YES!!!!! Finally someone who knows the airbag modules need replacing after a crash. I se so many people have no clue about it. Crashed cars are always a gamble.

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

Oh yea! I figured that was common repair knowledge. LOL

@tomvleeuwen

Жыл бұрын

Many brands allow you to re-use the airbag module upto 3 times. It's just a software lockout, there is no actual broken part inside the airbag module.

@bluej511

Жыл бұрын

@@HumbleMechanic might be for us lol. I always have to comment in yt videos about the abs module and seat belts. I used to work on crown vics (police version) and any time they'd crash (sometimes into each other), that's one of the costliest parts to replace. Buying that used is a massive gamble

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

@@bluej511 buying that used seems like a horrible idea! LOL

@eddiemichael4333

Жыл бұрын

În Europe we repair that whole assembly în Poland at amuc,much cheaper price. That is why we import crashed cars from US to europe.

Sometimes it cheaper to just buy 2 cars and use one for a donor…..

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

One front end, one back end, BAM once full car, and a lot of scrap! JAHHAH

@xgreasexmonkey5506

Жыл бұрын

@@HumbleMechanic yup and you get all genuine VW parts

@Melenkor

Жыл бұрын

This was my dad's method for years. The first three cars I drove growing up were all Frankenstein cars from the auction.

@carcrazyguysa4059

Жыл бұрын

Hmmmm real smart, never thought of that😅

Now it’s time to see how much you can get for the parts that AREN’T damaged

@sullivanburnsworth2286

Жыл бұрын

Good idea

@KXKKX

Жыл бұрын

Next video.

@rafaelkestafa

Жыл бұрын

That's gonna be wasaay more profitable than fixing that piece of junk. I used to like Audis and Volkswagen but the prices for the parts are... outrageously expensive.

@sv_cheats1970

Жыл бұрын

Just the engine alone will pay of the car?

@nplus1watches35

Жыл бұрын

yessir, that's where the real value of this car lies, parting out. How do you think Pick-n-Pull does so well. Suggestion for Paul -> have you done a dual motor GTI 4-Motion, yet?

I would like to thank you. your videos inspired me to try and get back into the industry. I went to tec school about 13 years ago, did a couple of internships but afterwards i got jobs in other industries because thats just how life turned out, but lately i have wanted to get back into it. But i always doubted my skills and did not even try for that reason. Yesterday i went around town to about 15 different car shops and checked out if they needed people, and some of them showed interest and wanted me to mail them my CV. So, lets just hope for the best.

You definitely wouldn't want to replace all the parts with new parts from VW. You could probably score a car that was wrecked in the back and have everything you need, plus some parts to sell to recoup some of your investment. The part that's going to be hard to fix is the frame rail and body - everything else is bolt on.

I bought a MK7 TDI manual basically with the same damage as in this video, got it when it was 68k Currently at 115k and no issues I think sometimes it's worth it You just have to make sure the car has been hit "nicely"

@MrCaze28

Жыл бұрын

I agree with the sometimes its worth it statement my moms car is a wrecked car but the damage wasnt severe at all the only things that didnt survive the collision was numerous splash shields & other plastic pieces the horns the washer reservoir the headlight oh and the frame rail did get a little creased on the end half on one side only though thankfully and then a bent radiator bracket on the same side then the front crash bar got messed up too though its just a little outwards facing dent/crease but in my opinion it was/is worth fixing the rest of the accident damage especially since the cars gonna be kept forever :)

@alejoms

Жыл бұрын

Nicely or in the right spot.. I had a GTI that had a crashed door, some motorcyclist ran over a red light and crashed into it, I just threw the old door away and installed a new one and it was perfect.. any trunk crashes are easily repairable and cheap as well.. I usually stay away from front crashes

@MrCaze28

Жыл бұрын

@@alejoms understandable front crashes can sometimes be messy tbh

That thermostat housing comment was great.

I think it would be a fun racecar for autocross kind of events. Airbag delete, custom bracing, roll cage, headlight delete... Here in Brazil in stage 3 E100 people get around 350 to 400hp in these 2.0 GTI Golfs

I’m never going to financially recover…..

@michaelblacktree

Жыл бұрын

That's when you know it's true love.

Love watching the two of you together. Great video with real truth about what repairing these cars costs. And this one didn't even have radar and cameras in the front!

There are some advantages. Replace the parts you want with higher performance aftermarket parts. Sometimes they are cheaper than factory parts. You can take your time doing it and build it the way you want.

@ch0wned

Жыл бұрын

Bro, seek professional help.

@sullivanburnsworth2286

Жыл бұрын

@@ch0wned a holes everywhere you go. Get a life buddy

I love these colab videos from the cone heads. Keep em coming.

An older car I can see being maybe worth looking into, but a newer car like the mk7, it just doesn't look like its worth the hassle. It is easy to see why insurance companies are totaling cars that appear to look repairable from the outside view... Maybe as a track car since you won't need the airbag, AC components and you can use non OE parts for the body...

@worldhello1234

Жыл бұрын

It is not easy to see because they account for the most expensive fix.

@ch0wned

Жыл бұрын

That in NO way looked repairable 😂

I think that with all the fun you two had in making the video Paul, was worth it.

Yess! Thank you for more glorious Parles and Chaul content. The world is ready for a feature length film.

There's 2016 GTI in my area for $3500 that needs a engine with $5000 in upgrades. It's been awfully tempting but something keeps telling me "It's too good to be true".

@silver-vt5330

Жыл бұрын

that might not be a bad Idea, buy or rebuild the motor and sell it or keep it. I bought a na miata that didn't run for 1k, i ended up fixing it and soon I will sell it, but It's a fun car so I am having trouble selling it.

@rolandm793

Жыл бұрын

If the seller is saying something like, "just needs an engine", you can be darn sure it needs about 20 other things, the prices of some of these kind of parts you can see here lol.

Very interesting and educational video!

Yes! Thank you for this content that I didn't know I needed but definitely did!!!

Looking forward to this project!

I had to show this to my wife, we just bought a 2002 tdi from an auction in near perfect condition, on Thursday last week, I thought this video was funnily in sync with our life right now

Not necessarily a bad buy since it is a good parts car. You just showed how EXPENSIVE parts are for this car, and it still has plenty of perfect usable parts. So you will definitely make some profit parting this car out!

@Mistabushi

Жыл бұрын

Parts for all brands cost arm and lef these days. Was looking for a plastic grille for fairly common car and while used one were somewhere between £50 to £80 pre-pandemic, now are almost £300.

I love how it ends on Paul saying, "Clearly I'm an idiot. I make terrible life choices. Feel sorry for me." Lol 😂

@ch0wned

Жыл бұрын

#Pray4Paul

@x-man4702

Жыл бұрын

It's NOT good to call yourself an idiot even if you are and clearly he's not.

You didn't account for the worst part of it all, the title changes from active/clean, to salvage/rebuilt. The salvage inspection once repairs are completed may find other things that you need to repair that may not be accident involved(worn bushings, brakes, tires, corrosion, etc). And the biggest issue is the reduced value of the vehicle once it has a salvage title. I know a couple people who are properly licensed who buy these cars, get them fixed up and inspected and then sell them as good units, and they only make a couple hundred bucks per vehicle, and often times lose their shirt on cars. They usually have another gig going on to help support this as they do it as a hobby. Crashed cars are a massive gamble

@Jake-im2lv

Жыл бұрын

I can see the appeal if you were buying it for personal use but there seems like there's a lot of room for shady people to sell on cars that have no right to be on the road. Where I live once a car is totaled by insurance it can never be legally registered again. Only good for parts or a track car that will never be driven on public roads again. Which kind of sucks

@ch0wned

Жыл бұрын

Somebody already lost that gamble once, why will you do better?

@brandonfriesen5389

Жыл бұрын

@@ch0wned Huh?

@ObamaBinLaden.

Жыл бұрын

When I bought my car on auction, I just had someone do the paperwork through different state, which didn’t require inspections.

$6500 for car smashed in the front, buy another smashed in the back. You got all the parts for one complete car :)

@nedudki

Жыл бұрын

yes, if you dont value your time or can paint it for yourself.

I'm not even a Volkswagen guy but you 2 are my favorite people to watch on KZread. Lmao. Great video y'all.

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@Chibbs.E

Жыл бұрын

@@HumbleMechanic Of course! Y'all keep up the great work and content! Slowly but surely, I'm getting persuaded into buying a GTI... Lol.

i think you will come out wayyy cheaper if you bought second hand parts that come off a wrecked car or something similar, over here in europe you can get a secondhand gti headlight for €200-€300, and an airbag set (passenger airbag, dashboard and steering wheel airbag and belts) is roughly €600-€700, although i think crashed cars are more expensive over here

@ghomerhust

Жыл бұрын

local wreckers in Nebraska would have most all of those parts on a wrecked vehicle for a tiny fraction. headlights and fog lights are marked at 20 dollars each on their website....

@slasher9883

Жыл бұрын

@@ghomerhust I will take 100 Mk7 Golf GTI headlights for $20ea. This isn't a 2005 Chevy, parts for these cars are hard to get used and very expensive.

@bugsy791

Жыл бұрын

@@ghomerhust $20 GTI headlights...lol

@jacknimble1

Жыл бұрын

There are no yards selling xenon gtiheadlights for anywhere near $100.

@tjw8t1

Жыл бұрын

@@slasher9883 You would be surprised how much new or open box OEM (not aftermarket) parts are for my 2004 Impala, each headlight was over $100. Dealers with old stock, prices are extremely high.

Please tell Paul not to beat himself up 😂 this was a very instructional video and it was greatly appreciated!

I bought one with a little less damaged but was fixed by person who bought at auction. I paid 20k for an mk7 R with 7k miles! its got 16k miles now and been happy with my purchase.

Looks like the insurance got that one right, that’s why it was totaled. Best thing to do is part it out with what’s still good.

Good stuff Men, well wear Paul🙏👍😎

I can attest to the comment on the headlights, I've been waiting for one for over 7 months.

Also let me say by y'all breaking down the prices of all the pieces that's just damaged shows how much the car is really worth and how they come up with that price very interesting

Y’all should get with the Roadkill guys. Build a rally car out of it. Tube bumper. Led Cubes for head-lights. And have some fun!

would be interesting to see the value of the parts that are intact on the car - odds are engine and transmission are fine, the stuff in the back is fine, etc. - so for a project (which is what I am guessing this is for) there are a lot of useable parts here, plus quite a bit that could be sold off to defray the initial outlay on the car...

I did pretty well with a $400 1999 Audi A6 Avant Quattro (purchased 2017 with 159,999 miles on the odometer), but it still ran and was a charity donation because it needed a pair of catalytic converters (and had been lowered ridiculously low, plus lots of old car wear and tear). Still needed 8 months of work (friend could only work on it 3-4 days a month) and keeping it running is like living in a Victorian house where stuff just breaks randomly from age. I also had to pay $550 in fees. At least it wasn't salvage title--I had to get a previous car inspected after insurance totaling twice and when I lived in the Bay Area that was a pain. Every cracked reflector had to be replaced to pass the safety check, even in areas unaffected by someone backing into my headlight.

MK6 is the way to go for this kind of thing! I found my salvage title 2010 GTI that was also in a front end accident, but not quite as bad as that MK7, for 5k flat. Put about 3500 in replacing the bumper, core support, fans, charge pipes and IE intercooler, new intake manifold and IE intake, IE dp, and IE stg2 tune with dsg tune, and it is going on year 4 at about 126k miles!

That ending of Paul was what I expected and it didn't disappoint. Haha

Hahahahaah! Just loved this video! But you didn’t mention the worth part of it: A GTI in your garage, where you can, in this case, “re-create” the car……. slowly…. Put everything down….. buy each piece that is necessary… and as time goes by, the car gets its shape back. Not everything in life is money-based. I’m pretty sure Paul had this in mind when won the bid.

Clearly someone loved that car. A few obviously aftermarket bits and touches. I'd say it's worth it for scrapping out individual bits but as a rebuild? Not with the bent frame rail. Those are cheap but getting it welded square and able to take a hit again is the issue.

April 17th 2022- Bought a 2004 R32 at an IAA auction in Pittsburgh $7300. 1 Owner. Was sitting in his driveway in a storm, a tree branch broke off and landed on the left driver door side smashing the window and denting the driver door. I guess the insurance company deemed it enough for a total loss. When I picked the car up- the forklift loader at the IAA yard that picked the car up busted the oil pan and broke where the downpipes connect to the Cat. So far New Oil Pan New Windshield Door frame dents out And plan on getting new suspension all the way around. After everything was said and done IAA ended up causing more damage then the actual total loss incident. Now on journey to get a DMV Inspection/ Rebuilt Title in Northern Virginia. Total come up- 2nd owner of a MK4 R32 couldnt be more happy- got Michael Underhill lucifer Headers and downpipes that I need help installing. A header install video for MK4 R32 would be massive 😭🤙

On the upside, if it's going to be for a project there's a decent change that some of the damaged parts would be swapped anyway. But man... Just the cost of airbag damage is so surprising. Not something I'd quickly think of.

Honestly, the price you payed is awesome! I wouldnt rebuild it with original VW parts and instead get a bodykit and aftermarket stuff. BUT because i'm living in germany that car would NEVER ever be real road legal or get TüV.... So in other country's i would rebuild it at cheap but looking good or get the engine, transmission and stuff out for a project car

This is a video that I needed )

This makes me feel better about my Mk 7. My crash wasn’t nearly as bad looking, but I was forced to drive it off of the freeway and it overheated twice in just that 3/4 of a mile… And I was on stage two. I thought about buying it back but it was December 21 and figured it wouldn’t be worth it in the ng run if at all. But I was still sad

@apilotsgarage8098

Жыл бұрын

This guy is a pinecone and bought the most expensive parts probably from dealer. The parts market is huge and it’s not hard to get parts for cheap

VWs are really hard to be ahead on from auctions. Because the parts are so expensive. If you have used parts supply near you that you can buy or another car it might be good, But most of the time it is way more expensive than just buying a complete car. Other models it is good deal sometimes but VW.....not usually.

I think the car likes Paul. It spooged on him.

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

OH PAUL ~~~~~~~~~ Hahahha

@michaelblacktree

Жыл бұрын

He must have that special touch...

Co parts prices are insane and then their fees are ridiculously insane. I had to pay $9500 to buy my S4 back after it was totaled. The damage was easy to repair and it cost around $3,000 plus a few days of my work.

Only if you're going to do the work yourself, then yes. I bought mechanically totalled, bad engine, from the auction, $2000 later in parts and couple of special tools, it was done. I did all the work myself. Total investment $4000 with car and repairs. But if I took it to a shop it would been $6000++ just for labor. Although I have a policy not to buy physically damaged cars from Copart. I am not a body shop, but mechanical? Hell yeah.

@GOLD_FEVER

Жыл бұрын

Exactly! A good rule of thumb is : hail damage only, OR damage that you can replace easily. NO airbags. NO frame damage. That will give you at least a little more peace of mind when buying.

The end of the video made my day LOL

It’s worth it if you can do your own body work and can get parts at jobber prices. And if you can drive with some stuff that can wait. For example the fog lights, ac condenser, and bumper cover. Some of the metal stuff like grill supports can be hammered back to shape.

You do not need to replace the Airbag module, if is the first crash, you can just reset the counter over diagnostic :)

Yes most definitely worth fixing I bought my 2015 Jetta SE TDI off of Copart with a smashed front end needing the intercooler radiator the AC condenser and fan assembly also needed a core support both headlights bumper cover and hood only bought the car for 2700 buy it now off of Copart fix it up with some junkyard parts and a lot of eBay and Amazon parts on the cheap the car works mint runs and drives mint saved a ton couldn’t be more happier

I got the bio dome reference 🤣🤙🏻

Totally worth it, you see that blacked out badge?!

SOME and i have to stress, SOME salvage cars are a win win. I just got a MK6 2.5 that was wrecked for $3k flat with no airbag or structural damage, about 5k total with parts. Registering it in a few weeks. So yes, sometimes ok.

It is amazing! Wish you good luck with this wrecked beast dude. And one thing is interesting, will carfax show its damages? 🤔

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

That's a good Q. id hope so. LOL

@your_majesty_umar

Жыл бұрын

@@HumbleMechanic do you work only with VAG groupe engines?

Sell the engine and dsg trans. You should easily exceed the purchase price with that alone and be at a decent profit.

NOW; If you buy something like this and find out how much it costs to repair it because PARTS ARE SO EXPENSIVE, are you crazy? NO. What you want to do with this car is part it out. Take it apart and sell the parts on eBay; There are plenty of goodies on that car; These guys will make a fortune on that thing Look at the belly pan: Aftermarket. Wheels: Aftermarket. Good interior, other doors, hatch....The list goes on. If you have the space and the time and the tools you can probably make a good profit off of a car like this. And if you can film a KZread video on top of it.... GREAT video!

I’ve rebuilt 2 salvage mk7s 1) you don’t have to replace the airbag module, you can reset using vcds or obd11 2) you can save thousands by buying parts second hand or non OEM. 3) you can upgrade to the golf R bumper without the fog lights to save a thousand dollars

@zakirmemon6049

Жыл бұрын

If anyone has questions, feel free to send me a message

@wandameadows5736

Жыл бұрын

@@zakirmemon6049 Yeah aftermarket parts today are a no brainer.

The answer is simple! Buy *another* Mark 7 that has been rear-ended. Think of all the synergies (yes, that is corporate snark). Cool project and I always enjoy it when you guys work together.

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

That’s how you shift the paradigm

@NoDroidsHere

Жыл бұрын

@@HumbleMechanic even better if it was two different colors. Then you could create the world's first Harlequin Mk7 GTi

@worldhello1234

Жыл бұрын

Rear-ended by someone texting his ex girlfriend in his semitruck while going down the highway at 70 mph. 😋

In the case of almost any German car, or any newer car these days, I agree. However, that's not to say you can't pick up a wrecked car that's a few years old that's had a much broader production run and come out on top. For example, you can pick up a wrecked low mileage S197 mustang for a few grand, and while they are aging, they still have plenty of aftermarket supports for upgrades or OEM replacements. And prices on parts from this era tend to be much more reasonable as there's not nearly as much unnecessary tech involved. Add somewhere in the ball park of 4-8k in parts, and still come out better than buying used depending on where you live. The real issue then is getting good insurance. 💀

I would have bought that car to fix up for sure! But i'm a VAG panel beater, and my old man is a painter. So zero labor cost, i have 25% discount on parts at work, access to everything needed to do the repairs, and always able to get salvageable parts for free, especially for something we repair daily like a mk7. You wouldn't belive how many mk7 body panels, headlights, rads and all kinds of stuff with almost non existent damage that i have replaced over the years! So in these circumstances its very doable to fix one of these up by the book, on a reasonable budget. For most people thats not the case though.

No need to replace Airbag module at all! Headlights for $1250 from dealer are made from Hella and cost $520 each without the VW logo! I do respect you guys big time but can’t see the point of trying to overestimate everything like this!

Lol I unfortunately totally my first mk7 GTi Autobahn about 5 years ago (no shenanigans, just a surprise bad day). I remember the prices of the headlights being about $1,240 each and that hurting my brain lol. I believe the final total on damage to my car was a bit over $19.2k despite the fact the car was still mostly straight, still ran, still had all fluids except a tiny hole in the fuel tank, all of the wheels were straight and held air, and only the little triangle window in the passenger side rear was broken. That corner of the roof was compromised so she was totaled once the costs came in.

You got to think of your purchase as a parts counter to fix someone else`s car that when you charge them outrageously because they don`t know any better or they have a sentimental attachment to, you come out ahead.

In this case I would look for a rear ended donor car. Always found it easier to fix the front lol

I don't know why but I always shop for VWs after watching your videos...

If you skip OEM and go for aftermarket that bill would be a lot lower though. Especially in countries where VW is the most popular vehicle around, and you can get just about the entire vehicle in spare parts, without ever stepping into the dealership once, though you better still have the front badge, as that, along with the VIN plate, is OEM only.

Every VW owner should have a shirt quoting Paul at 7:54.

I've got a stock R intercooler, thermostat/water pump, heat exchanger, fans, and A/C I will give to the channel if you pay shipping. Located in DMV area.

You might be ahead to part that thing out. I think the engine, for example, sells for $3k+. You might be able to get some of your purchase price back .

The only way it makes sense to get into rebuilding these types of vehicles is if you're in the trade and have your own shop. Even then, these vehicles can be hard to insure unless you can document the damage and repairs and apparently, you may not be able to get full coverage and claim payouts are reduced due to the lowered value. Best left for professionals.

Kennyupull is going to be your friend for a while loll!!

Horn 113$? I just got an aftermarket horn for my GTI for 10 bucks :)) It works perfectly

You can reprogram the airbage module for 20-50$ there're online services that do such things, and the same goes for the seat belts I think you can send them both to be fixed as new for 80-120$

@Deutscheautoparts

Жыл бұрын

On our wrecked Alltrack We had success with a service that wiped the airbag module. I think it was $99. This worked well Seatbelts we also got done but they were not so good. They didn’t have an airbag light but the never retracted well and we ended up putting new OEM ones in the car and they were so much better.

@AhmedAljazwi

Жыл бұрын

@@Deutscheautoparts Glad to hear you had some background on the topic. For the seat belts I guess it depends on the service provider, I've seen many Audis with no problem at all, so maybe checking another company would be helpful.

My country and many other 3rd world countries live off totaled US cars. I just bought myself 2018TTS. We buy parts from other crashed cars in Europe. And labor here is really cheap. My TTS would be 45k$ but it costs me 25k including overseas shipping and fees

I have so many junk yards near me I never get new parts. Air bag stuff is new, everything else used.

It's a no from me dog! Great overview though. :D

😭 On a lighter note, LMAO the chemistry ⚗️ you guys have is second to none

It is not worth repairing to street car guise. But it makes a perfect track car base, because with it being a salvage title you can cut on it with out feeling bad, and only need to replace the bare minimum of parts before the track building part (which you would have to do anyway if you bought a undamaged car). With a copart car price to entry on track car goes down....

bought golf r 7 , for 5600$ , after tax , delivery and shit it got to 9k, with a lot more damage, still fixing it, but if you buy used parts, you will save tons of money, and the number wont be that high, like i said i right now my car is totaled bad, and i mean bad, and it should cost me max 8k to repair. And not to mention it has stage 2 and aftermarket stuff for it, so im rly happy with this purchase.

I too make terrible life choices (bay is currently killed with 89 mighty max waiting for unexpectedly needed parts)

notification squad, Have a nice weekend!🔥🔥🔥

@HumbleMechanic

Жыл бұрын

This is why you buy two totaled GTI's one with front end collision and the second one with rear end collision. Smoosh the good parts together, sell the excess parts locally and online and bingo bango you got two project cars that will never run and your 20k in the hole.

$1300 for a Dam headlight! $420 for 1 Fog Light! Man I'm glad i got a Mk6 jetta non Xenon bulb'n $1300 & I can't get one if I had the money headlight

@greengamerguy623

Жыл бұрын

same rocking a MK5 08 Rabbit replaced the bulbs for 45$ that included my gas to get to Canadian Tire and back.

Sounds like we will get to see a GTI swapped mk3 jetta soon.

good spare parts car!!!

If your lucky find a rear and write off and a front end write off and make one good one.

I would be scared to even buy that used with an intact engine compartment.

A car like this is a perfect car to give aftermarket parts and save some of that money

"i`m idiot" i feel that😂

Ah, so that was the poor GTI I saw in the first $1,000 Jetta video from ShopDAP. It still makes me sad to see because it looks a lot like my GTI, and I hate picturing my GTI getting wrecked like that 😞

Idk about this one I've purchased and rebuild a few cars from insurance auctions and haven't come anywhere near what the estimates were. For sure try to avoid ones with deployed airbags but even those you can source cheaper. What about wrecking yard parts and things like that the last thing I purchased from an insurance action had a estimate of 13k to repair and it cost me 350 dollars to get it going. Not perfect maybe but your comparison is to a used car not a new showroom car. Not always but if you are lucky you will find color correct used parts from ebay CL or the wrecking yard and might not have to paint at all

Y'all should buy another smashed Copart GTI for the missing front end parts! Lol

I sold my 2017 mk7 for 1000.00! It needed 10k + in repair and had 300k on it so I just bought a brand new one instead. I still owe 10k on that thing

If it wasn't mentioned before, when bidding on Copart, you're competing against buyers from third world countries where labor costs are as little as $2 or $3 an hour. Most body parts that we consider mangled beyond repair, they can straighten. Also, you need to know what cars are just not worth rebuilding based on the the damage, mileage and price. That's the car you buy if you need an engine for yours that threw a rod, you don't buy that to put back on the road. And $4,000 all in would be the max on that. In the heat of bidding, newbies rarely consider all the fees and costs they tack on.

Come to mexico, the oem bumper on the dealer cost me 150 dollars, radiator condenser and intercooler eas like 350 dlls like to years ago when my little brother crashed my gti in total kind of similar damage costed like 1000 buck but with no damage to the frame

This is why I've stuck to the MK4 lol. MK6's and MK7's are just too high of a cost for entry + performance modifications and maintenance. $1300 for a SINGLE headlight is beyond ridiculous!! I have a set of VX Tuning lights that set be back $700 and FAR exceed the OEM lights (on a MK4 anyways). Then again.... I have about $45K into my 1.8T Big Turbo little car and still going LOL

Junk yard runs would probably be key if you are balling on a budget

What could you get if you part out the salvageable items? Could you get more than you bought the car for?