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.

  • Oberkanone My grid hurts!Good luck with installing charger locations at leased locations with aging infrastructure. Perhaps USPS would have better start modernizing it's Post offices to meet future needs. Of course, USPS has no money for anything.
  • Dukeisduke If it's going to be a turbo 4-cylinder like the new Tacoma, I'll pass.BTW, I see lots of Tacomas on the road (mine is a 2013), but I haven't seen any 4th-gen trucks yet.
  • Oberkanone Expect 4Runner to combine best aspects of new Land Cruiser and new Tacoma and this is what I expect from 2025 4Runner.Toyota is REALLY on it's best game recently. Tacoma and Land Cruiser are examples of this.
  • ArialATOMV8 All I hope is that the 4Runner stays rugged and reliable.
  • Arthur Dailey Good. Whatever upsets the Chinese government is fine with me. And yes they are probably monitoring this thread/site.
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