- GT Style -

Saw that U had an early 80's jetta diesel. Just wondering market value & how they compare to the coupe ie;ride, handling, performance,etc

I ask because there's an 83 Jetta diesel for sale near me for 1000.00. I have no idea about these cars, but have had 4 coupes so if U could give me an idea how the diesel compares to a coupe.
Thanks

DBF

To be quite honest, there is no comparing the Audi to the VW. Although the VW's (I own an'82, '83 and an '84) are relatively dependable, I refer to them as "bone-shakers". After 18-20 years of pounding the roads, the interior of the cars become somewhat loose. Allot of rattles and squeaks that will drive you nuts if you don't have a good sound system! Performance-they suck-they're diesels. Do not waste your money if you are looking for performance. The old man's lawn tractor can take it off the line anytime!! I think my '84 TD came with 75ish horse new. Can't imagine it's anywhere near that now. It will pull relatively effortlessly up most `hills' without gearing down. If you're stuck behind an old granny doing 25MPH, you need a mile of clear road to pass. Handling is fair. Because they are not speed machines, I doubt if they were ever designed for decent handling. Then again, they are German engineered and built. And I have seen a couple riced up A1's that look pretty cool. I have never had my car past 65MPH. I don't like the sound it makes. I really don't know what else to say about performance. Maintenance. They can be ******. My '82 had all the fabled electrical anomalies associated with that vintage VW (and Audi). There was rot on the back of the fuse panel like I never saw before. I suspect I would put an average of 20hours a month in keeping her on the road. Everything from brakes, ball joints, tie rod ends, control arms, exhaust, radiators, horns, completely rotted rear strut tower (the main reason why she was retired), holes in the floor.....and so on. My current daily driver is the '84 TD, baby puke goldy green **** color I bought for $750. Great car. So far I've changed a control arm, joint and both strut assemblies (from the '82, mainly for the struts that were a year old and better wheel bearings). I run her to work and back (65-70 miles per day) for about 18-20 bucks a week. She averages 55 MPG. When it warms up I can expect around 60. Parts are dirt cheap, even at the stealership. I typically use NAPA. I get a 15-20% discount or I ask my buddy who is a wrencher to get the parts in for the jobber rate.
So, to answer your first question (remembering I live in Canada) about market value. My 3 Jettas cost me $1900. I drove 2 of them and one is primarily for parts. The '84 has 247000 miles. That is allot, but not that many, if you get what I mean. If the paint is good, decent rubber, all electrics work and the mileage is relatively low, I would say $700-1000 is a fair price. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I bought the diesels. They grow on you, as do the Coupes. Listen, if you are a tinkerer, buy it. Oh, by the way. I wasn't going to mention this but I figure I should. I pulled my F150 out of a ditch, after the old lady spun it out, with the '84. I couldn't believe it!! All kinds of bottom end. Any more questions give me a shout.

Dan