What to look for?

[OhSnap]

So I can't believe my eyes, but I just found a PURPLE TDI! Obviously it's a custom paint job, but how can I tell whether it's a good one? What do I look for and what should I ask?

Also, here's the link to the rest of the info - looks to me like they're a little confused - a diesel should get better than 30 mpg!

http://www.autoshopper.com/used-cars...FL-4177641.htm

[2004NBTURBOS]

Me likie..what kind of mileage? Auto or stick. Ask about maint records. TB/WP?

[dnyed]

Rock it!

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

A Dealer. You can forget about any service records.

Good re-color paint jobs are terribly expensive. Either someone with a lot of money to throw away, or an Earl Schieb paint job because the paint was trash, or a complete salvage rebuild.

No mileage in any of his adds! Pay on Lot Dealer! Bet he doesn't have even half of that in the car.

"Get the Carfax!" for starters.

[2004NBTURBOS]

Originally Posted by MyOtherRidesAVette

Pay on Lot Dealer! Bet he doesn't have even half of that in the car.

That's how car lots stay in business. How much they have in it is not a issue. The issue is how much they can get out of it. Me , I would stay away from a auto trans with that kinda miles. Or any automatic in a NB for that matter.

[dnyed]

It's not a TDI, it's an automatic 1.8T.

[Smileybug]

Sellers description says diesel...no way to know without pictures from under the hood.

Its missing a lot of info. I'd be extremely wary.

[marvins_dad]

I'd look under the hood and the door jambs to see if they took the color inside and in the engine bay...I would guess not.

Doesn't have a spoiler on the hatch. So, if it does have a turbo it could be a Diesel. A look under the hood or even if they took a picture of the speedometer you could figure it out. TDIs are the only ones that go up to 5k RPMS - Turbos and 2.0's go up to 7k RPM.

25-31 mpg could be they pulled that from a 2.0 specs. However that is probably more realistic for an Auto TDI.

[dnyed]

The seller should add many more details. It it really is a TDI, the mileage is way low.

[Wingnut_rb]

Look for lifting, peeling, or any bubbling in the paint. Also, if it is a single stage paint, I would stay away from it. A good 2 stage paint (basecoat clearcoat) will have a deeper shine and most times a much nicer and durable finish. If it is a brand new paint job, the problems probably won't show for about a year or so if things weren't done right. You can get really cheap and crappy paint that looks really good for the first few months, then after that, it fades and sometime peels. Since you don't know who did the work, what kind of paint they used, or most importantly, how well they prepped everything, it's a gamble. Also a good sign of good prep work is how much overspray is on the trim. More times than not, if the person takes enough time to mask everything right and not get overspray on everything, chances are they took more time on the prep work as well. A good paint job has EVERYTHING to do with how well the car is prepped BEFORE any paint even comes out of the gun.