Looking at a 2005 VW Jetta TDI

As the title says I am looking at a 2005 VW Jetta TDI to replace my 2009 from the VW buy back (I'm not looking to debate what I should do here). I am looking for some pointers on what to be aware of and look for when I look at the car.

As I said it is a 2005 TDI with an automatic transmission. The motor and body have 287,000 miles on it. The transmission was replace at 160,000 miles and has recently been serviced at 240,000 miles. The owner says everything works as it should. Tires are decent and brakes have recently been replaced.

The only issue he said he has had with is it has gone into limp mode twice. He says it is because the turbo needs cleaning. I know from talking with a few guys this is caused from the vanes in the turbo sticking because of soot buildup. My question is, can the turbo just be "cleaned" to fix this issue. Is there a permanent solution (i.e. new turbo with no vanes, or improved design. Borg Warner or Garrett options?)?

Do these cars have this issues with cam shafts failing like some of the new PD engines do?

He is asking $2,500 or best offer.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

There is a model year split, MK4 or MK5 body, the BEW engines ran over both bodies and had cam failures. If it's made it this far, I would think that has been addressed already.

Mine does stupid **** with the turbo. The crank case vent puts a lot of oil into the turbo on mine. So much so, that I capped where the vent hooked to the air intake and the engine vents to atmosphere.

The driver door wiring is a common failure.
The dual mass flywheel is a common failure, and should have already been addressed.

The biggest thing is electrical gremlins. Mine lost the stereo amplifier this year. I have a persistent cam position code that is either the wiring harness or ECM.

I have only ever seen 38.5mpg average from mine. I contribute that to my size. I've gotten as high as 51mpg.


Something smart goes here

I should have mentioned this is an MK4 body style.

Being that it has 287,000 miles, shouldn't the cam have shown signs of wear and failure by now? And the trans only has 120,000 miles and was serviced about 40,000 miles ago. I feel this is a good thing. My biggest concern is the limp mode issue, as I will be driving it 1,500 miles home from Florida.

Owner is claiming 40+ mpg, which I don't doubt.

I have heard of the Jettas having a lot of electrical issues. I specifically asked him if the locks and windows all worked and he said they did.