Checked out the silver $2k car tonight. Drove it. Has some electrical issues, and is no longer on air. Was spring-swapped. otherwise very good.
Hvac controls and function were flickering, and known and confirmed bad wire to oil pressure sensor. Sensor and pump swapped. Has some oils leaks from pan gasket issue and valve cover gaskets are needed. Shifter brake-park interlock is non-op and needs a screwdriver to go into gear.
Could be patched into Wonder status in a couple hours with a mechanical oil gauge + hardwired sensor and some shifter parts broken off. Oil leaks aren’t bad enough to preclude driving. Just to preclude parking in the exact same spot all the time.
I’m loving the idea of resurrecting the $600 manual trans unit near Albany. That’s not above i don’t think. After looking one over in person I’m near certain the engine has to come out to do a head. There’s great front access to do timing belts and accessories but side access is retarded tight. Engine bay is packed.
The autos seem to fail at about the age the one I looked at is, ~150k. The mileage most of these have reached...
I think I need to clean out the driveway of VWs and have them both. Because I’m damaged in the head and fixated on a new shiny object. Drive silver through the winter and send it in months after I fix up maroon.