The Passat! (R.I.P.)

[thewizard16]

As mentioned in the "What Should Wizard Drive?" thread, I was tired of the ES and planning on selling it and getting something a little different. Sold the ES last Wednesday, went down to Dallas on Friday morning, and spent the rest of Friday and Saturday looking at cars. I looked at over a dozen cars and test drove all but two. Drove several 2000-2002 Lexus GSes (300s and one 400), a Mazda 6, and several Passats. Looked at an Acura TL but didn't drive it due to severe hail damage.

Here's what won:


It's a 2008 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Komfort! It's Graphite Blue on Black, just over 83,000 miles. When I headed down to car shop I was pretty confident I would end up with a GS but at the end of the day, this was the car I liked best. It drives very well, feels solid/well-built, and has pretty much all the toys I wanted as well.

More pictures (apologies, they're cell phone pictures so not the best, and the car hadn't really been cleaned yet):






















So that's the new (to me) ride. I'm happy with it, and it's definitely a bit of a departure from my previous rides. Thanks to all that provided suggestions and advice leading up to the search.

[TBR]

Congrats. That's cool.

[MexicoCityM3]

Congrats man. Definitely a good upgrade. I like that gen Passat very much. Thought you'd hold on to the Lexus lomger.

[CJ]

Get a 4-wheel alignment. Looks like the inside of the left rear tire is wearing quickly.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

NICE!!

[cawimmer430]

Very nice-looking car and nice rims! Congrats! 

And for a bunch of cellphone pictures those are very high quality. 

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Congratulations.

Did you get a warranty or are you going to roll the dice?

[Raza]

Great car!  My friend has one and he really likes it.  Same year, and it's given him no problems. 

[12,000 RPM]

I wanted one of these so bad for the wife in wagon form, but the carbon buildup problem shied me away. When the budget warrants it definitely spend the thousand or so dollars it costs to get this done... you will get appreciably better gas mileage and performance.

I absolutely love these cars... just sucks about the carbon buildup in the 2.0Ts... I may just be an automotive hypochondriac though. In any case congrats on the purchase, this is one of the last good VWs sold in the US

[hotrodalex]

That looks sharp! Congrats!

Oh, and

Passat?

[Laconian]

Very sharp car. Must remain waxed and washed at all times.

[CALL_911]

Hell yeah. Beautiful car. Congratulations, and welcome to club 2.0T.

[Colin]

Very nice.

As it is an automatic, the cursed electronic handbrake will not be an issue (it is a confounded nuisance in the manual cars!).

[Catman]

Congrats

[3.0L V6]

Very sharp! To many miles of happiness and bliss 

[thewizard16]

Thanks guys!

Congrats man. Definitely a good upgrade. I like that gen Passat very much. Thought you'd hold on to the Lexus lomger.

Thanks! Me too, but I already like it more than the Lexus actually. The ES was a very nice car but this car just fits me better.

Get a 4-wheel alignment. Looks like the inside of the left rear tire is wearing quickly.

That's a ridiculously good eye to catch that on a crappy cell phone pic. But yes, dropped it off at the shop tonight to have a general inspection done and told them to look at the alignment/rear right tire and find the source of the bit of uneven wear. Those tires are almost brand new so definitely want to get that taken care of immediately.

Very nice-looking car and nice rims! Congrats! 

And for a bunch of cellphone pictures those are very high quality. 

What are you going to do now that you can't harrass me about driving a Camry/ES300? Wizard's driving a German car... what's this world coming to?

Congratulations.

Did you get a warranty or are you going to roll the dice?

I'm a gambling man. But I'm feeling pretty good about this one, it had full service records (sucker actually took it to the dealership the whole time) and everything looks great.

Great car!  My friend has one and he really likes it.  Same year, and it's given him no problems. 

That's what I want to hear!

I wanted one of these so bad for the wife in wagon form, but the carbon buildup problem shied me away. When the budget warrants it definitely spend the thousand or so dollars it costs to get this done... you will get appreciably better gas mileage and performance.

I absolutely love these cars... just sucks about the carbon buildup in the 2.0Ts... I may just be an automotive hypochondriac though. In any case congrats on the purchase, this is one of the last good VWs sold in the US

I'm hoping I can avoid any serious problems with that. It's getting EPA+ on mileage right now with strong power. A lot of people on PassatWorld were talking about seafoaming on a schedule to reduce the risk of extensive build up, so I may look into that.

That looks sharp! Congrats!

Oh, and
Quote from: hotrodalex on July 24, 2013, 02:51:56 am
Passat?

Yes, thank you for the suggestion, it definitely got me to looking into them a bit more, so you might deserve some credit for influencing my choice...

Hell yeah. Beautiful car. Congratulations, and welcome to club 2.0T.

[2o6]

Wonderful choice!

[TurboDan]

Great choice, and great color as well! The car looks beautiful inside and out!

I enjoyed driving my 1.8T Passat, but love the feel of the 2.0T in every car I've driven with it even more. Good luck with it!

[cawimmer430]

What are you going to do now that you can't harrass me about driving a Camry/ES300? Wizard's driving a German car... what's this world coming to?

You're starting to develop an appreciation for styling. That's a start. Your next car (to replace the Passat) should be a 1974 Dodge Monaco! Or at least a '72 Chrysler New Yorker!   

[AutobahnSHO]

Looks great!   
(for a slushie sedan)    

Seriously though, looks like a comfortable, capable ride. Love the wheels..!

[Raza]

Great choice, and great color as well! The car looks beautiful inside and out!

I enjoyed driving my 1.8T Passat, but love the feel of the 2.0T in every car I've driven with it even more. Good luck with it!

The only downside to the B6 is that it's a bit softer than the B5.  The B5 was a sport sedan in a family sedan disguise; it didn't have the credentials, but it was fun to drive.  The B6 is more of a step to the one we have now.  Still competent, but more comfortable, with more power, but less of a tossable feel.  Overall a better car for the majority of car buyers. 

[SJ_GTI]

Very nice, congrats!

[FlatBlackCaddy]

The only downside to the B6 is that it's a bit softer than the B5.  The B5 was a sport sedan in a family sedan disguise; it didn't have the credentials, but it was fun to drive.  The B6 is more of a step to the one we have now.  Still competent, but more comfortable, with more power, but less of a tossable feel.  Overall a better car for the majority of car buyers. 

[CALL_911]

You're starting to develop an appreciation for styling. That's a start. Your next car (to replace the Passat) should be a 1974 Dodge Monaco! Or at least a '72 Chrysler New Yorker!   

Starting? The ES was quite a handsome car, IMO.

[Lebowski]

Very nice choice

[Northlands]

Congrats! Looks great!

[12,000 RPM]

Lol @ the B5 being a sport sedan. The B5 A... never mind, not the place.

[Raza]

Lol @ the B5 being a sport sedan. The B5 A... never mind, not the place.

Laugh all you want.  But it was a tight handling sedan that was fun to drive. 

[cawimmer430]

Starting? The ES was quite a handsome car, IMO.

Yeah, that ES looked ok. It went downhill afterwards IMO.

[veeman]

i agree.  that was the best looking ES.  all of the future ES models have looked bloated in comparison.

that passat is a sweet color.