Buying new V-dub please help

[drunkinmonkey]

hey guys im 22 and am in the market for my very first car and i LOVE v-dubs i prefer like most of you the gti vr6 anyways my question is what should i look for in buying a used v-dub through a private sale and what should i look out for the car i get i plan on having for a very long time and plan on trickign it out alot any suggestions and tips are more then welcome as im pretty new to this thanks in advance

[Kaos]

Check for frame damage. in the back trunk an the front. alot of times VW owners will just slap on a new front or rear bumper an you would not be able to see the damage at first glance. VW's are basicly aligned right from the start little to adjust so a bent frame could mean going though sets of tires like mad.
Also check to see how smothly the trans shifts. any clicking or slight grind when changing gears could mean the trans is on the way out VR6 trans are very expensive an hard to come by used
As for the motor if it's smoth an no blue smoke you should be good. if there is a slight hesitation it may be due to faulty wires. Most people will not change the wires on these cars because of the high cost of doing so. ( not that high though) it may be in favor to you as a price hagling tool. New wires an sparkies new car. there are some other issues such can be found on edmunds.com Where owners shed there headaches . Not much though with this car

[stevethefolkie]

For a VR6 - find out when the timing chains were last replaced - in fact - try to find a vehicle from a private owner with a full (or nearly full) service history - it's worth it's weight in gold (shows that the person took care of their vehicle and kept the records).

Then there's rust - look EVERYWHERE - poke, prod, lift carpets (in the hatch), look in the spare tire well.

Take a refrigerator magnet (plastic) with you - try sticking it on quarter panels and fenders - if it doesn't stick there's bondo under that paint - just walk away (especially if the current owner denies rust or accident repair).

If you're really interested, set up an appointment at a dealership or an indie VW shop - pay 'em the 50 bucks to evaluate the car, have them hook it up and read the codes stored in the ECU, make sure the CEL bulb hasn't been pulled to hide a problem. If the current owner objects - walk away.

Get a carfax report - you'd be amazed at what you can learn from 'em.

I'd give a critical eye towards modifications - sometimes they can indicate hard use / abuse - not always - but hey - if someone set the car up with short springs and a bunch of performance mods chances are they drove the car hard -

with the engine running, take a misting bottle (like a windex bottle) with water in it - spray it at the coil pack - there shouldn't be any stumbling or hesitation.

Look at the condition of the engine compartment - plug wires should be nice and supple, there shouldn't be obvious oil or coolant leaks. No emissions stuff should be disconnected or removed -

If you're planning on a long term relationship with the car you probably want to find one as close to stock as possible, low mileage - be ready to invest in normal wear parts (suspension components like ball joints, tie-rod ends, struts, strut bearings, brakes) but you shouldn't be stuck installing a new gearbox or replacing timing chains and stuff from the getgo.

If you look at every car like a potential crime scene (just searching for a something wrong, a reason to not buy it) you'll eventually find the right car.

[beny blanco]

''If you look at every car like a potential crime scene''
I like this, good advice...some yo yo smashed into me just before x-mas and wrote my car off so im in the market for a new ride im gonna use this

[OffiCal_NasTy]

very good advice
-well done