VW TDI Settlement - buying a TDI now

qbrozen

rumor, huh?

kyfdx

Okay.. it's paid for. Couldn't get the wife to go with me today, on a "maybe", so have to go back and pick it up on Saturday.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/664544686/overview/

qbrozen

congrats

stever

breld said:

Oh no - I wasn't implying that HE is representing a firm. I just want to make sure a law firm is not representing to @urbansurfer that he could become an "owner" for the purposes of a class action suit that is outside of the proposed VW settlement.

So based on their advice, he goes and buys out his lease, thinking he'll become an Eligible Owner for the purposes of the VW Buyback, but this law firm is actually representing something else.

Oh, okay. Sorry -- sheesh, first VW and now you can't trust lawyers?

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

congrats

Thanks...

$15000
$165 dealer/title fees
$925 tax and registration, once I get it home.

So, I'm in it for $16,100
$22,200 if I have to share the modification amount
$25,577 if I get the full buyback.

If none of that pans out, I paid $16K for a 97K miles Audi..

breld

It will be okay. Repeat after me...it will be okay.

Congrats! That will certainly be a fun ride!

28firefighter

Congrats! I'm so close...so so close. The $1200 in shipping is just eating me up though.

kyfdx

breld said:

It will be okay. Repeat after me...it will be okay.

Congrats! That will certainly be a fun ride!

I was pretty pleased, especially compared to the 2014 Passat that I drove on Saturday. Seems like the DSG is "tuned" for more aggressive shifting in the A3. I always liked the A3 hatch... of course, if I were picking, it would be gas, stick and Quattro!

It's a Premium Plus, so xenons, paddle shifters and a few other things standard. Leather, dual-zone climate, fog lights. No pano roof. The strangest omission is no heated seats. Two sets of mats (winter and carpeted), and a rubber trunk mat, as well.

Carfax show minor damage to left rear, but I couldn't spot it (not that I'm an expert). Cosmetically, it's as nice as any 30K mile car. Carfax shows one-owner. Made them show me the title, and sure enough, it's local and a one-owner they took on trade in March. So, it should qualify in every way possible.

Not the color I would have picked, but looks better in person. Hard to order your color from the used car factory.

For now, it's an extra car. It will allow me to get my car and my son's car into the shop for some nagging items, though.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Congrats! I'm so close...so so close. The $1200 in shipping is just eating me up though.

Even at a total cost of $18k, the sportwagon is a fair deal. The potential buyback is $27k, after all.

28firefighter

With sales tax I'm closer to 19,100 (9.5%). But yes, you're right.

urbansurfer

breld said:

Oh no - I wasn't implying that HE is representing a firm. I just want to make sure a law firm is not representing to @urbansurfer that he could become an "owner" for the purposes of a class action suit that is outside of the proposed VW settlement.

So based on their advice, he goes and buys out his lease, thinking he'll become an Eligible Owner for the purposes of the VW Buyback, but this law firm is actually representing something else.

afaik, their reply was all in good advice. The intake form I signed when I picked this law firm (from the many trolling for VW owners) specifically outlines all their services (to me) are tied specifically to the larger VW emission scandal and there is no fees (to me) anticipated or without prior disclosure.

Since the lawyers are the ones hammering out the details and tallying the payments to each class member, they are also the ones controlling what column your name goes into. So if they say I can move from Lessee column to Owner column then that's information I can use in making up my mind on this.

Thinking some more about it today - I'd have to spend some money, obtain the car and start making payments. Then in the coming months see what the buyback comes to and make another choice. In the meantime there's insurance and some typical mainteance while adding some more miles onto the car (which affects the final payoff, no?) So there is some Time, Expense and risk for a little higher cash, maybe $5000 - $7500 more I'd guess. OTOH, I give the car back, pay the excess miles, and take the Lesses payout (which I estimate to be $4K+. That's no risk. Instead of paying off the 3-year old car with 50K+ in miles, just go lease a brand new car for easily less than what my car loan would've been.

anyway, kind of fun having this to think about.

Sandman6472

Very cool A3, pics make it look pretty good actually. With the larger gas tank, imagine it could go close to 600 miles on a tank. Just as long as there are diesel stations near, you should have no issue petrol wise. Very cool!!

The Sandman

breld

urbansurfer said:

breld said:

Oh no - I wasn't implying that HE is representing a firm. I just want to make sure a law firm is not representing to @urbansurfer that he could become an "owner" for the purposes of a class action suit that is outside of the proposed VW settlement.

So based on their advice, he goes and buys out his lease, thinking he'll become an Eligible Owner for the purposes of the VW Buyback, but this law firm is actually representing something else.

afaik, their reply was all in good advice. The intake form I signed when I picked this law firm (from the many trolling for VW owners) specifically outlines all their services (to me) are tied specifically to the larger VW emission scandal and there is no fees (to me) anticipated or without prior disclosure.

Since the lawyers are the ones hammering out the details and tallying the payments to each class member, they are also the ones controlling what column your name goes into. So if they say I can move from Lessee column to Owner column then that's information I can use in making up my mind on this.

Thinking some more about it today - I'd have to spend some money, obtain the car and start making payments. Then in the coming months see what the buyback comes to and make another choice. In the meantime there's insurance and some typical mainteance while adding some more miles onto the car (which affects the final payoff, no?) So there is some Time, Expense and risk for a little higher cash, maybe $5000 - $7500 more I'd guess. OTOH, I give the car back, pay the excess miles, and take the Lesses payout (which I estimate to be $4K+. That's no risk. Instead of paying off the 3-year old car with 50K+ in miles, just go lease a brand new car for easily less than what my car loan would've been.

anyway, kind of fun having this to think about.

@urbansurfer - I just want to make sure you don't get into something you're not intending to, so this is purely friendly (and perhaps misinformed) advice.

I don't think the law firm you speak of has anything to do with the "official" VW Buyback Settlement. VW's intent in coming up with the settlement is so that they can avoid further legal action (and cost). So, there's really no need for any legal representation to be part of this settlement.

I would guess the law firm is attempting to put a class action suit together for those who would rather opt out of VW's settlement and pursue a more beneficial claim. So, all I'm saying is, their definition of "owner" may differ from the one used for the VW settlement.

urbansurfer

it's a moot point. Gave the car back today to end the lease and got my odometer statement. I'm good with being Lessee status. It's the least hassle, surest payoff and now I can focus on a summer deal to get into a new car.

kyfdx

urbansurfer said:

it's a moot point. Gave the car back today to end the lease and got my odometer statement. I'm good with being Lessee status. It's the least hassle, surest payoff and now I can focus on a summer deal to get into a new car.

Seems like a smart move.

stickguy

probably what I would have done too.

28firefighter

So I think I may make a move early next week, if the settlement is approved. If the car is still there, great, and if not then that is OK too. 

Only way I could get my wife onboard. 

stickguy

I should go buy it tomorrow, just to yank your chain!

Can I borrow $16K?

28firefighter

stickguy said:

I should go buy it tomorrow, just to yank your chain! Can I borrow $16K?

I'd be happy for you if you did!  Someone should jump on it.

I'd have more wife-capital on the car front if I hadn't just bought the GTI. 

stickguy

if my car wasn't a lease, I would consider flipping it and buying the VW. But, no way I am in position to add to the fleet now.

Though if something happened to the RDX tomorrow that totaled it, I know what my wife would be driving this weekend.

breld

28firefighter said:

So I think I may make a move early next week, if the settlement is approved. If the car is still there, great, and if not then that is OK too. 

Only way I could get my wife onboard. 

Yeah - at this point, we're only five days from the expected approval date. I'm assuming it's more a formality than anything - I mean, VW, the DOJ and FTC have all agreed to the terms - but it will be nice to have the approval and "start the clock."

qbrozen

I'm curious how to go about it. I mean, I assume VW has no idea I own one. I searched their website, but I could not find a way to register with them as a VW owner.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

I'm curious how to go about it. I mean, I assume VW has no idea I own one. I searched their website, but I could not find a way to register with them as a VW owner.

On vwcourtsettlement.com , enter your VIN and give your name and address. They will send you updates on what to do. I'm sure when it's finalized, they will start sending instructions for making claims.

qbrozen

I am really surprised nobody has purchased that other wagon yet. I even had the salesman thinking about it.

stickguy

if it was a color combo I liked, I may have done it anyway, and figured out how to make it work later. Maybe unload the RDX (wife would love that!), keep the Jetta for 2 years, and next year when the Sonata goes back promise the wife something nice for her like an MDX or CX9.

just a tad complicated!

28firefighter

I am surprised as well. I'm fully expecting it to be gone by next week. 

breld

qbrozen said:

I am really surprised nobody has purchased that other wagon yet. I even had the salesman thinking about it.

That's funny about having the salesman thinking about it!

andres3

breld said:

qbrozen said:

I am really surprised nobody has purchased that other wagon yet. I even had the salesman thinking about it.

That's funny about having the salesman thinking about it!

I REMEMBER reading in the settlement fine print that VW employees were not eligible buyback offer owners.

henryn

andres3 said:

breld said:

qbrozen said:

I am really surprised nobody has purchased that other wagon yet. I even had the salesman thinking about it.

That's funny about having the salesman thinking about it!

I REMEMBER reading in the settlement fine print that VW employees were not eligible buyback offer owners.

This obviously was NOT a volkswagen dealership. If it had been, then the car would have been disqualified from the beginning as not eligible.

andres3

henryn said:

andres3 said:

breld said:

qbrozen said:

I am really surprised nobody has purchased that other wagon yet. I even had the salesman thinking about it.

That's funny about having the salesman thinking about it!

I REMEMBER reading in the settlement fine print that VW employees were not eligible buyback offer owners.

This obviously was NOT a volkswagen dealership. If it had been, then the car would have been disqualified from the beginning as not eligible.

Oh yeah! Duh. Never mind. I think I'm good with just one TDI which is my significant others. I wouldn't mind one around 15K though.

jpp75

I've been following this thread with a lot of interest. I think I'm going to go check out this Golf tomorrow. I think it's a bit overpriced but I'd still like to look at it.

I've plugged in the VIN and it's eligible, per the buyback calculator I could get the buyback of $21,437 before the modification amount of about $6,000. So if I bought it for say $14k there looks to be about $7k minimum of upside IF everything goes through.

As others have said it comes down to would you be happy driving the car if this all went up in smoke? (No pun intended) I've always liked the Golf but my perfect one would be 4 doors and have a hole in the roof. We'll see what happens.

http://www.bluewatermotorsports.com/web/used/Volkswagen-Golf-2012-Wilmington-North-Carolina/31427363/


EDIT: I forgot to subtract half the modification amount from the $21,437 so it's more like a minimum of $4k ($21,437- $3,000) = $18,437

Per Q's note below if I got out for around $13.5 then that's ~$5k....not bad.

qbrozen

They paid $10,500 for it at an auction in Florida at the end of June. $13.5k should be plenty.

jpp75

qbrozen said:

They paid $10,500 for it at an auction in Florida at the end of June. $13.5k should be plenty.

Ah great info, thanks Q!!! I agree, $13.5 should be plenty OTD. We'll see. I wondered how long they have had it, so one month probably isn't long enough to have them too desperate to sell yet.

qbrozen

I was thinking $13.5k before taxes and fees. That's max, though. $13k would of course be better, but I probably wouldn't argue over $500 for something you may sell for $21k shortly thereafter.

jpp75

qbrozen said:

I was thinking $13.5k before taxes and fees. That's max, though. $13k would of course be better, but I probably wouldn't argue over $500 for something you may sell for $21k shortly thereafter.

Agreed, but I forgot about the 50% reduction on the Modification money.... so I'd likely be looking at $18k in a few months. Which still isn't bad.

xwesx

So, I don't recall the details on vehicles with prior damage. I'm considering a 2013 Passat SEL, but just found out today that it has a history. How will this impact its eligibility/value? I don't have the VIN on the car yet, but will continue to look into it after getting more details. Unfortunately, the car is ~300 miles away (e.g., the next town over), but I need an excuse to visit friends/family in that area anyway as I have yet to go down there this summer.

breld

In defining "Eligible Vehicle," the Settlement Agreement states:

(3) for an Eligible Owner, currently Operable or cease to be Operable only after the Opt-Out Deadline;

"Operable" is further defined as:

“Operable” means a vehicle that can be driven under its own 2.0-liter TDI engine power. A vehicle is not Operable if it had a Branded Title of Assembled, Dismantled, Flood, Junk, Rebuilt, Reconstructed, or Salvaged on September 18, 2015, and was acquired by any person or entity from a junkyard or salvage yard after September 18, 2015.

So, I would think damage is okay, but pay particular attention to the Title.

xwesx

Ah, very interesting. So, if it was branded as a reconstruct on or before 9/18/15 and acquired by someone in such a state after that date, then it is not eligible. That is certainly a curious definition of "operable." The first definition, that it can be driven under its own power, makes sense. It looks like it will all depend, then, on the date of branding, as it does, indeed, have a reconstruct title. That's potentially a sad thing, as the car looks beautiful (so it would be a fun thing to own it for a while).

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/cto/5652318063.html

Oh, wait! Hang on.... it says, "AND acquired by any person or entity from a junkyard or salvage yard after 9/18/2015." So, if it was in private hands (e.g., "on the road") as of 9/18/2015, it wouldn't matter if I buy it after that date - it would still be eligible! In theory.... ? The current owner says he bought it after the incident that totaled it and had it fixed. But, I don't know when all of that happened.

xwesx

Just had a conversation with my wife about this; I'm not going to say it was fun, but she's willing to let me explore it further....

schaff76

So I am about to come up to the of a 3 year/45k mile lease on a 2014 Audi Q5 TDI 3.0.  This is one of the vehicles that Audi has not figured out what they are doing on the scandal, think because the courts haven't decided what to do. 

Apparently I am still able to purchase the car for residual of approx $31,500 and I absolutely love this car, as the gas mileage is incredible. 

Since I leased the car during the scandal and then purchase it now, does anyone know if this will be a good deal regarding the restitution?   I am so confused on what to do.  A little scared to buy it and then get hung to dry if I ever tried to resell it.  I plan to keep it forever, so if I did just keep it, would I still benefit from the scandal money?

does this make sense?  Quite confusing.   Any help would be appreciated

kyfdx

So far, there is no settlement on the 3.0 TDI models. But, if it followed the same path as this settlement, your restitution would be the same whether you turned it in, or bought the vehicle out of the lease. Once a lessee, always a lessee, when it comes to restitution. (according to the settlement).

So, if you love your car and want to keep it, it shouldn't affect any future compensation.

qbrozen

schaff76 said:

So I am about to come up to the of a 3 year/45k mile lease on a 2014 Audi Q5 TDI 3.0.  This is one of the vehicles that Audi has not figured out what they are doing on the scandal, think because the courts haven't decided what to do. 

Apparently I am still able to purchase the car for residual of approx $31,500 and I absolutely love this car, as the gas mileage is incredible. 

Since I leased the car during the scandal and then purchase it now, does anyone know if this will be a good deal regarding the restitution?   I am so confused on what to do.  A little scared to buy it and then get hung to dry if I ever tried to resell it.  I plan to keep it forever, so if I did just keep it, would I still benefit from the scandal money?

does this make sense?  Quite confusing.   Any help would be appreciated

Assuming it has 45k miles and is a premium plus model, that is a good purchase price since it is about $500 below auction value. I can't speak to any of the restitution issues.

schaff76

It's got 32,000 miles

schaff76

And thank you for all the help

henryn

Okay, I'm in.


http://www.mmlmotorsports.com/vehicle-details/2013-volkswagen-passat-tdi-se-sunroof-heated-seats-bluetooth-aux-sedan-182b4e97814f47d1bce1dd2875cafeaf/

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?vin=1VWBN7A33DC149239&partner=AMG_1

2013 Passat TDI SE, 65k miles. Buyback should be $18,598, and I wrote them a check for $14,500 out the door.

Michaell

henryn said:

Okay, I'm in.


http://www.mmlmotorsports.com/vehicle-details/2013-volkswagen-passat-tdi-se-sunroof-heated-seats-bluetooth-aux-sedan-182b4e97814f47d1bce1dd2875cafeaf/

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?vin=1VWBN7A33DC149239&partner=AMG_1

2013 Passat TDI SE, 65k miles. Buyback should be $18,598, and I wrote them a check for $14,500 out the door.

Sharp looking car!

Be interesting to see how you all make out in a couple of years.

jpp75

Congrats @henryn!

The Golf I went to look at this afternoon was nice enough but the A/C didn't work. They're supposed to have it fixed Monday for me to come back and drive it, but not sure I'm that interested now. I may go drive it just for kicks, but A/C problems at 46k miles definitely gives me pause on buying it.

henryn

^^^ It all depends on what they do to "fix it". If they simply add refrigerant (which isn't exactly strictly legal these days, you are supposed to find and fix the leak BEFORE you add refrigerant), then I would be concerned.

If they find the problem and truly fix it, then I would not be concerned. But I would ask to see the "shop ticket".

I have put about 80 miles on my new (to me) Passat. The steering pulls ever so slightly to the right (alignment). And there is an occasional squeak / rattle in the dash. If I press down at the very center of the dash, right next to the bottom of the windshield, the squeak goes away. Minor problems, to be expected of a used car with 65k miles, in no way do they diminish my good vibes about this purchase.

The torquey nature of the diesel engine is quite satisfying. The DSG is ... well, not anything I'm used to, but with all of the reading I have done here, I knew what to expect, so no gripes from me.

After I drive a few miles, I slouch down in the seat a bit, and my hair no longer touches the roof. Entry and exit are pretty easy, good size door opening, and the seat is not too low to the ground. No, it is not as easy to get into and out of as my truck, but for a car it's not bad at all.

It maneuvers well in city traffic, has a fairly small turning circle (very small compared to my truck), and fits quite easily in small parking spaces.

Oh, and the A/C blows very cold, and I have no "check engine lights" (knock on wood).

stickguy

I am really bummed to be missing out on this.

Michaell

stickguy said:

I am really bummed to be missing out on this.

+1 @stickguy