1990 Jetta w/ 1.6NA and 471000 kms worth buying?

[Infinitrium]

I've been looking at a 1990 Jetta with the 1.6NA 5 speed that has 471000 kms on it. The person wants 750 bucks for it. The ad reads:

"Just broke in with 471,000 kms on body and engine.  Injector pump replaced 2 years ago, new struts,front brakes,and alternator rebuilt.  Trans was replaced with used one and clutch replaced at that time 2 and a half years or so ago.  Lots of good parts or have it checked for an MVI and put it right on the road.  Does have a few rust issues but nothing that is not repairable. Great on fuel gets 700 kms on $50 tank of fuel."


I did look at it and I drove it a little. The clutch and transmission seem good. Suspension seems good too. A little slow to accelerate, compared to the 93 1.9TD I had for a while, but the engine is quiet It took about 10 seconds of cranking to get it to fire up when I looked at it. Do you think it's worth the price?

[jtanguay]

I've been looking at a 1990 Jetta with the 1.6NA 5 speed that has 471000 kms on it. The person wants 750 bucks for it. The ad reads:

"Just broke in with 471,000 kms on body and engine.  Injector pump replaced 2 years ago, new struts,front brakes,and alternator rebuilt.  Trans was replaced with used one and clutch replaced at that time 2 and a half years or so ago.  Lots of good parts or have it checked for an MVI and put it right on the road.  Does have a few rust issues but nothing that is not repairable. Great on fuel gets 700 kms on $50 tank of fuel."


I did look at it and I drove it a little. The clutch and transmission seem good. Suspension seems good too. A little slow to accelerate, compared to the 93 1.9TD I had for a while, but the engine is quiet It took about 10 seconds of cranking to get it to fire up when I looked at it. Do you think it's worth the price?

if the body isn't in too bad of shape i'd say its a deal.  rebuilt alternator is good.  it might just need a rebuilt starter to assist with starting, and some GP's.  i thought i needed a new battery, but i replaced my starter and she starts beautifully in 2 cranks now.  

don't forget that N/A's only have about 56 hp.  you could always look for a turbo motor later on and swap it  

[Infinitrium]

The body isn't too bad at all, just one small hole needs to be 'glassed. It's got a lot of paint blotches that have started to rust on the surface. I'm not too worried about the lack of power. I had a 3 cylinder Geo Metro once. They only had 55 hp when new, and my one had a pretty worn-out engine. Patience is a virtue when driving one of those!

[burnt_servo]

my jetta has around 540,000 on it ( second motor /  tranny )  .

if your going to keep it for any length of time , your going to have to  replace / repair a fair amount of stuff .

something to keep in mind with any diesel , if you don't hear a bunch of midgets banging away with hammers in the engine , it's more than likely wore out ( assuming everything is in time ) .

but really what can you buy for 750.00 these days ?   maybe offer them 500.00 and see if they bite .

[Infinitrium]

Hmm, so if I bought it for 750 then put a few hundred into it, it would be a good car?

[tSoG-84bit]

could be worth driving til it dies, if it'll start without block heater in -15*C then it's worth every penny. I say offer him 500. drive it til the weather warms up, if it doesn't work out, part it, or find a new owner.
I'm not a big fan of mk2s but I'm sure I could find 500 bucks worth of parts on one. If it was local to me I'd be asking the forum how to get it home, and what to do with it once I got it there... not whether to buy it or not.

[Infinitrium]

Here's some pics

[Patrick]

IF it starts without being plugged in, and drives like the suspension is ok, it's worth every penny. Might not be pretty, but it's a cheap car!

[Infinitrium]

Meh, I don't care about the looks. Afterall, a bucket of Tremclad and a few paintbrushes don't cost much!