In a bit of a pickle, could really use some other R owners input...

[robschwieb]

About my car
I purchased my dream car in November of 2021. A 2019 R DSG (16k miles) Indium Gray Metallic with literally every mod that I would have done myself already installed (IE stage 2, perfect supporting mods, and Konig Ampliforms). Seriously perfect, minus one minor detail...rebuilt title. Not a big deal as it's my 4th? rebuilt title car. Clearly, I don't have a problem with rebuilt titles.

The kicker
I paid 28k for it. High compared to prices before "money printer go brrrrrrr era" but that same exact car at 20k miles and a clean title is ~43k today. Thanks Jerome Powell.

The bad
Last weekend while on vacation in a very rural and windy road area, I went off the side into a ditch but was able to recover, no big deal. Minus my completely missing oil pan. Oil gone instantly. No good place to pull over and not risk getting hit in a blind corner so I did the unthinkable and drove NO MORE than 2.5 minutes to park it at my rental cabin which was up like the steepest stone driveway possible. Wouldn't have made it without AWD. Car didn't seize but I didn't try starting it after that obviously.

Had it towed to my local VW dealer for inspection and repair quote and informed them this would be covered under insurance. They then recommended slapping a new oil pan on, level sensor, few other plastic bits, alignment, and sending me on my way. NO VISUAL inspection of any possibly damaged surfaces. Cylinder walls, crank, bearings, valvetrain, etc...they said they don't tear engines down like that due to the crazy amount of labor that goes into it not to mention they don't rebuild engines. So I'm just supposed to take their word it SHOULD BE GOOD and be happy driving a potential wallet grenade? No thanks.

The good
The car has full coverage and this will be covered under collision insurance. My agent, the adjuster, and appraiser are all in agreement that they want me to have 100% confidence in my car when I get it back and if that means new engine (reman VW) so be it. They heard my complaints about the response from the VW dealer and pressed them to quote a new engine to which they agreed. I don't understand the pushback from the dealer. It's insurance work for crying out loud? I'd hate to see how they handle warranty work...
Haven't received the quote yet but should tomorrow.

The pickle
A new engine with labor and other misc repairs will likely total my precious R for a second time based on how the salvage threshold is calculated in Indiana. Might not...but I have a feeling it will. Insurance will calculate the cash value of my car based on what it costs to get me into the exact same car and mileage. The rebuilt title is not factored into this. So lets say 43k + sales tax = ~46k

I'm left with hard options. If this hadn't happened to my car I would have kept it till the wheels fell off. It's my dream car and I wouldn't change a thing about it @ the 28k price I paid.

Option #1:
Buy the car back, take the fat check, do the basic repairs myself, and run it for a few thousand miles if it will do it without burning oil. If everything seems ok, oil test and then proceed from there. If not, use part of fat check to have an indy shop slap in a new engine. (maybe APR crate?)

Option #2:
Use the fat check to purchase my exact car if I can find it for an absurd price. This feels so wrong knowing how inflated the used R market is. Especially considering the deal I initially got despite it being a rebuilt title.

Option #3:
Use the fat check and a bit of cash to move into a 2018 or 19 RS3. Love the performance aspect but not thrilled about it being a sedan. Much prefer the looks and function of a hatch but at least this feels like an upgrade and I'm not forking out cash for an equivalent vehicle.

Option #4:
Something I haven't considered?

On one hand, it feels like I (potentially) hit the jackpot getting an absurd value for my rebuilt title vehicle but at the same time, with the current used vehicle prices, it feels like I'm a chump and forced to buy at the top?

If you can't tell, I'm REALLY torn here. Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[kevinkar]

This sounds like something only you can answer since everyone will generally have different pain thresholds about how much they are willing to spend, lose, gain, etc.

If it were me, I'd dump this car and use the check to get an unmolested one and move on. I mean, not only did you get a modified salvage car (regardless of your pain threshold on that kind of purchase - not my cup of tea at all) but you also banged it up yourself so you're really taking chances on longevity here in my opinion. Yeah, it can likely be brought back to at least the shape you bought it in but it's always going to be a bit suspect from now on.

You're not likely to find one that's modded just the way you want it but you might find one that's in fantastic shape which you can drive comfortably for a while until you decide to mod it yourself since you'll have time to live with it and fix any normal issues or just slowly mod it as you go and build it back into the car you want.

I personally would like to start with a non-salvage, unmodded, peach of a car and go from there, cruddy used market or not. If you do indeed get around $40k for this one, that's an insane amount of money for a salvage title and I'm surprised that's happening at all and they are not simply giving you the $28k instead. So great if that happens.

My take - buy a peach and move on from this one.

 

[akimmel]

 

[aloha_from_bradley]

It’s just such a bad time to be in the market for a car. The 5 cylinder is a dream. If you have the opportunity, I’d take it.

Regardless, I’m with @kevinkar on this one. It’s time to move on. You’ve got some bad omens with this car for whatever reason. Just find the path that’s the least painful for you. It’s not going to be easy. I would hate to be in your position, but sometimes, it’s just about the road that lies ahead.

Prices on used cars are starting to come down. More Rs for sale than I’ve ever seen. Good and bad. Inventory is forcing the prices to come down. Cars are taking longer to sell. That and the fact that the MK8 is around, if you can find one. The fish hook there is the 8 seems to be drawing people into the trap. Waiting lists, deposits. Most people won’t be getting a new Golf R. Just plain and simple. VW has slashed production numbers in half from what they intended.

Like I said, not a great time to be looking for a ride. But better than rebuilding and running into more issues later on. Find out if they will let you keep your after market parts if you do total the car out. Sometimes insurance companies don’t care, or the shop where you leave the car will give you a couple hours to pull as much off as you can. That way, you have a head start if you go with another MK7.

 

[Superfreak]

The market isn’t very inflated for Golf R, in my opinion.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rxO7DVO6/2016-volkswagen-golf-r

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...vedpriceASC&numRecords=25&requestId=614960940

 

[robschwieb]

Appreciate the input. The more I think about it the more I know I won't be happy in a RS3. I'll constantly be looking for my "next car". That's something most car guys do but for the first time in my car owning history, that stopped while owning the R, which is saying something imo.

Only option I hadn't considered is what the folks over at the Golf_R subreddit suggested...sending it over to Innovative Motorsport and having them DAZA swap it. Might be the perfect scenario for that.

Either that, or find a peach of an R (19+ IGM only)

 

[Acadia18]

The market isn’t very inflated for Golf R, in my opinion.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rxO7DVO6/2016-volkswagen-golf-r

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...vedpriceASC&numRecords=25&requestId=614960940

7.5 R's are still pretty inflated. Finding one on the lower side of average miles, ~40k, is still $40k or so. And plenty of them are listed for more than they sold for new. Like this one with 19k miles for $48k. What!?!

https://www.carmax.com/car/23313309

That's more than the MSRP of a MK8 R...

 

[Acadia18]

Appreciate the input. The more I think about it the more I know I won't be happy in a RS3. I'll constantly be looking for my "next car". That's something most car guys do but for the first time in my car owning history, that stopped while owning the R, which is saying something imo.

Only option I hadn't considered is what the folks over at the Golf_R subreddit suggested...sending it over to Innovative Motorsport and having them DAZA swap it. Might be the perfect scenario for that.

Either that, or find a peach of an R (19+ IGM only)

If that is a serious consideration, I'd give them a call, because I know over the summer they said they were probably going to stop taking those on due to the growing difficulty of finding donor cars.

 

[2slowvw]

I would personally just take the check, maybe buy a beater while you look for another car (don't spend the money for the new car on bullshit you dont need). Having a car thats been salvaged and now driven with low oil and modified is just asking for future issues.

Take the money and move on, maybe the car will be sold to someone else at a big discount and it can get a new life.

 

[904mk7]

I like option 3.

 

[dtfd]

Your car is already salvaged. Who cares if it gets salvaged again?

Take the money and try to get it running, keep a little aside for the new motor that you'll eventually need (if not now, then soon). You can find motors for ~$5k. Swap that in and drop the rest of the money on sweet mods.

 

[manu97]

Are all the suspension bits okay? I know the engine is the main concern here, but going into a ditch doesn't sound like it would be great for most components. I'd do a full look over the entire car first before you commit to keeping it

 

[gixxerfool]

I would replace the pan and put the rest of the money on the side just in case. DAZA is also something I would consider.

 

[Strange Mud]

I would be shocked if the insurance gives you money for a new engine before it is proven the old one is bad. See what happens with basic repairs before you plan on spending the $.

You love the car, with a rebuilt engine (if needed) you can continue to love it

Mud

 

[plaideverything]

I maybe tempted to sell my Iridium Grey. PM Sent