Watchers Eye

Went out test driving and pricing. First stop was Criswell Acura in Annapolis. Drove the car around, nice ride. Interior was a bit tigher than I had expected. Only had two on hand, one was the test drive car, the other was a white color. No navis in either.

So, we went to Tischer Acura in Laurel, similar situation. Very little money coming off the price. And basically, all but one of the cars they were getting in the next month had already been sold. A VW/Honda dealership was nearby, so I test drove the Passat and Accord. The Passat won out. Got a quote, ran down to VW dealership closest to where I live and got 150 dollars over their invoice. Put the deposit down for an 04 Passat.


So, it looks as though my first car (that I've bought) won't be an Acura. Maybe in a few years I'll be making enough to afford the TL.

What I learned, the TSX is white hot popular and seem to have a good future ahead for them...and a dealership with said white hot car will not budge on price.

MrChad

Ever wonder why?
You should surf the VW forums, you may find some reliability issues with the Passats. 4 or 5 co-workers all have newer versions of the Passat and they all have issues to some degree.
Most are minor but 2 dumped their Passats for Accord V6's b/c of nit picking on warranty claims.

I'm not trying to scare you or anything like that, go in fully knowing what you are getting. Get the heads up from the VW folks though (owners). I was looking into a Sentra SE-R sedan until I went to V-spec forums.

jonredraider

And one of those TSX's at Tischer that is on hold is mine ALL MINE!!!! HA HA HA HA! J/K.

Good luck with the VW!

TSXautoXer

Hate to say it but what Mr Chad said is right. Passat, from a couple of my friend's experience are quite a hassle. The 1.8T engine is problematic. Hope the 04 had the problems solved. Other than that, Passat's tight structure and supple suspension is really enjoyable. What engine did you choose?

MikeL

Congratulations on the new car!

I had a B5 Passat, the first year they came to North America. I really liked that car for its stability, low key elegance, and beautifully crafted interior (with real wood trim!). I did not like that car so much for its reliability problems, but I got out before the warranty ended so all was good.

Since the car has been out for so long, VW has had ample time to work on some of the bigger issues. Though the occassionaly electrical gremlin may still befall you (knock wood), it should be a generally pleasant and enjoyable ownership experience. I wish you many happy miles.

Actually, one reason I came to the TSX was because it was a bit like a Passat to me. Understated, not too big, not too small. Well equipped, but not flashy. I even got the same colour scheme as I did on the Passat (black/beige). My one wish is that the TSX can be a trouble free more efficient version of that car that I remember with such fondness. Though in terms of driving pleasure I personally prefer the autobahn stability of the Passat to the more light feeling TSX, the difference is not big enough for me to go back to that unpredictability in terms of windows falling into the doors and the like.

Moral of the story is: Once your VW's warranty runs out, the TSX will still be here. In the mean time, have a blast!

rb1

I'm not aware of any 1.8T problems except for cold start misfires (an ECU problem with no real effect on driveability), and some problems with the coil packs (which really aren't specific to the 1.8T itself anyway). VW has addressed both of these. What other problems have you heard about?

The engine itself is sound and has been on Ward's 10 Best Engines list more than once.

jcg878

Congratulations on the Passat! We have an 03 Passat V6 and we really like it. Two of our friends have 1.8T Passats - one has had the engine coil issue, the other hasn't. Now that the recall has been issued, hopefully the reliability of the 1.8T Passats will improve. 18k miles since we got it, we haven't had any issues other than a flat tire (knock on wood).

I have the opposite perspective as MikeL on the ride of the TSX vs the Passat. Hopping into the TSX after driving the VW, I feel like I'm driving a sports car - it's much more responsive with a firmer suspension. But on the highway I prefer the Passat's less firm ride. I'd say the Passat's interior is a tad more luxurious too.

Anyway, I think you'll really enjoy your Passat. It has a beautiful interior, great suspension, and good looks to boot.

Watchers Eye

It seems the 1.8T is the only one available for the GLS starting with the 04. And I've been driving a Ford Ranger for the past 4 years, so anything's going to be an improvement.

The coil problem was supposedly fixed earlier this year, so my fingers are crossed. And thanks for the well-wishes.

TSXautoXer

The engine is great when there isn't a problem. The rest of the problem is that one has to be really careful about what brand of fuel should be used. (And I thought all petroleum came from the same place anyways) The problem(s) my sister had with her 1.8T beetle has a lot to do with the fuel. Engine will not start a couple of times and had to be towed to the dealer. My buddy's 99' passat had to have the whole fuel supply line cleaned because he went to a suburban chevron station to pump gas. And at 40K miles, had to have the whole engine computer replaced. The other friends 03' passat had engine computer problem since 5K miles and the engine will stutter and eventually died, under load...
Hmm...still, I like the 1.8T engine, torquey and smooth. Rev happy too. Just hope they had fix the reliability problem, and I actually wouldn't mind having one.

ostrich

The Passat is going to have a major model change next year. The photos are all over car magazines already. The dealers are probably giving discounts to try to get rid of the existing inventory.

cyjack

is that it's available in wagon (or variant, as the VW folks like to say) form.

Man, it would be great if Honda/Acura brought the Euro Accord Estate over here as well. I would be all over it!

I owned a B5.5 Passat Variant w/ V6 and 4-motion and was very happy with it. I agree with the person who said the TSX feels sportier. Even with the bigger engine driving all four wheels, the Passat was not a "dynamic" drive. It felt heavy, but was very solid.

Still, after having owned an Audi after the Passat and being in the shop every two months, it's going to be a long while before I own another VW group product (unless I win the lottery, at which point I'll buy a new Bentley and Lambo Gallardo ;-).

gomez_regina

It's a simple case of supply & demand...I tried to get my dealer to move a little on the price when I bought mine and he put it to me like this:

"If I've got people lining up to buy the TSX at $XX,XXX why should I lower my price for you when I can sell it to them for the price I'm asking?"

It sucks, but it's the truth...lol...but enjoy your VW.

jcg878

2005 Passat





only getting sharper looking IMO - someone in Germany is getting it right!

phile

Not too different from the current Passat IMO. A few things I do not like: too much chrome in the front, the scalloped headlights are OK, but the design doesn't work in the rear (nor does it work on another particular German roadster).