Here’s Why This Five-Year-Old Volkswagen Golf Is Worth More Than A New Car

Vw Alltrack Gg Ts
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Have you ever been poking around the collector car market, when you suddenly stumble upon something you wouldn’t expect to inhabit that corner of the automotive kingdom? I’m not talking about something like an immaculately preserved Eagle Premier, I’m talking about a fairly regular-seeming car made within the past few years that’s too old to have a new car hype train on it, yet too new to have seen any meaningful attrition. Well, this 2019 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SE is one of those cars.

So, why did this happen? The Golf in question is not one of the fast ones, and it doesn’t feature delivery mileage, yet it commanded $24,750 on Bring A Trailer just this week. A five-year-old Golf on Bring A Trailer? What’s going on? See, when new supply of something dries up, used examples become more valuable, and that’s exactly what happened here.

Let’s hone in on specifics, starting with that Alltrack name. See, to create the Golf Alltrack, Volkswagen took a Golf wagon, ticked the box for all-wheel-drive, raised it up by six-tenths of an inch, and added some cladding. Think a two-thirds scale German Subaru Outback, and you’re on the right path. As of right now, there isn’t anything on the U.S. market that fits that description. Sure, we’re flush with subcompact crossovers, but compact station wagons? That’s a rare breed right there.

06 Interior Vw shifter 20240612 059 88016 Scaled Copy

Next, there’s the way this particular Golf Alltrack was optioned. Sure, the DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox was a fine choice, but whoever ordered this one new decided to be bold and go with the six-speed manual gearbox. Hard to imagine you could order a raised-up manual small wagon in America just five years ago, right?

06 Interior Vw Golf All Track 20240612 056 87986 Scaled Copy

Add in the wonderful Great Falls Green paint, desirable options like the panoramic sunroof, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, and push-to-start, and this Golf represents something with no clear replacement. For people who want a manual station wagon in America, this is the end of the line, the newest one can possibly go. Never mind that it has 49,000 miles on the clock, it has a clean Carfax and a mix of traits that’s simply rare.

04 Engine Vw 20240612 003 87307 Scaled Copy

Plus, because the Golf Alltrack is, well, a Golf, it’s a properly nice thing to drive. Sure, the shifter isn’t the most precise unit in the world, but the 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine has plenty of torque, the chassis tuning strikes a nice balance between comfort and fun, at least in the context of regular cars, and the all-wheel-drive system definitely helps on corner exit. Add it all together, and it’s easy to see why this five-year-old Golf costs more than a new Corolla. In fact, it’s par for the course, with six other Golf Alltracks selling on Bring A Trailer this year for anywhere from $19,500 to $38,250.

01 Exterior Vw Golf All Track 20240612 006 85668 Scaled Copy

In fact, the Golf Alltrack can almost be seen as foreshadowing as the future for all manner of cars currently on the new market with no formula-matching successor in sight. It still depreciated, just slowly, and quickly became at least a moderately desirable daily driver for connoisseurs. With the internet’s unique way of driving hype and reaching a wide audience, don’t be surprised if clean, stock, well-kept, gently used M2s and CT5-V Blackwings and GR86s go the same way in a few years, depending on which part of the world you live in.

01 Exterior Vw Golf All Track 20240612 012 85726 Scaled Copy

I guess the bottom line is that we’re in an era of massive change in the automotive industry, so don’t count on traditional depreciation to make your combustion-powered dream machines substantially cheaper. As every experience becomes collectable, the cycles of devaluation we’re used to may go the way of the dodo. On one hand, it sucks, because it keeps the cars we want out of reach of some. On the other, it could mean that some of these cars stay preserved. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)

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90 thoughts on “Here’s Why This Five-Year-Old Volkswagen Golf Is Worth More Than A New Car”

  1. Ahh so the secret is out…

    Long time VW fanboy (Pre-2020 VW anyway) here and I submit there are two additional reasons this thing sold for solid money.

    1. As @AlterId said, this was that rare 2-year period for VW where they decided they were going to just toss all caution to the wind and offer “America’s Best” warranty: a 6-year / 72k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty on their vehicles, IIRC the longest they’ve ever offered. Cue a pandemic and suddenly, those were mighty attractive numbers in an uncertain time.
    2. This was IMO the end of an era for VW. The MK7 Golf platform was already attempting to focus on cost savings rather than making it -feel- more premium than any of it’s rivals (something VW made its name doing). And yet, every permutation of the Golf up until the MK8 truly felt a class above once you stepped inside and shut the door. And this generation was legitimately engaging behind the wheel. I’m not just talking the GTI and R. The Golf, Sportwagen and Alltrack are all objectively fun to drive next to almost any competitor.
    3. Bonus pts: When it comes to cars, residents of high elevation states and their voracious (and justified) appetite for turbocharged power are often overlooked. I’ve put two friends into Alltracks here in CO and had to drag them kicking and screaming until they realized that A. the Alltrack was -way- nicer to drive than their Subaru’s and B. the 1.8T punches above it’s weight. An Outback 3.6R at 7k feet feels more labored loaded down with people and gear than an Alltrack does. And the VW is quieter at 70 mph on Rt 70!

  2. Honda Fits are the same way, my manual Fit is still worth more than I paid for it brand new in Feb 2020 just before the pandemic if less than it was at the peak of used-car market insanity in summer 2022.

  4. Mine wasn’t Great Falls Green on the outside (it was white, snooze), but it was Marrakesh Brown on the inside, and it was an S because I knew better than to think that sunroof was desirable. I got it for $6K off MSRP in November 2019, the first and so far only new car I’ve ever bought.

    Very nice for what it was, totally trouble-free, but of course after the first five months it barely got driven. I sold it in July, 2022 with 13K miles for $5.5K more than I had paid new (because 2022), which is to say, $500 below its original MSRP. Nice to know I could have held onto it and still experienced basically no further depreciation, but as fine as it was, that was about all it was, so no regrets.

  5. I tried desperately last year to find one of these with ACC and the brown interior and with mileage that would still qualify then for the 6 year warranty coverage, and had to search nationwide to find any. I had a few leads, but they all got snapped up quickly; people love their green wagons.

    I may be the only person to ever say this, but I sadly had to settle for my third choice: a low mile Mk7.5 GTI

  7. Some of these cars (special ones to enthusiasts) have always been preserved, the higher prices won’t change that much, it’ll just mean only wealthier people will be the ones experiencing them until they wear out.

  8. Article doesn’t even mention that this car can haul 66.5 cubic feet with the seats folded, which was nicely in between the Mazda CX-5 (59.6) and Toyota RAV4 (69.8) that were available at the time. I know which vehicle I’d rather drive.

  10. That VW made this, but couldn’t manage to make a long-roof GTI makes me incredibly angry. I’d have even been happy with a Golf Wagon GT with the 1.8T and GTI seats, suspension, and cosmetics. Always seemed like a no-brainer.

    But no, we got the Golf Outback with ruined suspension and AWD that I need in Florida like I need a couple of ex-husbands.

    1. I’ve read that this engine responds really well to a software tune. So if you want to make it a GTI wagon, that’s pretty doable.

      And the Sportwagen version lacks the extra ride height of the Alltrack, if that’s what you mean by “ruined suspension”.

      1. I don’t have time for projects, especially those that will mess with the warranty on a new(er) car. So no, I had no interest in “making” a GTI wagon out of bits. I don’t even care about more power – as I said, a wagon GT would have been fine. I want it to drive and look like a GTI. I had a ’17 Sport and loved it, but it did not have the cargo capacity I need. It had FAR more power than I needed.

        Not only was the Alltrack lifted, but it has notably softer and more rolly-polly suspension than the base wagon, never mind a GTI. No car’s handling was EVER improved by making it taller. And then there is all that ugly-ass black and fake chrome plastic slathered all over the poor thing.

        Europe for YEARS got the Golf GTD wagon – which was basically what I wanted with the TDI motors. No reason they could not have done the same here. It could have literally just been a trim level, no additional certification expense needed.

        1. My Mk7 TDI Sportwagen with a stg2 tune and GTI leather seats ($200 from junkyard 50k miles crashed GTI) is as close to a GTD wagon as I can get here in ‘murica. The Koni shocks also get the handling closer.

          1. Which is great! But I want that from the factory, with a full warranty, and to not be MY problem to create. Or I just won’t buy one at all.

      2. Can confirm – I had APR’s warranted tune (basically their Stage 1 for extra money). The car should’ve come from the factory with that power delivery, but I suppose that might have stolen some sales from the Allroad (which they sell like 5 of anyway). Mine had the tan interior too. Still mad about getting deer’d.

  11. I wonder if the non-Alltrack wagons hold their value similarly. Mine is a 2019 with the same 1.8t engine, 6MT, AWD, and roof rails. It lacks only the Alltrack’s cladding and the 6/10-inch extra ride height. Zero issues so far with 76,000 miles on the clock. I paid a nicely-discounted $20,900 for it in June 2019, just a few weeks before VW announced this car would be discontinued – and a year before the pandemic blew up car prices.

    (Is the panoramic sunroof really a “desirable” option? If you read VW forums, you’ll find that most of those eventually leak.)

    These were the last manual wagons sold in the US. I’m keeping mine as long as possible.

    1. I suspect they will. My 2014 Jetta Sportwagen TDI is worth, based on others for sale in my area, about what I paid for it in April of 2020.

    2. I’ve had VW with panoramic sunroofs going on 14 years and never saw a leak. They ran through some recalls in the earlier years so I imagine most of the design kinks are sorted out.

      The biggest issue is that if you get a leak or other issue with them they have to replace the unit literally by breaking it.

  12. I am on my second Golf Alltrack. Both were 2017s. The first was an SEL that I bought new for $27,500 when MSRP was $35. The dealership had 3 of them that sat there for months. VW did a terrible job at marketing these cars. I never once saw an Alltrack ad on TV. The second one is a high mileage used SE. In between the two, I had a Kia Stinger GT2 for a few years. With even just ECU and TCU tunes, this is such a fun and practical car to drive around in. I modded my first one a lot: IS20 turbo, suspension and intake mods, and was over 300 HP on the thing. This one, I haven’t done any bolt ons or suspension mods yet. I probably won’t, but if I do, I’m actually thinking about lifting it.

    If, someday, I can find a really low mileage one for the right price, I may do an insane build with the intent of keeping it as a forever car.

  13. I was shopping these last year to replace a V-50, and the prices near me were all above $27k. I ended up with a 2019 e-Golf, because it fit all the parameters or a second commuter car for the wife and was far cheaper, even before the rebate. Funny thing was I had forgotten about the e-Golf, and only found it because I was searching for Alltracks and GTIs.

  14. I own a 2019 SEL Alltrack 6MT with the upgraded wheels, LED lights, safety equipment and all the other nonsense. My local dealer was clearing them out as leftovers when I bought it and I paid a little over $28,000 for it. With 42,000 miles on it, I could trade it for around $24,000. Believe me, I’ve been tempted. But as this article states, what in the hell do I replace it with? Literally nothing has this optioning. Plus, being a 2019, I still have two more years of VW’s bumper to bumper warranty left too.

    What to do……

    1. You enjoy that goddamn unicorn for another 2 more years, Cory!

      Next you’re going to brag that it’s got the Marrakesh brown interior … 🙂

  15. See, every so often VW will sell a desirable car for the US market, sell it for a bit, and then just give up. Look at the Touareg and the Alltrack (and the normal old basic Golf). Neither of these niches are filled by VW anymore unless you go upmarket to the Audi brand. But they command decent money on the resale market if you are lucky enough to find one that hasn’t been abused or neglected.

  16. I bought a 2014 Sportwagen TDI, manual, in April of 2020. It had 35k miles on it and I paid $13,500. Not a bad deal given I had the full Dieselgate warranty, and it was exactly what I wanted color combo wise. When I look at Sportwagens for sale now, dealerships are asking $12k for them…with 100k+ miles. And that’s just the Jetta Sportwagen, not the updated Golf Sportwagen of 2015+.

    I love mine, I get good fuel economy and haven’t had any major issues, and since it rides on the same platform as the MKV/VI GTI it’s surprisingly fun to drive even if it’s a bit slow. I plan on keeping it for as long as I can still buy diesel to put in it. It only has 62k miles on it now, I work from home so I’m not putting a ton of miles on it. Honestly it’s my ideal daily driver: practical, efficient, fun to drive and, with my TSW wheels and lowered suspension, looks pretty cool too. At some point I’ll do a mild tune which should make it about as quick as the 2009 GTI I used to have.

    1. I could have written all of this, except for the trouble-free part. I kinda wish I’d gotten the Alltrack that was the only other thing I was considering (I decided I didn’t need to spend the extra money) but when stupid German car s**t isn’t costing me money, it’s a great car.

  17. I am absolutely in love with my 2019 Alltrack SE 6MT. Other than the color, mine has the same specs as the one in the article. My daughter is turning 15 and I can’t wait to teach her to drive it! For us, it replaced a cheating 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI.

  18. Not a VW, but we drive a Volvo V50 T5, AWD, 6Sp MT a compact all wheel drive wagon that is a fantastic car. We completely understand the appeal of a fast compact wagon.

    1. I had the same type V-50 but with an automatic, 2010 R-Design. Got it for $9500 and 4 years later it got totaled out at $9536. I’ve been looking for V60 T8 Plug in, but there aren’t enough used ones out there.

  19. If I remember correctly, 2019 was also the final model year VW offered the six-year, 72,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty,* so it should have a little more warranty period left.

    *Which probably cost them more than Dieselgate, so they only offered it for 2018 and 2019 models, albeit regardless of when they actually sold. That made a leftover Allroad Sportwagon (edit: DSG) kind of tempting when I saw it online in spring 2020 before the rush to the dealers depleted inventory.

  20. I cannot even begin to fathom paying new Corolla/Civic money for a 5 year old turbocharged Volkswagen…let alone one that isn’t a performance trim. I know that Manual Gang is arguably the most crazed subset of car enthusiasts there is but I just do not get paying a premium for the privilege of having a manual in a used economy car. I feel like we’re really playing ourselves as a collective when we deify completely ordinary cars because of a body shape or transmission, but that’s just me.

    If you’re buying a 911 or Blackwing or something then sure, I get it. But in this case? I mean…do you, I guess. The people that like Volkswagens REALLY like Volkswagens and are exceedingly brand loyal. I won’t claim to understand it, as my VW ownership experience was absolutely wretched…but if you want to pay $25-$35,000 for a last generation Golf that isn’t a GTI or R then knock yourself out.

    1. I don’t think it’s necessarily a VW thing. A compact wagon with AWD, reasonable clearance, and a stick? I would die for this car if they made it today.

      I have a Golf and the extra space in the wagon would be SO appreciated in my family. As it is, I’ll have to get something bigger in a year or 2 when my kids no longer fit in the (very small) backseat.

      2. If I don’t already have a Subaru with all these characteristics I would’ve gone for the Sportwagen with a stick. Nobody makes them anymore.

    2. Not just VW as Pupmeow said – I was browsing some used manual listings for kicks yesterday just before this article posted and it’s crazy some of the prices some manuals go for. I’ll caveat that I was mostly looking at the national used car chain sites so they’re somewhat inflated values anyway, but anything from sporty like Si Civics, to mundane manual Crosstreks, to manual Accords in between (some of the last 2017 V6/6MT coupes go for $20k+), might be fetching about the original MSRP or more even depending on miles. This Alltrack was at least several thousand below what the original MSRP was, which was over $30k IIRC, which seems not bad now but at the time was compact crossover money.

  21. I went shopping for a 4motion Golf Wagon 6MT pre-pandemic.
    When they were “available”.

    I couldn’t even order one.
    Seems VW didn’t allot sufficient volume for North America.

    And then pulled the plug on the vehicle citing lack of sales.

  22. I love my 2013 TDI Sportwagen, which I bought in 2020 a week before Covid, but I do kinda regret not spending the extra $5k for an Alltrack. But that’s a ship that’s sailed!

  23. I have a 2018 Golf Sportwagen 4motion 6MT that I bought new that year. It is an amazing car and I knew it would be and I’m so happy that I was right. These cars and Alltracks are extremely good automobiles. I just got my infotainment unit upgraded to the big badass 9.2″ one that was super rare as well. I’m still waiting for the water pump to go but after 50k miles it hasn’t yet!

  24. Honestly doesn’t seem that bad at all for such a rare bird. Definitely need the right buyer. This is more like Tacoma depreciation than VW depreciation, but I believe it’s warranted.

    1. It really isn’t that far off from normal car depreciation. This was between 30-35k new, so Accord money, and a quick search showed me a few 2019 Accords with similar mileage going for around $22k. It really doesn’t seem that far out of line. Hell, even a well optioned 2019 Maxima can fetch almost as much as this.

      These jabroni’s want almost 28k for a 19 Maxima with 16k miles (which, wow…), that seems far more absurd to me than $25k for a combination of vehicular traits that just doesn’t exist anymore. https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/1N4AA6AV2KC371098

      1. I don’t think you’ve got the original MSRP right. I paid under $29k for mine, all-in, in this exact spec. And the dealer didn’t budge on price (they knew how rare this spec was, and that I wasn’t going anywhere else), so that’s not negotiation skills.

  25. That’s a really good price for that car. Rare (and gorgeous!) color here in the US, the panoramic roof, 6MT, the nicer stereo/infotainment, and the nice wheels. Hope the new owner enjoys it. I enjoyed my 19 Alltrack quite a bit until a deer totalled it out.

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