keep or let go? 2013 vw passat s 2.5liter

[jstert]

hello all, would greatly appreciate advice on do i keep or let go a 2013 vw passat s 2.5liter. i got it cpo used in 6/14 with 9k miles, now in 10/16 it has 46k trouble free miles. i should replace soon my conti oem tires (my choice is walmart's general alitmax rt43 or gy viva 3, depending on how long i want to keep the passat; i had viva 2s for 8 trouble free years on a toyota corolla, tho i know that bitog likes the rt43).

my "problem" is that i really like my passat. it is big and unflashy. the 2.5 5 cyl engine is wonderful, despite the rants in the automotive press. im on the northeast coast, get 25mpg in surburbs and 37mpg on highway easy. i have had zero issues, except for two tire punctures, and get regular interval vw dealer servicing. it will be paid off in 7/17. i cant find anything similarly solid, roomy and unflashy, except a subaru legacy, that is non turbo, and subaru dealerships are in a seller's market.

does a 2013 passat have hidden issues lurking after 50k miles, after my cpo warranty expires? will trade in value drop off significantly, or is it now where it will be? am i being dumb for now hanging onto a car that i like and works, but feeling the itch for something new with more bells and whistles? should i just get the walmart tires and drive on for awhile? are there other things on a passat that i can preemptively fix now to have it run well for a long time? thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Sounds like you really have no good reason to ditch it, other than the itch to buy something new/different, so only you can make that choice.

Personally, if I liked a car, I'd hold onto it. But what do I know... I drive a 14-year-old BMW...

 

[supton]

No, if you like something, and can stomach the repairs (all cars need repairs, even the reliable ones), then keep it. After all, you just finished (?) paying off the years it depreciates fastest.

I'd surf vwvortex and see what is out there. Also look to see if there are VW specialty shops in the area. Again, if you can stomach the cost of repairs, I'd keep it. You're at low miles and it should have plenty of life left. You like it, and that can be half the battle in keeping a car.

IIRC the 2.5L didn't have major issues, and is a timing chain.

 

[pandus13]

Welcome to BITOG.

before you get the crowd "RUN, RUN it's a VW, it's going to implode"

user BOOMER has one(2013 or 2014) in TDI flavour and he's happy about.

you seem to be doing something right.

also for tires, check tirerack and reviews for tires in your size and similar class/car.

 

[JHZR2]

We loved our 2.5L rabbit. Had it not been for space, we would still be driving it (replaced with a minivan).

Id say you don't need to make any calls right now. Unless value falls off some cliff with that vehicle, you should keep it until you see signs of a major issue. Even then it may be worth more than it costs to replace it.

I don't think the engine itself has any glaring mechanical issues, and the claims of massive electrical issues are at least a decade old at this point.

 

[jstert]

thanks everyone for the quick feedback! as for the replacement tires, i have looked at tirerack, etc as well as bitog. rt43 seem to hit a sweet spot of price and quality. unlike the doom and gloom stories that some folks have with vw and gy viva tires, i have had no trouble with either. i can get the viva faster and cheaper than rt43, but fast and cheap seems to be a poor choice in so many things...

 

[Dave Hess]

Keep it.

 

[supton]

discounttiredirect is where I've gotten the last few sets of tires, but sometimes I wonder about buying locally. Personally I prefer to rotate my own, but buying locally might have other perks (easier prorating, free flat repairs, etc).

Dunno about your car, but in NH I've found that rear brake pads like to seize on the calipers. So when I do rotations I usually drop the rear down onto jackstands and lube the rear brakes at the same time. My VW had this issue, and i got into the habit on that car.

What transmission is yours? I know the DMF is a sore point, but usually not until high miles. The DMF clutch wound up in both manuals and the automatics (not the slushboxes but the DSG/etc).

Shop around for fluids and parts. I used to buy all my TDi parts out of idparts.com, including oil. I suspect worldimpex might be a better place, better gasser support. If you DIY that is.

 

[Andrew1972]

Those cars have a toilet resale value so replacing is more expensive then you may want.

I'd keep it.

I belive consumer reports has this model/year/engine with above average reliability last time I peeked.

 

[Boomer]

Yes, I do have a 2013 VW TDI Passat as noted by Pandus13 above. My wife and I love the car and have had it for 3-1/2 years.It is a real pleasure to drive, has never been in for any warranty work since we bought it new and has that lovely spacious rear seat that is great for the grandkids or older adults who want to stretch out their legs. I have had the service all done at the dealer (Fiore in Altoona, PA) and they have done an excellent job. The diesel engines fundamentally uses no oil between its 10,000 mile oil changes (at least the dipstick level stays constant) and we can get into the mid 50 mpg range on long trips.

Keep it and make sure that you maintain it well. Don't use cheap Chinese aftermarket parts if you do need somerepair at some point.

 

[benjy]

have had good luck with several VAG cars, my 200,000 mile 2001 jetta 1.8T traded for a 2001 Audi TT roadster, girlfriend had several 06 passat, 09 jetta with the 2.5 all traded "just because" her 2.5 got better mpg than her 13 malibu 2.5 she currently has, noises on startup + got hot the other day with only 40,000 on it, malibu's have a poor track record!! the VW 2.5 is a good simple port injected engine NOT prone to the carbon issues on most direct injected engines. i like VAG products + only older classic GM stuff. VWVortex has a wealth of info on all models.

 

[fdcg27]

This is like a four year old car with all of 46K and you're seriously thinking about dumping it?
Do you know just how badly you'd get hosed doing that?
This VW has been good for you so far and will likely remain so.
I'd put a set of Generals on it (the Vivas are too lousy for any decent car) and drive on.
At your current rate of use, you'll be around 100K when the car is ten years old and by then it will owe you very little.
You bought the asset.
Get your money out of it.
I write this having owned but one VW and our old Vanagon could have been designed and built by an entirely different company.
Wait, I guess it was.
I'm no fan of modern VWs, but I'd doubt that this car will give you real problems should you keep it for ten years or more.

 

[daves87rs]

If it's been good to you, just keep it...

 

[jstert]

thanks all! i specifically picked a 2.5, s trim for its simple, reliable pieces. it has worked well so far, and is a fine highway cruiser, where i put on most of my miles. it does sit for 4-6 weeks 3 times/year when im away. i simply cannot believe the poor reviews of the 2.5 by the automotive newsmedia. i also test drove a cpo 2014 with the 1.8, which hesitated at lower speeds, plus was a first year model, and tdi models with the dsg transmission were worse. the 2.5's power comes on strong in a linear fashion with a nice little growl. new general tires and a detailing should make it all good.

 

[NibbanaBanana]

I have run a few sets of Goodyear Vivas from Walmart. I got 70K miles out of all of them. Which I consider to be good tires. I have also had Uniroyal Tiger Paws that performed similarly. And the same with two sets of Hankooks that I don't remember the model. I just bought a set of RT43's for my wife's Rio. We'll see how they last.

 

[oilmutt]

If it was my car i would love it to death!

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

If i were you I would give it away immediately! There's been complaints of red steam coming from the muffler bearings at night. I would be willing to take it off your hands.

 

[4wd]

Just drove a rental - liked it, even hit a heavy rain and it felt secure...had some airbag warning light ? - but told them when I dropped it ...
That car and those tires work for you? - go a couple years and do some research on trade vs selling outright ... Trades can get to you if you fall in love with a new model ... Trade value tanks harder at 100k ... So you have time to keep driving a good car like that one ...

 

[KrisZ]

So, you want to replace a very low mileage, 3 year old vehicle that gives you no trouble and will be paid off soon, just because you have an itch to scratch, eh?
IMO, but if I had that bad of an itch, I would test drive several makes on the segment. You will be surprised that as many "improvements" as these cars claim to have, driving dynamics is usually not one of them. Your Passat probably has one of, or perhaps the best driving dynamics in the economy mid size segment. And this is the "Americanized" model which lost some of that premium feeling the prior generations had, that's how far ahead of the competition Passat models were. Of course you will not hear it in most car reviews or forums that are heavily biased towards Japanese makes.

Despite VW making these cars cheaper to produce, these Passats are still very nice. I would wager some money that everything the competition has will feel like a downgrade by comparison, except for electronic gadgets or if your vehicle is suffering from some mechanical or suspension issues. These usually make the car feel old.

Do some test drives and I bet your itch will go away. Unless you decide to test drive some premium models...

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Do some test drives and I bet your itch will go away.

Great point. Every now and then, I go out and test drive some new cars only to realize that aside from some cool new tech gadgets, I'm not really gaining a whole lot over what I already have, other than a big hole in my wallet.

I did like how the new 340i handled and sounded though. I think I could even live with its automatic trans. But the current 3-series looks a bit bland to me, so I'm not planning on getting one, unless my current car bites the dust in some unfortunate way.