diesel,
I think I posted in reply to page 1 of the thread, (you're right Mozambiquer) sorry, didn't realise the whole saga. 15yr old car, while not technically "vintage", is old by many's standards. I had a Mk6 common rail Golf, tune turbo DPF delete, etc etc. It was a blessing in disguise when it got totalled; rearended while stopped in a construction zone. Of course the payout didn't cover what I had in it, but it convinced me that an older, simpler car was in order.
I've got more money in my current ride than it cost me originally for the "10 Golf, starting with an auto>manual swap. I've also got over 65k and nearly 5 years of trouble free use. Coming up on my 2nd TB and at 188k on the clock, the platform will keep going for another 200k if I look after it, and manage to avoid getting hit, or hitting something else.
My understanding is the Passats are essentially an Audi, with all the complications of the breed for repair, service, and parts. Better suspension? yes,,,,,,,,, nicer interior and accoutrements, yes,,,,,,,,. But if you want reliable transport that gets you from A>B, I'd suggest you keep looking for a decent ALH. Lol, Texas commute at 80mph?, oh man does my car love 80, I'm jealous of you having the good roads and high speed limits.
Apologies for sounding a bit cavalier about your problems, keep at it and you'll have a nice vehicle, but it won't be cheap, BTW I paid $4k for my current Golf, 5yrs ago, so your $3500 for a low mileage Passat is about right.