1997 Volkswagen Passat

Wagon

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

Manual

WVWHG83A7VE012545

Lemon & Manufacturer Buyback

Diesel

I just arrived home in the San Francisco area, two hours ago after driving it from the Chicago area in two days (started Monday afternoon, July 6 and arrived Wednesday afternoon, July 8). Car drives well, engine runs good and I would have loved to keep it if it wasn't for the turbo feature not working. On flat roads that is not a problem, but going up the Truckee incline over the Sierras it was sluggish due to turbo not kicking in. The previous owner warned me about this but I thought I would give it a try. Did not work and since I am not a mechanic I would hate to be Santa Claus for the area's mechanics. If you know your way around a TDI engine, this is the deal for you! If you are like me, also unable to do the repairs or live with the car the way it is, please look elsewhere unless you have a trusted friend or relative who can fix this car for you without having to be at the mercy of mechanics or be their cash cow. Please note that the mileage has increased commensurate with the Chicago to San Francisco distance traveled the last couple of days and now shows 186330 miles (bound to change a little as I may drive the car to keep the battery charged and or demonstrate the car to local buyers--I reserve the right to sell locally and shut down this auction at any time). The picture of i-80 was taken this morning, July 8 in Churchill county, Nevada, on my way to California, just confirmation about driving the car as stated. Lastly, be aware that I travel a lot for business. If you end up winning you must pay the non-refundable deposit the same day or the next morning before I leave for Europe, July 14 through July 26. The following day, July 27 I leave on another trip, returning on August 2. And then I will be in Israel on another business trip, August 8 through August 14. You MUST be willing to work around this schedule for having the car picked up. If you do not agree with these conditions please look elsewhere. Here is how the previous owner described the car, sold to me as item 271907111258: 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 - 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 Jul-09-15 at 04:32:50 PDT, seller added the following information: I should have mentioned that eBay members with low feedbacks (less than 10 or for items of trivial value--i.e., no feedback on buying items worth $500 or more) need to check with me via eBay messages BEFORE bidding, or their bids may be cancelled and they may be blocked from further bidding. Yes, I understand that new users need the chance to build up their rating and I am giving them that chance if they follow these directions. By the same token, some of the new users view the eBay process either as some sort of entertainment, or they approach eBay buying as though they are buying from Nordstrom or Macy's where they can change their minds any time they so wish. I am here to sell this car, described in very much detail, so please take your games elsewhere if that is why you are bidding on my car. The previous owner only gave me the title, reassigned to me and released from him and his wife to me. I will give you the same title, where you can record your name and other information as the new owner. The title has no liens or other encumbrances but if for registering the car your state needs a bill of sale from the previous owner to me, I could get such a thing from them. Lastly, this time around, the car is temporarily registered to my name in Illinois, until July 30, 2015. I obtained that temporary registration so I could drive the car to California. If you wish to check out the car in person, you can drive it with a valid driver license and myself in the car given that temporary registration as long as you make arrangements with me for doing so according to my travel schedule explained above. Thank you for your interest in my car. Again, the car runs well as long as turbo assistance is not imperative, and I described it to the best of my abilities. Please be a responsible bidder knowing that the car is being sold for PARTS or REPAIR. It is a highly sought after car, as you should know, simply because they are work horses and they are rare and hard to come by. Good luck with all your auctioning.