Mid Week Match-Up: Talk Jeff Out Of A W8 Passat
This week’s Mid Week Match-Up is to help Jeff who is considering a trip to Mechanicsville…no…that isn’t right…Mechanicsburg, where you can find this 2004 Volkswagen Passat W8 with a 6-speed manual– BUT, we have a short window to talk him out of it. What should Jeff get instead?
From Jeff: I know nothing about German cars. The only one I even remotely considered purchasing was an E39 M5, but didn’t. However, this one seems almost as cool in a sleeper sort of way. It’s been on my local craigs list for several months and I assume it hasn’t sold because the owner is sticking to his price. Can you please share your professional opinion? I’m starting to look for cool wagons, but I have to sell my Z first.
Thanks,
Jeff
What should Jeff buy with his money? Comments below.
I work for a large chain auto parts store and with some experience, you learn from customers and their purchases what not to buy. For long term reliability and limited depriciation, I'd stay away from 4 brands – Mitsubishi, anything Chrysler, Audi, and Volkswagens. Other may say differently based on my broad generalizations and that's fine. But knowing what I've learned, I'd stay the hell away from all of them.
Four brands… or two related groups. You decide.
You had me at "I know nothing about German cars.." 10k$ seems high for that amount of miles/ age.
Do you have alot of disposable income to pay someone to fix it? Do you enjoy removing the whole front of the car to perform routine maintenance?
Don't get me wrong, that is a sexy wagon and I do dumb shit like this all the time but I would think twice about this one.
First generation Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix with the 8500 rpm redline and a 6 speed can be found super cheap. I am also partial to the Volvo V50. You would fund your mechanics children college fund with that VW.
deja vu all over again – i would have made exactly the same analysis as you – then i would have emailed my team of experts (Vince, CFlo, Hunsbloger, Gianni), who would have slapped me upside the head – whereupon, in a daze, i would google up buckets of icewater to then dunk my head, such as this thread on VW Vortex
last one was a Mazdaspeed 6 Quattro – ow
… then brrr
Looking up the cost of the thermostat and the procedure to replace it should scare anyone away from a W8. And those (unlike some of the engine parts) are actually available.
At the end of the day you are still driving a 15 year old Passat. If you are looking to buy a unique, sleeper, expensive to maintain Volkswagen that is hard to find parts for, why not just buy a Phaeton for the same price? If you want something sporty, then a E39 is a better (but still expensive) way to go (or CTS-V, G8 GT, S4, S60R, etc, etc, etc……)
VW lost me for ever with our family TDI Vaggen. I dumped it before all of the emissions drama even happened. That car had more issues than Vogue.
How 'bout a Legacy GT?
[image src=" jscspeed.com/images/catalog/category4471_header.jpg" width="400px"/]
The W8 Manual Transmission is a bad drug, just say no. I too, love wagons and am particularly drawn to this W8 powered wagon. I imagine myself hooning it with abandon, however; as KBZ mentioned above, I've been talked in off this ledge before. I know have a choice. Do I tell you to come in off the ledge, or for the joy of the spectacle, do I encourage you to JUMP, just to see you splatter all over the ground.
Come in off the ledge. If reliable hoonage is what you're looking for in your family hauler, you'd be far better off paying a premium for a well kept Volvo or Mercedes Wagon with an American V8. If you're looking do pour gasoline on the fires of any marital discord then what are you W8-ing for?! :o) *Yes, that was a long way to go for a punch line, but I'm old and feeble and the set up is the journey for me.
I4 one am surprised you didn't suggest a modest 3-series wagon as an alternative
If you don't mind working on it constantly. Fortunately most things are a fairly easy fix with help from a youtube video.
Roadmaster?
[image src=" images.craigslist.org/00L0L_bThyCnvaJNY_1200x900.jpg" width="400px"/]
Brain PET scan
Rene from '14:
audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/414598-B6-B7-S4-Timing-Chain-FAQ-Information-Discussion-Thread
That picture is terrifying…
Even as a current Volkswagen station wagon owner ('16 golf sportwagen 1.8t m5) i have to say, as bad ass as this car seems right now it is almost guaranteed to hurt you in ways only an Audi S4 of similar vintage is capable of. I feel like the main motivation for selling this vehicle is that the car is inching closer towards 100k miles at which point it is clearly programmed to self destruct. for my $10 grand i would take a good look at a subaru forester XT like This , This (bonus points for Manual transmission here) , This , or This IMHO this is a more wallet friendly route to owning that long roof sleeper. there are tons of tuning and ride height options for these as they are basically wax drivetrains with forester bodies
Passat W8, yep, bad drug is the best analogy I've heard. Just say no. Might have been fun when brand new until the warranty ran out.
We are kind of running of little in the way of bounds here. If you want/need a wagon, want something unusual and fun, and a little bat sh*t crazy, why not MB E55/63 wagon?
I the more affordable and maintainable realm, Volvo V70 R (just hawk the angle gear oil, or by a FWD T5), Volvo V70 Polestar, Volvo V50 T5 AWD, Subie Legacy GT wagon (never mind the head gaskets), or Caddy CTS-V wagon (cool idea, too much bling for me).
I am an idiot. I love this car..on paper. In person its a whole different story. I bought a 2002 w8 wagon automatic with 118k on it about 3 yrs ago for around 3500. It was in good shape and ran strong. Then every month it needed something. ALternator..off with the front end to replace. $600 plus for that. Headlights…off with the front end for that… still didnt fix it. HID ballasts would have been like $300+ to fix. Driveshaft was on the fritz. Would have been a few hundred for the part along. Axel shaft went. All little things that shouldnt be a big deal are a big deal on this car. I still look at them and am tempted but dont bother unless you are ready to buy the car outright and also have a monthly payment on it. Also it only got about 15mpg
oh yea and if you need to replace catalytic converters there goes about $5000
So Great Sgt.Shultzee Car i Know nothing Capt Hogan nothing you might learn some choice German Cuss words the first thing most people learn in there new language skills.
As all have indicated, this particular car aside, stay the hell away from the 8.though the leather and manual are certainly enticing. The upkeep on the engine will not be. I bought a sibling a 2003 VW Passat, V6 ( I cant remember) just last year. Low mileage two owner car. Tight as a drum. Said sibling being of weak mind and character and much more interested in something that Fifty Cent would drive, proceeded in no time flat to take a car in excellent condition and slowly dismantle it. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed. That said I would look for the smaller engine sibling of this OR……..an E 46 Wagon……5 speed only……. so you dont feel like some dowdy suburbanite wife wondering if the husband is doing the horizontal hula with that new associate in the office.