Thinking of buying a 91 golf (diesel)

[Limpdave]

Hey everyone, i'm thinking of buying a 4 dr Volkswagen golf diesel with 200 000 well maintained hwy km on it

the body is in excellent condition with no rust and it appears to be in great shape

asking 3500$ cnd


ok, i'm wondering if it's a good deal? i know the guy i'm getting it off of, and i know he wouldn't sell me a lemon, which is one of the main reasons i'm considering it....i've also always been a big fan of 4 dr golfs

however i know NOTHING about diesel cars and thats a bit of a scare....i've heard they aren't reliable in the winter and that they get good millage....thats about it



so could anyone tell me (A) if this is a good deal? (B) about diesel cars and their positives and negatives?

[phatmanmike]

i have a 2003 jetta TDI. this is my second diesel, my first being a 1995 E350 ford van with 7.3L powerstroke. this is , however, my first diesel CAR, and it wont be my last. great milage, we average 40mpg city and about 45 hwy! beat that honda!

TDI cars usually last around 300k miles . my van had 325k when i got rid of it. it was used for heavy towing and hauling, it was a work van. and it was worked. i beat the ZHIT outa that thing!

i would own a tdi car before i owned a gas car in a second! change the oil every 5k miles with FULL synthetic, keep the fuel filter clean and thats it ! have fun! very cheap to own!

and yes, thats a great deal!

[kmohr3]

pros: good mileage

cons: hard starting, noisy, harder to find fuel, fuel can gel when subzero.

engine must have good compression to start well. should be around 500 psi per cylinder. if not it probably needs piston rings. suggest having a block heater

[kmohr3]

BTW, NADA says for Chicago/Rockford area $2200 high retail, $1750 average retail, $1050 low retail, (USD)