2000 to 2005 Passat Wagons

[Grey 57]

Looking to buy a station cheap wagon, ideally VW of course .
Whats the general opinions on the early to mid 2000's Passat Wagons? Whats the better one 2.0 turbo or V6 engine?.
Any problems issues I should be aware of with these VW's. Wil stay away from cars with very high k's (say greater than 120k's). Any help appreciated

[h100vw]

They are 1.8T not 2 litre. Personally not owned a V6 because they'd be too costly to run in the UK. The 1.8T I had was a T Sport model, Alloys etc and Tiptronic box. A great car for long and short distances.

I had mine 24 hours before driving to the French Alps skiing, it never missed a beat. The only noteworthy snag on mine was the one time it wouldn't start, due to the neutral lockout switch getting stuck. A mate diagnosed it over the phone in 30 seconds and I was on my way. Never did it again, just had to move the lever in and out of neutral a few times.

There was well over 120000 miles on it when I bought it but supported by a full dealer service history. It had been a company car so everything had be done to the letter and on time.

I wouldn't hesitate to have another one.

Not sure about the V6, it'll always use petrol like a 2.8, where the 1.8 will go like a 2.8 but use less juice most of the time.

It seems that the front ends survive in tact in Australia, no salt on the roads to rot them away. Front suspension arms used to be a common issue in the UK.

Gavin

[Bora Sport]

Good info there thanks Gav. I too have been considering selling the Bora 4Mo and getting a Passat wagon so that I can just chuck surf boards, mountain bike etc. in the back and I was definitely looking towards the 1.8T rather than the V6. So you have helped me as well.

[Grey 57]

Thanks for the info guys. Ended up going with a 05 Subi Liberty. Was hard to find a Passat in my price range that didnt have a heap of K's on the clock. Tow bars was an issue too. Seems that they are an expensive option.
So we still only have the one water cooler VW in the family. The pampered Eos

[phaeton]

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f27/vwwa-used-car-guides-passat-b5-type-3b-1998-2005-a-6779.html

This link may help.