Considering future BHW wagon replacement

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
I am trying to prepare for the day when my Passat wagon needs to be retired, which could happen tomorrow or several years down the road. Near term I would consider a 15 GSW S to avoid the pano. Next option to consider is the 19 GSW S either auto or 6m, to avoid the 1.8t. Cloth seats in base seem nice. Nothing much else looks tempting.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I just bought another B5. :p

Maybe before long we can get the 1.4L turbo gas engine in the Sportwagon. That would be tolerable.

I actually don't hate the Equinox/Terrain (and I am no GM fan) but they may prove to be a rolling dumpster fire down the road. Who knows. The GM branded Opel derived stuff they've sold here has never really been all that great long term.

Fortunately for me, my fleet of ALH Golfs should keep me on the road for the foreseeable future. The Passats are just extras. The B5s do age better, though. All mine have over 200k miles, solid as a rock on the road.
 
Last edited:

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
The price point on the GSW 1.4 seems like a good value and has a proper timing belt. If my tranny fails I`m not sure about investing the cost of a reman and I'm picky about clutch feel and release point of manual. A 2-3yo GSW S might be a better choice?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Have you ever driven a B5 with a manual? Any of them, natural born manuals with a gasoline engine or a converted diesel? They drive wonderfully. And the gearshift's proximity to the gearbox means the shifter feels more like a car and less like a video game, since the transverse TDIs all have 6 feet of cables between your right hand and the shifter forks.
 

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
I drove 1 that was converted. It felt undriveable- hocky puck clutch with high release point and very abrupt engagement.
And I'm questioning the wisdom of putting 3-5k into a 15yo car.
However, I still enjoy driving it. Have no interest in the video arcade experience.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I would imagine some clutch/flywheel choices are not as good as others. The few that I have driven were fine.

I question the wisdom of people going eyeballs deep in debt to drive a car that is worse than what was built 15 years ago. :p But I understand what you mean.
 

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
When I see 2015 GSW dropping down in the 10-15k range, I wonder if that might be a better choice. Or if I can roll 2-3 more years, then maybe a 1.4 GSW would make sense.
 
Top