At $6,900, Would You Make A Pass At This 2000 VW Passat 4Motion Wagon?
Today's Nice Price or No Dice Passat 4Motion has done less than 2,000 miles a year over the course of its life. Let's see if that makes it worth digging into your life's savings to buy it.
If you think about Lincoln these days, you probably picture one of its surprisingly competent SUVs or crossovers. That said, you probably can't identify any of those various models by name save for the Navigator. Lincoln does still build cars, two of them in fact. But both of those — the MKZ and the Continental — are already destined to go to car heaven by the end of this model year.
Perhaps that soon-to-be-ex Continental would have done better had its name not been associated with models like yesterday's 1994 Continental Executive. That particular car was in amazing condition for its age and relative lack of fan base. It was that latter lack of enthusiasm for the car, however, that really hurt its chances, even at a modest $3,800 asking. You all helped the seller's chances a bit, giving the Lincoln a decent 65 percent Nice Price win.
Being in better than expected shape can really help out a car's value. Of course, there is that old maxim about polishing a turd, so you do need to start out with something that has a basic level of appeal and then work from there.
This 2000 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion wagon has a certain amount of appeal. It is, after all basically an Audi A4 Avant under its lederhosen, and we all like those. The cherry on top, however, is the extreme lack of exercise that has been asked of the odometer. According to the ad, the car has a mere 38,280 miles on its clock.
It's a three-owner car and comes with a clear title and a recent state safety inspection. Surprisingly for a car sold in the Northeast, this Passat exhibits no signs of rust or excessive paint wear. That paint is Blue Anthracite Pearl and is well-paired with a beige interior. This being a GLX, that interior features leather seating surfaces and fake wood on the dash. Other niceties of the upscale model include automatic climate control, power windows and locks, heated seats and a roof through which you may moon.
Unfortunately, the cabin hasn't held up quite as well as has the exterior. The most evident of this is the significant discoloration seen on both front seats. Along with that, there's also some elbow damage and a missing bit of trim on the driver's door. Other tactile surfaces, including the steering wheel and dash buttons, all look to be in fine shape. The load area shows far less wear and comes with a soft cover to keep that fact a secret.
Power comes from a 30-valve 2.8-liter V6, which again shows its Audi roots. That 190 horsepower mill sits longitudinally under the hood, just ahead of a five-speed Tiptronic automatic transaxle. A Torsen center diff behind that controls the torque to the independently sprung rear end.
The ad says that "everything works as expected" with the car as well as that the "V6 motor is running excellent and the 4-motion (AWD) transmission is shifting smoothly." The seller also states this is "the lowest mileage Passat GLX wagon currently available in the country!"
That's a somewhat dubious distinction, but the low mileage does play in this Passat's favor. The seller obviously thinks so and has set an asking price of $6,900 as a result. That's a lot of beans, but then there is a small but vocal fanbase for these cars. That may just make the price palatable to someone looking for the best they can find.
What do you think, is this the best Passat 4Motion wagon that $6,900 could buy? Or, does that price make you want to Passat out?
You decide!
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Paul T. for the hookup!
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