buying advice

[funkamedic]

Hi guys

I was hoping you might be able to help me with some advice re purchasing a Passat.

I am helping my Dad look for a used car to replace his aging Magna. He has been looking at a range of options generally in the mid-large sized segment, such as 380's, Camry's, Accord Euro's, Maxima's etc. He would of course be keen for a VW or Audi however we have figured that they would be beyond what he can afford (budget being somewhere around the $15,000 mark).

However there are a couple of examples of Passat on the market at the moment that fall with in that price range, with kms around the 90,000 mark. For example one is a 2001 GP 1.8T and a 2002 GP V6. There is also a third which is a 2002 GP S V6 with 78,000 kms (these are all dealer used cars BTW).

What i was wanting to know is firstly what is the service schedule like for the Passat. Is there a major service due at 100,000km? If so, how much roughly would we be looking at to have this service performed.

And secondly, how do you rate the B5 facelift Passat? Obviously there gonna be some bias involved (being a vw forum!), but any comments or tips are much appreciated.

Also, what would be your preference 1.8T or V6. Dad being Dad won't be looking to tune or anything. He's in his 70's so it gotta be comfy and slow

It's prob gonna be his last car and i wanna make sure its gonna be good!

Cheers dudes!

[sci_fianime]

The B5.5 Passats are very well built - my 2002 still feels better than a 2007 -2008 Accord or Aurion in terms of solidity, comfort, fit and finish.

Engine wise, I believe that the service intervals are 15k but I usually do mine at half of that. At 90k, the timing belt should be changed, not sure about the service costs at it varies widely. Other that that there may be some other maintenance to consumable parts such as vacuum hoses and check valves. Some front suspension components may need renewal too.

Have not experienced the V6 but the 1.8T in standard form should be more than adequate for your father. Go for it!

PS - the Passat models advertised do not seem to be GP models - I always thought that the GP models were better specced with leather etc. but I could be mistaken...

[funkamedic]

The B5.5 Passats are very well built - my 2002 still feels better than a 2007 -2008 Accord or Aurion in terms of solidity, comfort, fit and finish.

Engine wise, I believe that the service intervals are 15k but I usually do mine at half of that. At 90k, the timing belt should be changed, not sure about the service costs at it varies widely. Other that that there may be some other maintenance to consumable parts such as vacuum hoses and check valves. Some front suspension components may need renewal too.

Have not experienced the V6 but the 1.8T in standard form should be more than adequate for your father. Go for it!

PS - the Passat models advertised do not seem to be GP models - I always thought that the GP models were better specced with leather etc. but I could be mistaken...

Thanks sci_fianime! Much appreciated. Any other comments welcome too. Thanks.