You Still Want to Buy a Volkswagen TDI? Sign Here

Mark Stevenson
by Mark Stevenson

The fuel cost savings of a diesel vehicle can be huge for those who eat up highway miles. However, with Volkswagen’s voluntary stop sale of those vehicles implicated in the diesel emissions scandal, you may think you can’t buy one from a Volkswagen dealer.

You’d be wrong.

According to a source who spoke to TTAC under the condition of anonymity, Volkswagen dealers are still able to sell an affected diesel vehicle should it meet certain conditions: that it not be a “certified pre-owned” (CPO) or new vehicle, and that the buyer signs a disclaimer stating they understand the vehicle being purchased pollutes more than government compliance tests initially indicated.

According to another source who also spoke to TTAC under the condition of anonymity, some dealers are either not certifying vehicles that could be easily certified, or removing cars from CPO inventory in order to sell them, thus putting those illegally polluting diesels back on the road.

In the past, it’s been financially advantageous for dealers to take those units out of CPO inventory to sell them. A new buyback program, which we reported on yesterday, should keep certain first-generation EA189-powered cars from returning to service, but not all.

Representatives from Volkswagen Group of America have yet to confirm the buyback program. A representative from Volkswagen Canada was unavailable for comment.

Mark Stevenson
Mark Stevenson

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  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Feb 06, 2016

    I think it is a hoax. Cannot be real.

  • Robert.Walter Robert.Walter on Feb 08, 2016

    Just prevent cars from being retitled and relicensed and see how quickly open recalls get fixed. For recalls that can't be immediately completed due to parts shortage, fine OEMs 250-1000 $/day. This should both motivate the OEMs to move and satisfy owners who can't sell their vehicles.

  • Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
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