I have the opportunity to buy a 85 jetta
Asked by BTP69 May 09, 2013 at 03:06 PM about the 1985 Volkswagen Jetta
Question type: Shopping & Pricing
I have the oppotunity to buy a 85 jetta with 85,000 original miles...They want 2,900...Is
this too high? It looks flawless.What do I need to look at as far as wear and tear and what
questions should I ask the seller. Its a four door and 5 speed and looks to be a
standard(not deisel not turbo)
9 Answers
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
Do we have any service records, timing belt, oil changes....hoses, lightbulbs....anything?~
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
Check the scraps in the glovebox, you may be able to piece together a service history~
spicylambpita answered 11 years ago
check the book value on kbb.com first, then offer to pay half now and half later, pay the second half only after judge judy makes a decision based on any repair bill.
kbb does not go back to 1985 Is there any other way to look up value?
spicylambpita answered 11 years ago
http://www.nadaguides.com/classic-cars/1985/volkswagen/jetta/2-door- sedan/values
Are you SURE that you want to drop almost $3,000 on a 28 year old German car?? They are bound to be several things that will need fixing (sure, it looks ok on the OUTSIDE, but what about the Engine, Transmission, etc??). Any German car is pricey to repair....
ANY CAR is pricey to repair these days! Unless you work on it yourself. I had an 1985 Jetta...it was a darn good car. While that car does look very clean...it undoubtedly will need attention. Even with low miles, the rubber bits have aged and metals have corroded. As a rule of thumb, $1500 is the most I would offer for a car from the 80s. It's really up to you to decide if its worth more than that. Cars don't deserve "classic" pricing if they're younger than 1973.
MRBLUERIDGE answered 11 years ago
don't worry about the book. ! i restored one of these , bought it for 2,400 put about 2,000 in it and sold it for 4,200 and drove it for 3 years they are great little cars but if it is an automatic make sure to have the transmission serviced and the timing belt changed. if you like it and it is clean and nice then most likely someone cared for it. offer them between 2,000 and 2,500. you will be ok my friend. robert