Why is a diesel car selling for so much with so many miles on it?

Question

Someone offered to sell me their 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which is diesel, for $4,068. I looked it up online to see how much they typically sell for with 170,000 miles on it (the amount on the car) and the kelly blue book value was 7-8 thousand. I am surprised that a car with so many miles on it is selling for so much, I actually thought $4,000 was a lot! Does anyone know if there is a reason why they are going for so much and how long it may last?

The offer was based on me taking payments over for my father in law. His job has intensive miles and I thought that at 170,000 it would not last me very long.

Answer 1

Hi,

I've no idea if the price is a reasonable price or not on this particular vehicle but it is common for diesel vehicles to sell for much higher prices than their petrol/gasoline contemporaries.

The reason is economy and 'wear out' rates. Diesels offer far better fuel economy than gasoline models and the engines get far less stressed.

Most diesels peak at lower revolutions per minute than similar sized gasoline engines. This means they last a LOT longer. You could reasonably expect a VW Jetta diesel to last for abour 250,000 miles before a full overhaul or replacement of the engine would be necessary. They offer less power/per engine volume performance, but most modern diesel engines are adequately powered and you will not really notice the lesser power unless you are drag racing.

The demand for good diesel engined cars is what keeps the price higher than that for an equivalent gasoline engined car and this (as you have discovered) is clear in Kelly's.

If you like the car and you can afford it, you could do far worse than drive a VW Jetta, they are very economical and have more than adequate performance.

Good luck, whatever you choose to do. Another point, the cost of diesel fuel in most countries (not totally sure anymore about the USA) is noticeably less than the price of regular gasoline. (Thus adding to the overall economy)

Cheers,

BobSpain

Answer 2

Diesel engines are made to last. When buying a used vehicle with a lot of miles, it is always better to go with a diesel engine. Your main concern should be why he is selling the car for less than book value. The car could have some problems. You should check it out through car fax to see if it has been in an accident.

Answer 3

Those are good cars. They will last forever, basically the tranny and body will go before the motor. Just a warning though. Unless you plan on driving mostly long distances this isn't a great car for you. Diesels really like to get warmed up. Usually a trip of about 20 miles or 30 minutes is what you need. Any less than that consistently and you can put unnecessary ware on the motor.

Answer 4

First off Kelly Blue Book is outdated, try using the N.A.D.A pricing guide for private party.

The diesel engines last a lot longer than any gas engine.

You can get over a million miles out of a diesel if you take proper care of it.

Answer 5

Try it at £1950 and expect to drop a bit. Make sure it is clean, it would be worth your while paying £45 for a valet if you do not like doing the job yourself. I am not as pessimistic as some of your answers as the car will do about 50 mpg, its cheap to insure and the mileage is quite low for a diesel, these are points you should "word" in any advert. Good luck !

Answer 6

Diesels are notorius for running a long time my pickup just clocked 400,000 miles on the same engine they are well worth the drive and jettas are not a bad car the good ones i hear get over 40 mpg but the price to fill em up IS outrageous

Answer 7

diesel cars last quite a bit longer and the diesel vw engine is very reliable. the alarm company near my house uses diesel vw wagons as thier official fleet vehicle. As to the price, i can say that VW has a decent resale value, and that car was in the mid 20's brand new.

Answer 8

Because it is diesel. A diesel engine is basically just getting broken in at 100,000. Several have been documented going over a million miles.

Answer 9

Diesel engines are typically better built than gasoline engines as they are compression ignition engines, and ignition occurs due to high pressure. Enough pressure to auto ignite the diesel fuel. Diesel engines typically outlast their gasoline counter parts.

However this doesn't say anything about the rest of the car, transmission, interior, body.

Answer 10

avoid vw tdi. they are prone to big repair bills. check out epinions.com on them. cant imagine why they sell for so much. great mileage but diesel is same cost as gas now. a few years back diesel was way cheaper.