Asking prices climb for used VW TDI diesels as buybacks proceed
If you have your eyes on a used Volkswagen or Audi TDI turbodiesel, you may wind up having to pay more today for two thousand nine through two thousand fifteen models than you would have when they were fresh.
At least right now, only two thousand fifteen model-year versions of VW and Audi vehicles sold with the Two.0-liter turbodiesel 4-cylinder TDI engine can be modified to obey with emissions standards, which will keep them legal for road use.
A few sellers emerge to be capitalizing on that fact, with prices having climbed substantially for those cars in online ads.
2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI online ad
You’re still essentially out of luck if you want a two thousand nine through two thousand fourteen Jetta TDI, either sedan or SportWagen, or a Beetle TDI or Passat TDI from those years.
But if you want a two thousand fifteen that can be made compliant, we’ve now spotted several ads online that request well above original asking price for two thousand fifteen model year TDI VWs and Audis.
Since many 2015s have already been bought back and others are on their way, it’s safe to say that supply of these last turbodiesel 4-cylinder VWs to be suggested in the U.S. (potentially forever) will proceed to dwindle.
Even prices for cars that can’t be modified seem to have soared as buybacks progress.
An especially audacious ad in Denver asks $50,000 for a two thousand twelve Audi A3, which would have been around $35,000 fresh.
There’s no fix yet for 2012s, meaning the diesel-powered hatchback won’t be legal in many places.
2012 Audi A3 TDI online ad
We reached out to Kelley Blue Book, which closely tracks used car values to see if this is a trend.
“We have noticed a spike in TDI values that we have attributed to the buyout suggest VW has for current TDI owners,” Michael Harley, an Executive Analyst with KBB, told us.
While used diesel VWs remain available in various places, however, it’s not clear yet if anyone will actually want them.
A Volkswagen dealer in Rhode Island is suggesting a few low-mile two thousand fifteen Passat TDIs at prices slightly above their original sticker price.
According to their Carfax reports, these Passats have been in the dealer’s inventory for over a year.
The dealership shows up to have been hedging the cars, which would would be worth only about half as much if they were gasoline models.
2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI online ads
VW of North America doesn’t prohibit dealers from selling TDI vehicles that have been repaired, but Volkswagen spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan told us that they haven’t actually embarked modifying the vehicles yet.
As for the long-term outlook for those two thousand fifteen TDIs? KBB’s Harley says that it’s a wait-and-see situation.
” Volkswagen is beginning to ‘fix’ existing vehicles, and we have yet to hear how that is going to affect drivability,” he said.
“If there is little switch, values may stay strong for some time. If the ‘fix’ degrades spectacle, expect values to drop.”