the most efficient VW transmission. So this car does *great* with fuel. With a stock diesel motor in this car, you can expect to get 45 mpg or more on the highway at 70 mph. If you drive a bit slower, you'll get even higher mileage. Around-town mileage will probably be around 75% of whatever you get on the highway. That's better than a Prius, and it's way more comfy and quick. You can also do a few low-cost add-ons that would boost the mileage considerably. Green fuels: As I've done, you can very easily reduce your carbon footprint with a VW diesel. You can burn biodiesel in the TDI motors with absolutely no modifications required. In fact, with little or no modification, you can burn straight vegetable oil in these babies. They are just awesome for green fuels. You could stop using petro-fuel tomorrow and never look back. Extras: * 4 essentially new studded snow tires plus 4 stock sized tires--these alone are worth $500. * After-market stereo/cassette/6-CD changer, installed but not connected. I was told they work and I believe it, but I never hooked them up. I was told that they'd been slightly mis-wired and so blew the fuse periodically. This should be an easy fix, I just didn't care about it, so I didn't bother. Smog: Exempt from smog requirements in California because it's a 1997 diesel. Registration: Current, California. No outstanding tickets. Title: Clear. Miscellaneous: The 1997 Passat was voted Best Family Sedan. It's easy to see why. It's fast, roomy, solid, safe, handles great, cheap to drive, and generally trouble-free. In addition, they are very adaptable, so you're not limited to a VW diesel motor. You could put in a VW gasoline motor, or just about any other motor you want. This car would be an awesome sleeper if you found a wrecked Corvette and dropped the motor in this baby. Like I said, I'm very happy to answer questions or add more info, just let me know. Thanks for your interest. On Feb-21-11 at 16:54:04 PST, seller added the following information: Clarifications/corrections (Feb. 21): * What's for sale: I should have mentioned that I also took the wiring needed to adapt the motor to the Toyota 4WD. I should have realized that it might not "go without saying" to everyone--sorry about that. This shouldn't pose a problem for you, as this wiring should be easily available from the car or seller of the motor you'd be putting in the car. * Interior: It's light beige, not light gray as previously indicated. Sorry for the slip of the tongue/keyboard. * Driving: Upon closer examination today (Feb. 21), the rear disc brakes will need to be replaced almost immediately. As previously mentioned, the rotors may or may not need to be turned at that time--I haven't scoped that out. Also, my memory was jogged via a conversation, so I'm downgrading the front end from "super-tight" to just "tight". It's not sloppy, squishy, etc. and all appears to be in good shape but it's not super-tight like a brand-new new car. It does indeed steer arrow-straight (as mentioned previously). * Fuel efficiency: From Wikipedia: "It carried a U.S. EPA fuel efficiency rating for the sedan of 45 miles per US gallon (5.2 L/100 km; 54 mpg-imp) highway. Combined with a 18.5 gallon fuel tank, it had an 800+ mile range on a single tank of fuel." Full Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Passat#B3_and_B4_.28Typ_35i.2C_1988.E2.80.931996.29 * Extras: The Bose stereo/cassette/6-CD changer is not after-market. I should have said that it was an option when the car was originally purchased from the dealer. Here's a list of equipment that was standard: http://www.intellichoice.com/1-11-1997-197-16/1997-volkswagen-passat-standard-options.html * Miscellaneous: Here's a good explanation of why this model car was and is *still* held in high esteem: http://www.epinions.com/review/auto_Make-1997_Volkswagen_Passat/content_46810173060 . Also, here's some fun info on VW TDI motors and their general awesomeness: http://www.audi-tdi-chronicle.com/start.php On Feb-25-11 at 03:56:14 PST, seller added the following information: Answer to a member's questions (Feb. 25): A member asked me some good questions, but included their phone number with their question. Obviously, I couldn't edit their phone number out of the question, so I answered them privately. But I like to put all the questions and answers out for everyone to see, so here's my public response to their questions. Hi, XXXX. Thanks for more smart questions. I'm answering privately instead of showing the answer on eBay because you included your phone number in the question and I can't edit it out. I don't want to reveal your phone number. I'll answer your questions separately here. Q: Looking at the pics it appears to be missing a passenger sunvisor. A: As I mentioned in the listing, the passenger's side sun visor has come undone. I have it, and it will be any easy fix. So the detached visor is with the car and just needs to be reattached Q: [Is there a] broken cup holder? A: No. None of the cup holders are broken. Q: Is the interior color called Sahara Beige? iI's important because that's my interior color; can be mistaken as grey.A: Yes, it is Sahara Beige. As I mentioned in the listing, it's a light beige color. It's not a custom color, it was a standard color for the 97 Passats Q: Will another motor just drop in? A:: A TDI 1Z or AHU motor will go right in with no modification. This may also be true of the AAZ motor, but it should be researched a bit to confirm. Of course, you'll have to bolt up to the transmission, motor mounts, etc. as is always the case when putting a motor in any car. Q: Is all the wiring intact? A: As I mentioned in the listing, I took the wiring needed to adapt the motor to the Toyota 4WD. I should have realized that it might not "go without saying" to everyone--sorry about that. This shouldn't pose a problem for you, as this wiring should be easily available from the car or seller of the motor you'd be putting in the car. To clarify more: The wiring's all there, with the exception of what I needed to use the motor in the Toyota: the engine harness, ECM, OBD-II port, and brake pedal switch. And as I said, none of this should be a problem for you, as all of these parts should be present in the wrecked car from which you'd typically get a motor to put into this car. > sorry if these seem like silly questions, but this is possibly a big project, > especially shipping the car. No, they aren't silly questions. I know that projects like this aren't necessarily easy to understand right off. Let me know if you have more questions. Many thanks.