1997 Volkswagen Passat

Wagon

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

Manual

WVWHG83A7VE012545

Lemon & Manufacturer Buyback

Diesel

ebay would not let me list this car as a car with a clear title. According to Autocheck there is a lien on the car dating from 1997. I bought the car on ebay and the title was clear. It is clear now. I called Autocheck. They have not responded. Anyway, this has been my favorite car. It has been a wonderful car. I've had it since 2003 and I put about 160.000 miles on it. My family doesn't want me to sell it. They all love it. But it has now become an old car owned by an old man. I'm selling it, because I found a 2005 Passat diesel with a 5 speed. I think it still has some life in it, but it needs a younger owner that can tinker with it a bit. Cons: - involuntarily two tone. It has rust free front fenders of another color. - clear coat is peeling on roof - air bag light is on - check engine light has been on for years (glow plug harness - there is a fix. I didn't bother. It always started fine) - it's been hit on all four sides. A little hit in the front: the rusty grill surround is left from that. I have a white grill surround to go with the car. A hit and run driver hit me above the driver's side rear wheel. That area likes to rust. I once scratched the passenger side from front to back (church parking lot concrete pole just low enough I didn't see it. I had just bought the car. I was mad!). It mostly affects the doors. Where it was fixed rust likes to come back. I backed into a trailer hitch. - driver's side window is not aligned well. It needs a little coaxing the close correctly. - leaks oil - uses a quart of oil per 1000 m, and usage is increasing. - you may not like the way I dealt with rust: Por 15, 2 coats, and then hand brushed paint over that. Doesn't look very good. Does keep the rust away for a while. Also underneath I would often coat rusty areas with engine oil. I've never seen oily surfaces rust. - it looks like two hub caps are missing. They are not. But two of the steel wheels are from other cars. They do not have the perforations needed to fit the hub caps. - the passenger side rear tower housing the strut - the plastic surround recently got hit and broke, see picture. - sometimes it seems as if the turbo isn't working. Then it seems to kick in again. - this is not rust-free car. Pros: - leather seats - euro headlights (glass, not plastic) - block heater from TDIheater - tires have 13.000m on them - it comes with a home made dog rack (if you want it. It's oak and will keep medium and large size dogs in the back). - timing belt, serpentine, water pump, v-belts replaced at 246.000 m. They should be good until 316.000 m. - rear brake lines replaced at 203.000 m - both rear calipers replaced within the last 50.000 m - starter and ignition switch replaced at 230.000 m - clutch replaced at 235.000 m - alternator replaced at 252.000 m - front and rear shocks (Bilstein) replaced at 263.000 m - all the windows work (except that the driver's side window is not aligned right) - all the doors open and close from inside and out (today! Don't hold your breath) - it's been averaging about 42-43 mpg. This is based on actual miles driven and actual gallons consumed. I do run a tire size one notch higher and one notch narrower than stock. - it has had a ventectomy: you can easily drive 1000 miles on a tank. - an old door handle is included. Probably not much use, but it helps to see how the thing works. - comes with a spare mud flap. - air conditioning works - cruise control works - heater works - radio works (haven't tried the cassette-recorder for years) - it has a trailer hitch - includes a Vag-Com cable - includes 2 remotes (sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Cleaning the battery connections often works wonders) - includes 3 sets of keys Please come see the car, inspect it and drive it. On Jun-23-15 at 12:42:55 PDT, seller added the following information: I did an online chat with Autocheck. They said: "We do not have any current lien reported for this VIN. The current title has not lien reported. However, the lien from 1997 is accurate and part of the vehicle history and will remain on the report. The current title show no lien which means there is no active lien." So then I asked," Is that original lien a cause for concern?" Natalie S: "I should not be if then it was transferred to another state with no other lien indication. What could be a problem is that Wisconsin issued a title with a Manufacturer Buyback remark" I said: "That was going t be my next question. The car has performed fine for the last 283,000 miles. Why is this a 'MAJOR_ISSUE'?" Natalie S: "We are not saying on the report is a major issue but any title remark is consider important information to review and that is what is gives the red flag. So my conclusion is: The title thing is not an issue. I have a clear Illinois title. Whatever the Manufacturer Buyback remark in 1997 says, the car has performed well since then. I do want to add: the transmission shifts fine, given the age of the car, but 1st gear requires some coaxing and reverse protests a bit when put in gear. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE HE