[dieseljohn]

Planning on getting my '83 J10 stepside on the road in a few months
with an SD33T drivetrain out of an '80 scout and '86 cj-10a...

so, giving thought to selling the TDI... (selling my '99 WJ, '75 J10 hydraulic dump trailer also)
keeping the '91 300D and the '83 J10 stepside... two vehicles, two drivers... both Diesels. (turbo's too...)

http://johnmeister.com/DIESELS/tdi/2003-VW-Jetta-TDI/ALL.html

The 2003 Jetta Wagon GLS - TDI has been gone through mechanically...
- intake/egr cleaned
- replaced glow plugs and harness and temp sensors
- swapped in 11mm Injection Pump (checked out by shop, new seals, sensors)
- rebuilt injectors
- amsoil synthetic oil
- new continental tires
- leather interior, heated seats
- new timing belt, water pump and rollers
- new brakes
- everything works - drives superbly... goes straight...
- has a rebuilt title and still needs $2k of body work to be perfect
- added air-lift air bags in back
- added receiver hitch
- has monsoon stereo
- has sunroof
- need to install the Panzer skid plate, need mounting hardware
- around 135,000 miles

If I keep it, I want to locate the following:
- stock fuel cap
- rear cargo cover
- front cover for tow hook
- front tow hook

I think what will finally make up my mind is the first accurate mileage reading after the 11mm pump conversion, it was
not a planned upgrade, it happened, and I'm not about to spend more money to put it back... it is VERY FAST right now... pulls relentlessly to redline... feels great... I'm not abusing the transmission... don't get on it until it's firmly in gear and moving...

 

[chittychittybangbang]

The fact that it's a wagon will increase the price. Ebay is a surprisingly good place to list your car because the market determines the value. I would wait until well after the holidays though. Car sales are slow and people are busy with other stuff.

 

[dieseljohn]

thanx. I know they sell for around $12k here in Seattle without body damage. The other thing I don't mention is that there is absolutely no, I mean zero, rust. We don't rust out here... they don't salt the roads because we don't get snow very often... as far as I know this car has been out here it's whole life... the original owner was sideswiped and that's how it got damaged and totalled. the guy I got it from replaced the doors and straightened things out, sort of... I've sorted out some wiring issues, and gone through all the normal TDI issues as I drove it... learned a lot more than I cared to.

One thing I will say is that these vehicles seem to require a LOT more attention than the older (pre-95) Mercedes Diesels. My '91 300D has over 267000 miles on it... the things I've replaced or fixed were more for convenience than necessity... it has a timing chain... that's the one thing I dislike about the TDI and VW Diesels in general, that rubber band... but it's also why I'm not fond of Renault or Toyota Diesels either. My Mercedes, Olds/GM and Mazda Diesels all had chains... the Nissan SD33T appears to be gear driven, even
better.

I'm wondering if I should have the body work done before trying to sell... even if I spend the 2k on it, it still has a rebuilt title... some folks are funny about stuff like that...

of course there are some folks that believe the FUD put out by car"fax" and microsoft too. I've rebuilt several cars and purchased others with a rebuilt title, they are
just as good as any other used car.

so, no guesses on what this might get? 2k body damage, but no rust, 11mm pump...

I should do a 0 to 60 test for grins... I think right now it'll beat my '91 300D... which hasn't been as snappy lately... well, time for the Christmas break, plan on
wrenching on my J10, guess I'll pop the hood on the benz and adjust that new linkage (wrong part) I put in from the dealer... usually finding parts isn't
a problem for a 21 year old Benz, this is the first time they didn't get it right... Mercedes Diesels are like Ford 8n tractors, you can still get parts for them at the dealer.
My Type 1 Caddy with the 1.6 wasn't so fortunate... neither are my older (5+ years) Jeeps.

If my mileage really is what it was after 250 miles I'd be better off getting another 300D with the 2.5L TD... but I need to give the little tiger a chance... didn't
fill it completely before the run, filled it more and of course the mileage would be less...

guess I need to go out and take a long drive... I like driving, my wife likes riding... and with a Diesel we can afford to do both...

 

[Growler]

is the drivers side still caved in as shown in all of the photos? what is the story behind that? it looks like it has replacement doors on it, but the rear wheel arch and rocker panel on that side is really caved in.

if you can get someone to look past that, I would say 5k-6k or so... its a desireable year with a 5 speed and 11mm pump and leater seats. but that is a lot of body damage.

is the title clear? or rebuilt, or salvage on it?

Edit.. I see we were posting at the same time. being that you ar ein seattle, I still think with the rebuilt salvage title on it you will be licky to get 5-6k out of it. maybe a little more with the body fixed. (and well documented)

 

[dieseljohn]

the lower body molding and left rear fender are banged up... doors were replaced. also could use a near rear bumper piece.
have two estimates at around $2k each, one for a little less. Doors close and seal, no water gets in...
the damage only extends to the threshold by the driver's door, underneath is not damaged, even under the passenger door
which is mutilated worse. the rear fender took the brunt of the damage, as did the tire. the PO replaced the rear axle,
but it was fine, in fact, using the original rim, it's scuffed but not bent. The PO might have been able to do a better job
with the rear fender... but the real solution is replacing those parts.

yes, rebuilt title.

it was side swiped... there was a little mark on the front driver's fender where the contact started.. you can see more of the damage in the original pictures:
http://johnmeister.com/DIESELS/tdi/2003-VW-Jetta-TDI/original_pictures/ALL.html

and then what the doors were like here: http://johnmeister.com/DIESELS/tdi/Jetta-door-insides/ALL.html

you'll notice the driver's door and running board aren't too bad... most of the damage happened to the rear door and rear fender...

I may get the body work done... the parts won't cost much... biggest expense will be having them welded in properly and painted.

the car runs and drives very nicely... prefer driving it over my Benz... kind of wish it were an automatic, but I've heard the horror stories of the VW autos...

thanx for the input... I'm into it about 6k at this point, so breaking even would be ok if it came to that... the market for the TDI is pretty strong here,
if it did't have the rebuilt title/damage it would sell for around $12k here... I've looked on Craigslist on and off for many months, a 2003 Jetta Wagon will easily
bring 12k. there was one with a bad auto transmission that just sold for $3500...

 

[Growler]

OUCH! that poor wagon. I say fix it if possible.

 

[dieseljohn]

Jetta wagon value

It should be worth about $7500 given that an unblemised wagon will bring 10-12k, deducting over 2k from the price should be enough incentive for someone wanting a TDI but maybe doesn't have the cash to join the club as a full fledged member... kind of the way I came in... I did the math on all the repairs and upgrades and am at close to 7k.

drove it around over the holidays kind of easy, mostly city driving, scored 41.25 mpg... guess that's not too bad for the 11mm pump, it's better than what I was getting with the old pump/injectors.

the thing has massive amounts of power... I stood on it once I was in 2nd gear this morning pulling away from a light and spun the front tires...

I have a friend interested in the wagon, and I may have found a factory Diesel XJ... we'll see, not expecting either to pan out... driving the TDI until my J10 is finished... and that could be a long time...

 

[dieseljohn]

follow up - 9 feb 2011

I had found a used Mercedes I was considering, put the 2003 Jetta wagon up on CL for $7500 as is... still have three people begging me to sell it to them... Turns out the Benz I was considering had been rear ended, the rear doors didn't open properly and the dealer denied any damage, claimed the carfax and title were clean... but the pictures I took show junk yard parts underneath and bent metal in the trunk... I don't mind buying wrecked vehicles if they work and I know about it...

anyway, I'm looking at ways of making this wagon look better without spending a lot of money.

checked on parts at the dealer yesterday, one can buy the entire side of the wagon for $600 list!

I'm giving some thought to side skirts to hide the lower rocker panel, and then just try to fix the fender the old fashioned way with a hammer and bondo... all I'm looking for is a decent 15-20 footer...

last three tanks in town average has been about 38 mpg... biggest problem with the 11mm pump is not getting on it in first gear as the tires won't grab... and a bit of a rough idle, need to take it back and maybe have the idle bumped up a snick... otherwise no problems...