[Vwpickups] PRICE

[Mathew Banack]

Hey Nick...

 

Price of a Caddy...  for us Caddy freaks, the punchline n the mastercard commercial fits.

 

For you, that depends...  if you're buying or selling, where, etc.  It sounds like you're buying...

 

I paid $2200 for mine about 10 years ago.  It was rust free, and had about 200k miles, healthy engine and trans, no topper.

 

In Canada, diesel is 6-10 cents a litre cheaper than gasoline, thats 24-40 cents per gallon, and a diesel vehicle commands a premium price over gasoline.  In farming territory, there's even cheaper "purple" farm diesel, and frugal farmers pay a premium for a frugal farm-eligible vehicle like a VW caddy.  A farmer down the road from me who spent 5 years coveting my caddy finally drove to Washington state, bought one, and trailered it back here to Alberta, spend $2k fixing engine and getting out of country inspection, and is totally happy with his $5k investment.

 

Last summer, I watched a diesel Caddy with a bit of rust, crappy sunroof, trashed interior, and engine/transmission with unknown problems in the back of the truck bring $1200 at an estate auction.  I was hoping to buy it for a few hundred...

 

If you are buying, and want a vehicle that is stupid-cheap to operate, relatively easy to fix, and very useful for hauling stuff around the home and yard, a VW caddy diesel is a good choice.  If you are reasonably mechanically competent, you can fix most of it yourself.  

 

That said, for a spun-rod-bearing-engine, otherwise clean Caddy, I'd pay up to $2k, assuming I can find a Rabbit/Jetta car for a donor engine for $1k or less.  Then you're into it for $3k.  Thats about maximum.  Hope you can get in for a lot less.

 

When it comes to fixing a VW diesel engine, for a rookie like me I've gone through a couple and it wasn't successful... Before I got my Caddy I had A1 and A2 Rabbits, Jettas, and Golfs.  I drove 100k miles per year with my job, getting paid 50cents a rolling mile for my vehicle and fuel, so a VW diesel made me money hand over fist.  The3 engines I tried to fix up got new pistons, ground cranks, rebuilt heads, etc, and they just weren't right.  I'm sure I did something wrong, or the headshop, or whatever.

 

Last time I needed an engine, for my Caddy, I got an low miles 87 Jetta TD that was wrecked but had a good engine, and swapped that in.  Way easier, quicker, and it just runs and runs and runs.  Sme day, I'm going to build and be successful building an engine, but for now, VW builds better engines than me.

 

Other people seem to have success fixing VW engines, and you may very well be able to fix up an engine without having things go sideways.

 

Best of luck

 

Mathew Banack

81 LX diesel
 

 

 
> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:10:03 -0800
> From: sunvale1 at att.net
> Subject: Re: [Vwpickups] PRICE
> To: paradisemotel at cleelum.com; vwpickups at neubayern.net
> CC: 
> 
> 
> 
> What is a totally repainted 81 TD with all new parts from the wheel bearings on up worth.
> Peter
> 
> 
> What is a 1982 VW Cady diesel 5 spd. clean body,good paint tires,etc worth? Ok it spun a rod bearing! please be honest,,LOL
> Nick
> 
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