What to do with my old car?

[FP]

I have a 99' VW Passat that has run like a champ for the last 8 years. About 2 weeks ago I decided it was time for a new car and bought one. I was only offered $500 by the dealer as a trade-in (they said they weren't buying many titled used cars lately) so I decided to sell it privately. What great timing because the oil light on the Passat came on a few days later.

The dealer says the Passat needs a new oil pump and engine flush to the tune of $1200. I was planning to sell the car for about $2000 on CraigsList and don't want to spend the money to have it fixed. The dealer says the car should not be driven or the engine is toast.

After doing some searching it looks like it is suffering from a long known "oil sludge" problem. The dealer said VW will pay to fix it if I can show them receipts for every oil change in the last 9 years. Bullshit. The VW dealer doesn't even keep records more than 6 years.

So now I have an almost perfect vehicle sitting at the dealer waiting to figure out what I want to do. I have inquired about selling it to one of their mechanics but I am not even sure what to ask for.

So ATTG what say you? Should I fix it and sell it on CL? Sell it to a mechanic for peanuts? Sell it for scrap? Enter it into a demo derby? Nuke it from orbit?

Do I have any other options?

 

[Gillbot]

List it for sale as is or donate it.

 

[BarneyFife]

Donate it

 

[thomsbrain]

If it will cost $1200 to fix and you can sell it for $2000, then you'll make $800 profit, which is better than the dealer would have given you and better than the tax savings of donating it.

It's off topic, but I got $2000 for my 1991 Honda Accord with a quarter of a million miles, an oil leak, and a corroded clear coat. Nothing like a Honda when it comes time to sell.

 

[woodie1]

Are you sure you can get $2K for it on CL after it is repaired?

Are there any independent VW repair shops in you area that might be trusted to do the repairs? Call them and get an estimate.

 

[BlackTigers]

rebuild the engine yourself, learning experience ++ and profit++

 

[SickBeast]

I would just give it to the dealer if they will still take it for $500.

 

[MovingTarget]

repair and keep as a beater.

 

[Bignate603]

List on Craigs list for a grand and take any offer that shows up with $500 or more in cash.

 

[aleckz]

Repair it and keep it in the family, no one appreciates cars more than family. If you are scrapped for cash just make them pay for the repairs, I'm sure they'd be willing if it's in good condition and only needs that work done.

 

[c3p0]

Why don't you try dumping a can of SEA FOAM MOTOR TREATMENT in to the crank case, drive it around for a day and then change the oil. If the oil light problem goes away, then you can either sell it or keep it. Just a suggestion.

c3p0
:beer:

 

[zoiks]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 1990 240sx that runs but overheats. I haven't driven it in a year and the battery is kaput.

 

[Fenixgoon]

damn, you're in cali. if you were closer to me, i'd buy it from you

<--- also has 99 Passat (1.8T)

 

[EvilHorace]

It's possible that your oil sludge problem might be caused by a partially clogged oil sump screen. If so, you might be able to get lucky by running a can (or bottle) of Motor Flush through your engine, found at any auto parts store.
You add it to your oil, run the engine for a few minutes and then change the oil. If that works (no more oil light at idle, eng warmed up), THEN put it on Craigslist or Ebay "as-is" and if the light's off (thus no longer an issue), don't volunteer that you ever saw that.
Another option is to replace the engine with a used one if that can be done cheaply but don't spend alot of money on any car just to sell it.

 

[Falloutboy]

how hard is it to replace the oil pump? got any mechanically inclined friends?

 

[FP]

Fenixgoon: Have you had any similar problems with your Passat? It looks any the 1.8L Turbo engine in these cars is the problem and it will eventually affect every vehicle. VW claims they will cover the expense but you have to show proof of oil change every 5,000 miles. I asked the dealer why my Honda and Toyota don't have this problem and his response was "a VW is a complex, performance tuned machine which needs to be treated like one. Those others aren't about performance." I actually laughed when he said that.

I would actually love to fix it myself if I actually needed it but I don't have the space, time or desire since we already have the new car. I have 0 use for this one. I think I am just going to sell it to one of the VW mechanics on the cheap.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: Falloutboy
how hard is it to replace the oil pump? got any mechanically inclined friends?

Oil pump shouldn't be that hard. Just drop the oil pan and remove the pump. At least it was easy on my 9A 2L 16v. The bitch is putting the pan back on with the gasket and not having it leak.

 

[EvilHorace]

As mentioned in another thread, it's rare and unlikely that it'll just be a bad oil pump. It's more likely that the cause is either a clogged sump screen, bad sump to pump o-ring(s) or worn bearings.

"I asked the dealer why my Honda and Toyota don't have this problem" Toyota 3.0 V6s were known to have "sludge" motors too and it's NOT a problem with any engine in itself, it's simply lack of frequent oil changes, period! If one changes oil and filter every 3K miles, you won't have that problem. Some engines are better at tolerating neglect, abuse than others but proper maintenance is key to longevity, even with a POS car brand like Kia.
Toyota suggests oil changes every 5K miles and to many Toyota owners, that often somehow translates to more like every 10K-15K miles SO that oil sludges up and that'll happen to any neglected engine, regardless of who makes it.