[jpatanio]

hey guys.. i am requesting help from everyone that is more familiar with these cars then myself... i am looking at a 2000 gti vr6.. 76000 miles on it... black with tan/black interior leather....mtx..sunroof etc and tein springs... there is a little damge to the car but mostly its in good shape and the guy is asking 10k....
now since i am not familiar with the car what should i be looking for problem wise, maintance... is it a good deal? what is a fair price? what are the probelms in head of me? the trouble in modifying it (subtle for now, i have a boosted race car)? you know the basic things i should look at before i buy it...
FYI ... i drove the car and it was like driving a dream clutch was nice , braked fantastic, it was aligned no pulling.... oh and what is the avr or whater button do, traction control?

 

[dchasB5]

Re: looking at buying a 00 vr6 help (jpatanio)

well most likey this wil turn into a whose better 1.8t or vr6 page, like it did when i was looking for the same info. regardless i have a 2000 jetta vr6, 61k miles, bought it for just under $10k with a 3 yr/30k mile warranty. i have had it since end of march, 1.) my A/c clutch is being replaced next week, 2.) the shifter rod i belive its called creates a bad raddling noise at high end rpm in 1st and 2nd, and is also in need of replacing. Catalyc converter was replaced just before i bought it as part of the manufaturers warranty. And look for a recall list because i got a letter in the mail a few weeks ago about a recall.
personally i think the vr is more reliable then a 1.8t, but 2.0 is realisitcly the most reliable out of all of them, but no one wants one of those...

 

[rocket vr6]

Re: looking at buying a 00 vr6 help (dchasB5)

What is the "damage"? Check thru the classifeds here to see what people are asking for cars, and check in the technical 12v VR6 page to see about specific problems. Personally The asking price sound high for a 2000.

 

[jpatanio]

damage is minimal at best.. its pretty nice

 

[GTI Geek]

Re: (jpatanio)

Well like rocketVR6 said check classified tosee what theyare going for. You can also check edmunds.com and get a ballpark idea for prices. As for issues ask if the window regulater has been replaced if not it probably will need to be. Also there is the infamous 2nd gear grind to deal with. They also have mushy motor mounts, so if you enjoy launching hard wheel hop can be annoying. Other than that it's a great car to drive.

 

[veedubbn88]

Re: (GTI Geek)

That seems like a pretty fair deal...the key to older VR's is preventative maintenance. In other words, don't wait to replace/fix things that you know are/will become broken in the future. My VR has 118,xxx miles on it, so far i've replaced two axels (due to blown CV joints),thermostat, t-stat housing, water pump, serpentine belt and tensioner, brake light switch, and fixed a few oil leaks. Keep and eye on the fluid levels, and break-prone parts and it should be a fine daily driver. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[scirocco16v]

Re: (veedubbn88)

I just purchased a 99.5 Jetta VR6 about 5 months ago and after a ton of research, here's what I can share. I knew I wanted a mk4 Golf or Jetta (this is for my daily driver for my 20+ mile commute to work). I looked at about 15 cars from private parties ranging from 2.0 auto tranny Golfs to VR6 Jettas. I test drove a variant of each car with the exception of the TDI. The price range for what I was looking at was 7k-11k. Almost every car had a broken glovebox, scratched up inner doorpulls/armrests/stereo faces/light switches etc.. Most of them had pretty high miles (I wanted under 100k). 3 were from the original owners and they were hands down the best of the group I looked at. I spent about 3 weeks throughougly scouring the local paper, craigslist, autotrader and any other source that I could locally find a car. I checked each one multiple times a day. I ended up buying the Jetta VR6 because It was the original owner, all documentation, all manitenance done, all original keys, owners manual and window sticker and 59k miles. I ended up paying $10.3 for the car and feel I got a good deal as I probably have one of the nicest original 99.5 Jettas in the PNW. So far all I have done is basic maintenance. I can tell you that almost every VR6 I drove had timing chain noise, mine just stared making it (I bought and extended warranty on the car through my Credit Union though)

My driver's side power window regulator is finnicky on occasion, my driver's rear door power lock works 95% of the time and of course as mentioned before, you cannot whip the 1-2 shift without a potential grind. I definitely prefer the Manual tanny to the Auto though, there's a special treat in having the VR6 torque with a manual gearbox to control it.
I would suggest looking at a lot of cars to see what's really out there. Don't jump on somthing because it looks cool...take all things into account. I think the owner should be one of your primary judging tools. Are they open with you about EVERY issue the car has? If they don't tell you about something that you can obviously see....like, they don't mention that the glove box is broken until you try to open it....there's probably more that they're not telling you. Being the owner of a couple money pit VWs I can tell you that with a VR6 or a 1.8T you do not want a problem car....your repairs will quickly meet the value of the car....especially if you aren't doing them yourself. I'll just quickly touch on the 1.8t vs. VR6 battle; I drove both a couple times, the VR6 cars feel a little more substantial and heavier on their feet. They also execute very little effort in hurling you forward at any RPM. The 1.8ts that I drove had a very distinct powerband...hit about 3500rpm and off you go! Simple logic says the VR will last longer as it runs at lower RPMs to create the power and ultimately, it will probably have a higer resale value. lastly I'll touch on the fuel mileage thing. I know people insist that the VRs get poor mileage. I drive about 250 miles a week, half of which are in crappy 20mph rush hour traffic and I average 26mpg. I do however, not drive aggressively, as I'm sure I could get it into the teens if I did. While I don't own a 1.8t, my cousin does and he sees low-mid 20s on average. I guess driving style will drastically affect this but I just had to share, that my mileage has never dipped below 26mpg on average between fill ups. (though I doubt it's possible to get much higher with mixed driving).
Good Luck!

 

[jpatanio]

wow that was some great info thank you very much

 

[scirocco16v]

Re: (jpatanio)

Glad it could benefit someone! The G/J IV DIY section is also very helpful for when you do purchase one. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[MeiK]

Re: looking at buying a 00 vr6 help (dchasB5)

Quote, originally posted by dchasB5 »

personally i think the vr is more reliable then a 1.8t, but 2.0 is realisitcly the most reliable out of all of them, but no one wants one of those...

Thank you for that! (see sig)

 

[wr3ck3dm1nd]

Re: looking at buying a 00 vr6 help (MeiK)

Just throwing my car out there as an example, But you can find great deals (and good people) through perserverance. I did the same thing as you. I went through tons of magazines and web sites. Ultimately i found my 2k1 GTI GLX VR6 (black) with only 43k miles on it. He was asking i think 13,400 (which is still below kbb value, its in pristine condition) plus he had a couple aftermarket things done. Droped with an eibach suspension system(i think he paid $1400, plus Borbett rims, and Neuspeed intake.) So all those things up the value even more. Plus it helped that he was the original owner and had full documentation. I actually purchased the car for $11,300. In my opinion i got a steal. I also had to drive 230 miles 1 way to go pick up the car, and not only that, the first time i went up to see it it was a work day the next day, and i didnt even have the check at the time. So i basically drove 1k miles to get mine. It helped that i left a deposit with the guy the first time, it was only for 100$, but the guy was super cool and totally honest. My best advice is, just like buying a home, if you see exactly what you want JUMP ON IT! I was the first one interested and the first one to go see mine, while he was holding it for me he said he just got an ungodly amount of phone calls and emails. He said he had to start copying and pasting the same exact reply cause he got tired of typing stuff out =D Anyway, good luck on finding yours! Welcome to the club!