W8 Passat wagon now in my garage...gulp....

Best Passat ever made. I remember when they got out in Europe in 1997. They were so popular that VW raised prices 1,000 DM and line just got longer bcs. people thought they are raising prices bcs. they cannot make enough of them.
It was serious blow to Audi as it was basically Audi under VW badge, and people just opted for cheaper Passat. But I remember around 2,000 you could not turn around in Europe without seeing one next to you. They are still popular 15 years after production ended.
 
nice find!! MKIV's were said to be overbuilt, my 2001 modded 1.8 T went 200 thou! the LACK of DI is a big plus + the fully galvanized body panels had NO rust after 10 yrs of Pa salt when traded for a lo mile audi TT 225Q roadster i love. VAG cars are great especially older ones + NA is less problems compared to forced induction generally IMO.
 
That Passat and whole VW group was put on the world stage back in 1996/1997; It set that high standard for build quality in auto industry

Great Choice!
 
Nice wagon looks good. The w8 is definitely a good sounding 8.. maybe start with a muffler or resonator delete.
 
Oildudeny said:
Nice wagon looks good. The w8 is definitely a good sounding 8.. maybe start with a muffler or resonator delete.
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It's on the list for Jan - will do a custom cat-back with an x-pipe replacing the resonator and Magnaflows out back. Straight pipe/variations of it are so loud but this should give a nice W8 note! The exhaust is so rusted it's not worth messing with.
 
Magnaflows are nice... I like borla boomers for a tipped muffler or the proxs. The boomer really made my friends vr6 sing.
 
I heard the W8's are absolute nightmares when it comes to reliability and this was back when they were only 4-5 years old. When I was walking the lot before I purchased my '03 Golf TDI a salesperson romped on a W8 Passat sedan exiting the lot and it was pure music.

The B5 and B5.5 are probably the most handsome Passat to ever adorn US shores - had a friend with a 2003 Passat GLS 1.8T and like someone above said it was basically and Audi with a VW badge. Unfortunately it sold back in the day when VW reliability was already not good from the factory, dealer service was spotty to horrific and the most popular longitudinal 1.8T was a sludgematic. I can't even tell you the last time I saw a B5 or B5.5 Passat they are pretty much unicorns now - your W8 is a tye dye colored unicorn jumping through a flaming hula hoop.
 
This thing is so badass. Easily one of the most handsome wagons ever. Stopped by my favorite Euro shop today to show thr nice couple that owns it/wrenches. They were pumped. The husband who is thr main tech said he had worked on them before. They were super excited and thought it was in great shape. Nice to hear some positive vibes about an absolutely badass car instead of the typical dribble about the reliability, blah blah. Who in the hell buys this and thinks it won't have all sorts of problems? I've spend the last 4 days fixing crap with a hot glue gun...hahahaha....that's part of the fun of a non-daily/fun to have/project car! 35% tint all the way around on 1/4, Nitto Neogen tires Thursday, and stopping by an exhaust shop tomorrow to get the ball rolling. SEND IT!
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These are IMO one of the best wagons ever. I remember when this gen Passat came out.... lots of attention to the interior, the daring (for the day) blue/orange instrument lighting, and VW was in a hayday with the wr6, new I4 turbo, and tdi.

were all passats longitudinal? I thought they were cross-wise like everyone else.

im not a VW guy.... we got burned by a few in the 70s and 80s and i just couldn’t go there. But I became a Volvo guy and it’s probably a similar “disease” - you know VWs so this is in your wheelhouse. And I admire this one - I would not turn down an 03 tdi if it showed up in my driveway!

great car!
 
meep said:
These are IMO one of the best wagons ever. I remember when this gen Passat came out.... lots of attention to the interior, the daring (for the day) blue/orange instrument lighting, and VW was in a hayday with the wr6, new I4 turbo, and tdi.

were all passats longitudinal? I thought they were cross-wise like everyone else.

im not a VW guy.... we got burned by a few in the 70s and 80s and i just couldn’t go there. But I became a Volvo guy and it’s probably a similar “disease” - you know VWs so this is in your wheelhouse. And I admire this one - I would not turn down an 03 tdi if it showed up in my driveway!

great car!
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I roll around from time to time with our local Swedes group - Volvos (boxy, but good) and Saabs. Volvo is v. similar, most folks would consider older Volvos maintenance nightmares but to the enthusiast, I call it a challenge! I thought they were all longitudinal front wheel drive? My bro-in-law had a 2000 with the V6 and I seem to recall the motor sitting "normally".
 
Honestly, the key to the unique V.A.G. cars is care. Not every dealer was able to service these cars, and not every tech at those dealers were trained on them.

So the more unique cars (W8 Passat, V8/W12 Phaeton, V10 TDI Touareg, R32, etc) got the moniker of "maintenance nightmare" when in reality the knowledge base just wasn't there.

As an enthusiast in 2020, the knowledge is out there if you have the advanced skill base and willingness to learn the idiosyncrasies of your model.
 
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