1996 Volkswagen Passat

Sedan

1.9L 1896CC 116Cu. In. l4 DIESEL SOHC Turbocharged

Manual

WVWGG83A9TE113515

Clear

DIESEL

The time has come for me to sell my beloved Passat tdi. These cars are really getting hard to find. I bought this one 6 years ago and it has been extremely reliable over those 6 years. It had 89k miles when I bought it and now has just over 152k, which if you know anything about these cars, is not a lot of miles. Everyone asks me about fuel economy in this car so here goes. For several years I drove this car as a commuter at 75+ mph on the freeway everywhere I went and averaged 42-45 mpg. And I was happy with that. But about 2 years ago I started slowing down and driving closer to the speed limit. Since then I've been able to average 48-50+ mpg on each tank of fuel. My best tank to date got 57 mpg. On that single tank of fuel I actually drove 1002.1 miles. I don't know of any other cars that can do this. I achieved this on a long trip following (at a safe distince - not drafting) big rigs at about 55 mph. Don't expect to get this kind of mileage on a regular basis, though, unless you're willing to drive very slowly. But 50 mpg is certainly reasonable and attainable if you stay close to the speed limits. If you're a fast driver, mid-40's should be expected. The newer tdi's do have more power, but they just can't match the fuel economy of the 96-97 B4 passats. That's why these cars are so desirable. This car is in really good overall condition. Everything on the car works. Cold a/c, power windows, door locks, sunroof, cruise all in working order. No electrical issues whatsoever. The car runs and drives great. There's a hint of vibration at idle, but I believe that's normal for a diesel. The timing belt, tensioner, water pump and all accessory belts were replaced a few months ago at 146k miles. The old water pump was fine, but many recommend replacing it every other timing belt change, as I've done. The car is completely stock except for the stereo, wheels/tires, and a previous owner removed some of the exterior badging. I understand these cars are great for running biodiesel, but I have never used it. The car is not cosmetically perfect though. The clearcoat is peeling on the roof, and there are some areas on the driver door also starting to peel. But it looks pretty decent from a distance, just as it does in the photos. Also there is some wheel corrosion on the clear coated wheels. There's a very shallow dent on the right rear door and a scrape on the front left corner of the bumper. The car came to me without the tdi engine cover and I've seen no need to replace it. The car does have a slight engine oil leak from one of the gaskets. It causes a few drip spots on the driveway, but no puddles. I just check the oil once a month and top up if necessary. I use Rotella 5W-40 full synthetic. One other issue that started recently is the starter groans for about 1 second after the engine starts. I've read in the forums that it's not an uncommon problem and the starter can last for years like this, so I haven't replaced it. If you're thinking about getting one of these cars but don't know too much about them yet, there are some great online sources and owners groups that are very helpful. I highly recommend checking out tdiclub.com and myturbodiesel.com. The nicecarstdi.com website also has a lot of great information specific to this generation of passat. I've tried to be honest and thorough about the condition of the car. Please feel free to ask any questions. If you plan to have the vehicle shipped, I'll help to work with your shipper, but the shipping will be your responsibility. Please research shipping costs prior to bidding. If you would like to fly in and drive the car home, I may be able to pick you up at San Jose airport if you coordinate with me in advance. This car is totally ready to drive from coast to coast and it will do it on less than 3 tanks of fuel. If you're in the area, you're more than welcome to come and check out the car prior to the close of auction. Contact me for an appointment. The car is also for sale locally, so I reserve the right to end the auction at any time. Thanks and happy bidding!On Aug-22-12 at 21:22:02 PDT, seller added the following information: As promised in responding to a question earlier today, I did a thorough inspection this evening looking for any traces of rust on the car. I found no traces of rust under the car. Even the exhaust was amazingly clean. Under the hood, only the battery tray had some surface rust on it. But it is still solid. I found a few small spots just under the right tail light. See the tail light photo. The front grill has some small spots, presumably from stone chips, etc. See the photo with the pencil eraser. Lastly, there are a few very tiny spots on the roof of the car between the sunroof and windshield where the clearcoat has peeled. See the photo with the pencil tip. (For some reason I'm having trouble adding the additional photos. I will work on it.)On Aug-22-12 at 22:32:59 PDT, seller added the following information: Apparently 24 photos is the limit and I already have 24. If I can't get the photos added tomorrow then I'll host them from another location, and post a link to view them. I know rust is a scary word, but please don't be alarmed as these spots are tiny (1l8 - 1/4 inch) and on the surface only. Thanks.On Aug-23-12 at 07:57:35 PDT, seller added the following information: Please follow this link See Additional Photos to see the photos referenced in the comments above regarding rust spots.