car buying help sought

[prettyboy83]

hey, 1st timer here, but I thought this would be a good place to start

I'm looking at getting a '95 Jetta, it has 150k miles on it, from a private seller, I'm just browsing and haven't even talked to the dude yet, but I wanted to look around and see if it's even worth calling since the mileage is pretty steep, 150k, but I heard Jettas lasted a long time, even saw on a couple of other forums that some 95 owners have pushed their car to 250k and up

so, should I be serious about getting this car?

any help would be appreciated, thanks

[prettyboy83]

oh, and he's asking for 1800

[EatonZ]

I bought my '96 jetta GL with 98k mi for $3000. $1800 sounds like a good deal. It depends on how well the car has been taken care of in the past to last. just my

[Doug Tatham]

I was T-Boned in my 91 Jetta by a tractor trailer truck and was lucky enough to walk away from it. My Jetta wasn't so lucky. I liked the car enough to get a new body for it from a salvage yard and rebuild it from the ground up. The engineering behind the cars is great. The materials that go into their construction (especially polymers) leaves a bit to be desired.
Whenever you buy a used car with 150K on it, assume it has not been taken care of and plan to replace brakes, timing belt, water pump, oil pump, fuel pump, and a few gaskets. Check for oil leaks on the engine seals. Make sure the transmission shifts smoothly and doesn't slip. Check the clutch, the clutch on the manual shift is really great, mine was nearly good as new at 147,000. Check fluid levels. Look for a fresh coat of paint on the engine (usually not a good sign). If you can do the work yourself, the parts aren't too expensive and you can have a reliable car with little expense and a few days work.

[dandi]

I agree with Doug re: the stoutness of the Jetta. I t-boned another car at about 35 mph in my '95 Jetta GLS, and had only a sore nose from the airbag deployment and a couple of bruises from the seatbelt. $13k worth of damage but only to bodywork and engine accessories, and I put another 70k miles on the car after the accident. Sold it, and 2 owners later, it has over 140k miles on it now (according to Carfax).
The biggest compliment I can give these cars is that I am looking for one for my 17 year-old son!

Dan D
Central NJ USA