[stevebo]

I am looking around for a new car and am thinking of the passat. I looked through the last month or two of posts in this forum but still have a couple questions. Thanks in advance for any help.
1. there seems to be some quality issues with the B5.5. Has the general quality gotten better after some start up issues? ie should I buy brand new or look for an oldish B5.5? Other than this forum I don't read about major quality issues.
2. I am thinking of buying or leasing. I like to keep my cars 3-5 years. 15K miles/year. I could use my savings and pay cash. I am worried about resale but want the lowest cost over time. What is a good lease deal? Do they come up periodically?
3. Does the AC work well? I am in socal and need artic on occasion.
thanks again

 

[Al Fresco]

Re: newbie wants advice on B5 (stevebo)

We live in SD! We bought our now 2nd Passat from Herman Cook and we love our car. It's mine and my husband drives Rabbits (GTi) . One he autocrosses.We have never had any issues with the Passat OTHER than the fuel gauge jumping up and down on our 98. I thought when we turned in our 98 for our new one, that I was really going to miss it but I love the new one even more. It is just soo nice.I am not aware of any issues dealing with quality and I have not had any of them myself, so I can't be of any help there. We tried selling our 98 instead of trading it in and the used car market stinks right now so you could probably get a great price on a used car as they are not moving at all.We always lease our car because I like to trade it in after a few years and I dunno we just have always leased. They usually don't have lease deals, not like American or Japanese cars do. Volkswagen have a good resale value. You should check out the Auto Trader and go to the dealer and see what you are really leaning towards and go from there. I did not want to give plugs but since you are from SD I said the name of our dealer and we have a great relationship with everyone there and we have been dealing with them for years. Everyone there knows us and they are cool. My husband personally knows the mechanics and they are the best. They have helped him out with his GTi and they sincerely trat us great. The AC in our car (old one too) is really cold. Good thing we don't live in the desert. Good Luck to you and if we can help you any further, holler.

 

[mr.bouton]

Re: newbie wants advice on B5 (stevebo)

Check the forums at http://www.clubb5.com
Absolutely no problems whatsoever with my B5.5, though it's only about 8 months/8K miles.

 

[DaffyPassat]

Re: newbie wants advice on B5 (stevebo)

I say get the Passat. When I bought mine, the other contenders were the Maxima SE, BMW 325is, and Volvo 850 GT. The Passat one because of ride, price, comfort, performance, insurance costs and that purple/blue dashboard (purple is my favorite color). But that's just my opinion.
In reply to your questions:
1. My car was recalled twice for bushings and a rubber brake-line hose. I never had any problems with them, so I don't know if I would have been affected. Of my unschedule stops, the underside of the dashboard developed a crack and the sunroof would stutter when closing. Both of these were fixed under warrenty. Last summer, the felt trim around the front passenger door came loose and I had it replaced. About a month ago, I had to replace the front stabalizer links, as the bushings started to were. I should add that I am a rather hard driver, loving to bring the car to it's limit during turns. Also, living in NYC can pound the hell out of your suspension, so my problem could be a one-off situation.
2. I like to own something, so I always buy. My final payment will be in a few months and I plan on keeping the car until 2007. This is also because I have the 10 yr/100,000 powertrain warranty. If it was, say, only 5 years, I might be more inclined to lease, but I doubt it.
3. The AC rocks. Although I'm in the northeast, we can get some pretty hot and humid days. I usually let the car warm up and, if possible, let the AC work for about 5 minutes to get the car cooling down. On the highway, I usually have to turn it down. If it's a bright day, make sure you have the rear sunshade up. It makes a huge difference.
Good luck with whatever you decide. If I had to get another car, it would definitely be a Passat, although I would hold out for the W8, especially if it was stick

.

 

[mauslick]

Re: newbie wants advice on B5 (DaffyPassat)

I have low miles also.......just over 8k
had windhsheild replaced (my choice) no problems no issues.
the rear window lock button stopped working, will have fixed at 10,000 mi service.
I just loaded the car with 36 cases weighing in at 26 lbs apeice / me ,195/ handtruck/ the 1.8t performed well
car is a pleasure to drive....... I got the car in august and it was 90+ everyday and I will say the a/c didn't seem strong but it wasn't weak either, now it's more around 80+ and it seems cold almost too cold at times.......I'm in Hawaii


[Modified by mauslick, 10:45 AM 2-12-2002]

 

[BBear]

Re: newbie wants advice on B5 (mauslick)

When you ran the AC and said it wasn't enough, how were your controls set? Recirculate? Total vent or defrost? I've found that sometimes if you cool the windshield (i.e. defrost) with recirculate (tricky to do but possible in GLS) then once that cools down, it'll be easier to cool off the rest of the car. This will be getting the heat at the source.

 

[Kevin Doyle]

Re: newbie wants advice on B5 (stevebo)

I think most long-time VW owners will agree that a properly maintained A/C unit in a VW will produce some really COLD temps for you. Now, I will say in my case, my cars have tinted windows (which helps considerably with any car) but in an older Passat, I had to add heat to the AC system on my 48 minute drive home in southern Indiana because the AC got so cold while driving. My wife's Jetta does a decent job (again, tinted). I'm in Florida now, where you need lots of wax, tinted windows and great AC. I wouldn't get a super dark (illegal) tint. But yeah, I'd say you can get to "Arctic." Oh, my new Passat goes in for tint next week.
Kevin