New owner of BHW Wagon, few questions

I'm a long time VW fan, having owned many of them over the course of my driving career. Air cooled, water cooled, you name it.

So many and for so long, in fact, that I am somewhat surprised that I just recently purchased my first diesel model.

I found a good deal on a used, but from everything I can gather, extremely well maintained, 2005 Passat Wagon.

Is there any way I can determine if the previous owner had the balance shaft upgrade completed, or any other issues the car had previously? I have access to some maintenance records, and the notes on carfax are relatively detailed, if not specific as to the services provided.

Beyond that, my plan is to make this my "mission" car, as in, its my mission to put as many miles as possible on this car.

I don't plan to do any major upgrades to the car, I'll probably keep it close to stock. If I do anything to it, it would be with an eye towards MPG improvement.

Where are you at in Virginia? What color is the wagon? I might have some information on it.

The only way to know for sure is to drop the pan and inspect it.

If it were mine, I would check the DMV record and track down the previous owner and ask.
failing that, I would check all the vw dealers in the area and see if they have any records on the car.

Another thing to check would be the sealant around the oil pan to see if there are traces of sealant that look different than the minimal factory grey sealant.