2006 Rabbit MKV with deleted cat - buy or run away?

[mulzetnoah]

Hello,

I am looking at buying a 2006 VW Rabit with a 2.5 engine. The price is right, as long as I don't need to install a new cat.

The biggest reservation I have is that the car had the cat removed about a year ago and the previous owner has continued to drive it without a cat since then. The check engine light is on because of the cat delete. Will this cat delete have an effect on the performance, reliability, or fuel consumption of the car? I know that electronics can be finicky and I would hate to be walking into a problem or possibly need to install a new cat on the car.

Please let me know what you think!

Thanks,
Noah

 

[sleeper_s2k]

new here - not a gti owner but had a cat delete on my s2k. you won't pass inspection if your CEL is on. the cat delete does give you a little hp - maybe 5. it's not dangerous to the car in any way. what you'll need is probably a spacer for the o2 sensors so you can pass inspection.