Buying 98 passat 1.9tdi - Mileage?

cianclarke

Very quick question - thinking on buying a 98 passat 1.9tdi, but am very dodgey about the mileage. She's a northern reg, needs to have duty paid on her but the digital clock only shows 80k miles.
The engine bay is absolutely spotless, like new. The body of the car is once again exceptional for that year.
Looking for signs of wear, the gear lever shows some wear and the gear lever's leather cover shows a fair bit of wear. Didn't get a chance to check the pedals.

I have a name and addy for the last owner, but can't get in contact with him at all. Anybody care to give a car newbie any advice on how to check if she's been clocked or not, what to watch for?

A 98 diesel car, with only 80k - seems unlikely but if it's true she's a gem.

Thanks!

Anan1

Have a look at the service history. Do the dates and mileages on the service stamp back up the mileage? If so, call the garages named on the stamps and verify that the car really was serviced at the indicated dates and mileages as per each stamp. No full service history? Then you walk away. Good luck.:)

Enright

if it looks like sXXt and smell like sXXt, then it is sXXit.

sorry mate, sounds like some1 is tring 2 have u on

i would have no problem in buying the car, even if there was 150K milage on it as the car is good for a lot more. but the details just dont add up! so walk away

Anan1

Enright wrote:

if it looks like sXXt and smell like sXXt, then it is sXXit.

sorry mate, sounds like some1 is tring 2 have u on

i would have no problem in buying the car, even if there was 150K milage on it as the car is good for a lot more. but the details just dont add up! so walk away

I couldn't agree with that. So far, the only evidence we have that the mileage may not be genuine is wear on the gearlever. This could be caused by something as simple as the owner wearing a ring.

SouperComputer

if its a northern reg, can you get a HPI check or whatnot done on it?

caesar

cianclarke wrote:

Very quick question - thinking on buying a 98 passat 1.9tdi, but am very dodgey about the mileage. She's a northern reg, needs to have duty paid on her but the digital clock only shows 80k miles.
The engine bay is absolutely spotless, like new. The body of the car is once again exceptional for that year.
Looking for signs of wear, the gear lever shows some wear and the gear lever's leather cover shows a fair bit of wear. Didn't get a chance to check the pedals.

I have a name and addy for the last owner, but can't get in contact with him at all. Anybody care to give a car newbie any advice on how to check if she's been clocked or not, what to watch for?

A 98 diesel car, with only 80k - seems unlikely but if it's true she's a gem.

Thanks!

And I thought I was the only student thinking of getting a passat

Anyway I was just wondering if you could give me a few details about the car spec and how much your paying for it if you don't mind. PM me if you wish. Thinking of getting mine from the UK or up north because the ones here are either in poor condition, low spec or they are overpriced imo.

As regards the mileage, get a HPI check done if you can. Does the car have a service history...and if so is it VW? Also Make sure you view the car in daylight if you are viewing it again....as obvious as that might sound, some peolple fail to do it. Also try and bring a mechanic or some who knows a bit about cars along with you.

dave2pvd

Get a local independant garage that know VW/Audis to check it out. Ask them to specifically inspect anything made from rubber in the front suspension/steering. Also, the CV joint boots need looking at. If any of the rubber bits are worn/torn/aged, expect that it will need money spent on it. Ask me how I know about all of this....

At least you're not looking at the 1.8T. Then you'd have to worry about the engine too.

cianclarke

Can't get anything to reckognise the registration for a HPI for some reason, RAC say it's invalid.

Rung the seller again, he wouldn't give me the last owner's phone number - said he didn't have it, whether this is true or not is another matter.
Car comes with no service history, the guy who's selling it doesn't seem to have great English. Looks like I'll have to leave this one unfortunetly, just don't know enough about engines myself to judge.
Would an engine with 80k look like absolute new unless there was something to hide, I d'know.

bazz26

cianclarke wrote:

Can't get anything to reckognise the registration for a HPI for some reason, RAC say it's invalid.

Rung the seller again, he wouldn't give me the last owner's phone number - said he didn't have it, whether this is true or not is another matter.
Car comes with no service history, the guy who's selling it doesn't seem to have great English. Looks like I'll have to leave this one unfortunetly, just don't know enough about engines myself to judge.
Would an engine with 80k look like absolute new unless there was something to hide, I d'know.

You can get a HPI check done via the chassis number also afaik. But this whole deal sounds dodgy to me. I would go with your insticts and forget that particular car.

cianclarke

On a related topic, anybody know where I might find a 97-2000 Audi A4 / Passat? I've exhausted the auto trader, carzone and the buy and sell. CBG is all very expensive. Might start trying just calling up big garages in Dublin, I've rung about at least 35 cars at this stage!

unkel

cianclarke wrote:

Can't get anything to reckognise the registration for a HPI for some reason, RAC say it's invalid.

Rung the seller again, he wouldn't give me the last owner's phone number - said he didn't have it, whether this is true or not is another matter.
Car comes with no service history, the guy who's selling it doesn't seem to have great English

Dear oh dear! Most likely not kosher. Walk away

As for a clean looking engine bay - it was probably steam cleaned

Lex Luthor

the leather gear lever on my car is very worn and I have 80k miles on mine and its been like that for 30-40k miles. I wouldn't go just on that but it sounds dodgey....

Tipsy Mac

A car with milage that low and no service history should be assumed that it has either been never serviced and best avoided or clocked and best avoided, nobody purchases a diesel car to do less than average milage.

BostonB

I recently bought got a petrol car which is 98 with 80k on the clock, one owner, all main dealer stamps from new, all receipts from most of the work done on the car. Car is immaculate inside and out, including the engine bay. Theres very slight signs of use, main on being the leather on the wheel is a tiny bit shiney. A friend bought a 88 911 recently which was in the same condition. So it is possible to find a car like that, but very unusual, especially on a Diesel Passat. We've a diesel car in the family that's 00 and only has 40k on it.

cianclarke

Right, rung a garage in Lisburn and they could tell me she was last services in '01 - with 83,000 on the clock. Here she is in 2007 with 80,000 on the clock.
So - a warning to anybody who spots this advert in the buy and sell, foreign nationals selling a 98 passat with NI reg be careful you're not stung!

Anan1

cianclarke wrote:

Right, rung a garage in Lisburn and they could tell me she was last services in '01 - with 83,000 on the clock. Here she is in 2007 with 80,000 on the clock.
So - a warning to anybody who spots this advert in the buy and sell, foreign nationals selling a 98 passat with NI reg be careful you're not stung!

Well done! I've always found that to be the only foolproof way, although that's why most people selling clocked cars will 'lose' the service history.

unkel

cianclarke wrote:

Right, rung a garage in Lisburn and they could tell me she was last services in '01 - with 83,000 on the clock

Thanks for the follow up and fair play for investigating

It is so widespread in Ireland that the Gardai aren't even that keen to start prosecuting - or so I've heard from a reliable source

The best thing to beat it is awareness!

HashSlinging

Well done. any links to the ad..

cianclarke

HashSlinging wrote:

Well done. any links to the ad..

'Fraid not, seems to have gone from the buy and sell... It was selling at €3250, 98 passat with 80k. Anybody ringing about one I can compare the phone numbers to see if they match if they want.

caesar

Lex Luthor wrote:

the leather gear lever on my car is very worn and I have 80k miles on mine and its been like that for 30-40k miles.....

Ya I forgot to mention that my fathers passat is the same, got it with 50k on the clock and the thing was worn, it had 7 VW stamps in the service book aswell.

cianclarke

Right just to warn people that advert is back in the buy and sell, here it is less the phone #:

VW Passat 1.9 TDi '98. Leinster Dublin 22 €3250.00
90 bhp, 79k mls, 4 e/w, e/s/r, good cond, first to see will buy, NI reg, duty €600 not paid, €3250.


And also:

VW Passat 98, Leinster Co. Dublin €3250.00
80k mls, blue 4 e/w, e/s/r, 4 new tyres, NI reg, duty not paid, VRT 600,