What to do with this car?

So last winter I bought a 2000 Passat with a dead alternator and bad front window regulators for the princely sum of $700.  I sank 150 into a replacement alternator (and about 5 hours of cursing, it's a PITA to get to) and 200 on replacement regulators.  Only after getting it rolling again did I discover that it has a really bad oil leak and the clutch is hanging on by the thinnest of threads.  Shop price to address the oil leak sounds like 600 and perhaps double that and a clutch at the shop is also a grand.  I've had it for sale locally for $1500 and would take a bit less but it seems everyone in the 1500 market expects a problem-free car.  It'll never be worth more that 2 grand even with all it's issues repaired so I'm not wanting to spend a lot on it. 

So do I tackle what are likely to be pretty involved jobs? (everything on this design is an involved job) I don't want to pay the shop for jobs and would certainly never see that money again.  It's a really nice driving car and I suppose it'll be a fine DD for a long time with those repairs. 

It is going to have to be driveable "As is" if you hope to sell it to anyone who is going to use the car for transportation. I doubt that you would recover the cost of doing the repairs even if you do it yourself.

You have about $1000 in to it and the only argument for doing the repairs yourself would be for educational reasons when it comes to advancing your automotive repair skills.

Part it out time? You might get most of your money out of it.

Eventually.

If I'm adding correctly, you have $1k into this gamble.  It didn't pay off.  Get out now before spending more.  

List it on CL for $999 and state its problems.  Take $800 when someone comes looking and unburden yourself for the small cost of $200.  

John Welsh said:

If I'm adding correctly, you have $1k into this gamble.  It didn't pay off.  Get out now before spending more.  

List it on CL for $999 and state its problems.  Take $800 when someone comes looking and unburden yourself for the small cost of $200.  

 

Pretty much agree with this. Sometimes you just take the loss and move on. Its never fun but it happens. 

Ultimately a rag and a Zippo maybe your best bet. But only if you have full coverage.

Oh, I just had a thought!  I could give it to my son and tell the ex that since I bought him a car, she's responsible for getting it fixed up for him.

If FWD:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/radical-lotus-europa-engine-swap-musings/133260/page1/

What was your plan for the car when you bought it?

If it has the 1.8t part it out.  

Enter it in a demolition derby 

In reply to Driven5 :

Not only is it a longitudinal V6 with a fwd drivetrain, I happen to have a perfectly good spare transmission for it sitting in my garage right now.  

Devilsolsi said:

Enter it in a demolition derby 

That's just a sad end for a car that did nothing to deserve it.

In reply to noddaz :

2.8 V6

KyAllroad said:

Devilsolsi said:

Enter it in a demolition derby 

That's just a sad end for a car that did nothing to deserve it.

A demo derby isn't a sad end for any boring commuter that's upside-down in mechanical debt

Look at it this way, you can part it out and send the body to the crusher either way, it becomes a metal cube and some pocket money in either scenario, with the demo derby you just have less money and more smiles...

Edit: The demo derby won't even wreck your engine unless you want to push it that far after the radiator's punctured, so you can still use the powertrain for a swap.

If you intended to fix it and drive it, why not fix it? Where are you going to find a relatively modern car with a new clutch for anywhere near 2k. All 2k cars will have issues. Hell, all used cars need something. I'm finishing up a clutch job on my bmw r1200c. I took a chance and lost as well. But now it has a new clutch, a resealed trans and new master cylinder. Very few used BMWs will have all that for under 5k (except r12cs of course) Anyway, fix it and drive it. 

KyAllroad said:

In reply to noddaz :

2.8 V6

 

If that's an updated VR6, it may actually fit in a Europa too. And damn do they sound sexy!

So last winter I bought a 2000 Passat

I suppose it'll be a fine DD for a long time with those repairs.  

Something here doesn't add up. 

In reply to Grizz :

What doesn't ad up?  I bought it cheap and haven't driven it much.  Other than the clutch being at the very tippy top of it's travel to engage and the darned cam seal oil leak it's a happy little car.  Just an economy version of an A4 from the same year.

V6.  Not VR6.  Still something like 190 hp though.  

My experience tells me to run screaming from all vws made after 1998

Sell it as-is and take the first real offer above $800 as mentioned. It looks like a nice car for the money. Too bad it's a Passat. The only person an old Passat is good for is someone who already loves old Passats and knows what they're getting into, and unfortunately you probably don't want to sell to that person because they won't give you much for the car. You're the proof of this. If you had had the chance to buy this car with working alt and power windows but with an iffy clutch and an oil leak you'd have to pay someone to fix, you probably would have offered less than what you bought it for. 

Bowing to the majority here and amongst some other car friends I got serious about selling it today.  And got $750 cash for it (along with one very nice offer to pay me $50 over asking if I would send them all of my info).  The car is gone and while it ended up being a $250ish loss, I learned a lot with it and now am not tempted to continue throwing time and money at it.

i did tell the scammer to mail a check to:  Donald J Trump 1600 Pennsylvania.......etc.  He called me a jerk! 

So, now you've got $750 burning a hole in your pocket and ready to plunk down a bet on another gamble!

Congrats.

My current bet is on Subaru and I went so far as to double down. 

Sounds like a win to me! Congrats on quick and successful sale!

I would say what others have said. List it for $999 and its issues, and take the first offer that's fairly close to that. 

1. It's a 17-year old VW. So even if you fix these problems, either you STILL won't recoup your money, or if you keep it it will have more problems down the road.

2. It's a 17-year old PASSAT. There is next to no market for this car. Few to no enthusiasts think it is cool/vintage like they might if it was a GTI or something. People looking for super-cheap family transport look for 17-year old Accords and Camrys in that price range, not european cars. 

Cut bait, get rid of it....

EDIT: oops, looks like you already did. Nicely done :)

Good call getting rid of it. Old VW's are tricky to sell, even in good mechanical condition.

And now you've got $750 burning a hole in your pocket! Time to find a really cheap V8 Mustang ;) I got a 96 GT Convertible 5-speed for $1000 earlier this year.