VW Passat Wagons (GL, GLS, GLX & W8)

evilizard

Hey a Killer stereo system, some swanky hubs and performance tires could easily chalk up to 2K+ without have seriously changed the car in such a way to adversely affect reliability.

revka

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marylizus

Anyone have any experience with the Passat wagon on snow and ice?? Thanks.

tms4

We are looking to buy a Passat at the end of December thinking that this would be the best time to negotiate. It would work well if a dealer has a car we want on a lot. Suppose he needs to order or find it. Does this mean that even if we leave a deposit the dealer can only count this car as sold only after we pay in full for it? Is it true that if it actually arrives in January the dealer is not going to be willing to negotiate as much? Any other car buying suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

carmane

I'm buying a GLX wagon in the next 4-6 weeks and am looking for recommendations of dealers in southwest CT or Westchester. Also interested to hear who to stay away from.

john1313

After weeks of research as to which one to buy, I finally picked up my 2002 GLX Variant (Blue Silver). I was leaning more towards a fully loaded GLS w/Tip but the turbo lag was I think a little too much for the auto to manage, manage as in shift smoothly and reduce the lag. Anyway, I'm very happy with my decision. The Passat Wagon feels *solid*. Though the car is geared more towards "family sedan/wagon" I would have to say that it drove like a "perfomance" sedan/wagon. The turns are tight and the accelaration is silky smooth.

If anyone out there is thinking about the Passat Wagon, go for it. You will not regret it. The dash instruments look great too at night.

revka

Hope your new 2002 GLX Passat serves you well for many years to come. We look forward to hearing more.... Happy Motoring!

Revka
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johnmoore70

Just bought a 2002 GLS 1.8 Automatic Wagon last week. 250 miles down and I LOVE it. It feels so tight and everything is laid out beautiful in the interior. We went from a 1995 4Runner to the wagon. The turbo lag is the only thing that I wish I could change. I am doing better with it now than in the beginning, however. Or maybe the adaptive transmission is doing better with it???? On the highway, it rides wonderfully. My wife is the primary driver and this is the first time I have ever seen her fall in love with a car. We went to the Subaru dealer expecting to buy an Outback but, unfortunately for Subaru, we had driven the Passat first. The Subaru felt like a sloth in comparison. The Passat's interior and finish were far superior, as well. I will post follow up's as we rack up miles. This site really helped us out so I want to give back as much as possible. 2002 GLS Wagon w/ Luxury, HomeLink, Monsoon. $24,522 + $249 Doc fee.

raybear

Try your local dealer first, then use the internet to shop if you don't get a decent deal from him. Use Edmunds TMV as a guide.

revka

johnmoore70- Congratulations on your new purchase! We look forward to hearing more about your GLS ownership experience. Thanks for your participation at Town Hall. ;-)

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dwatt56

After many moons of test driving everything from a Tahoe to a PASSAT GLX Wagon w/4Motion to an Acura TL-Type S, I finally stopped my schizophrenic car search and bought a tripped out Passat Wagon (GLX 4Motion). The TMV feature was a good guide to use as the upper limit. I ended up getting the GLX 4Motion wagon in the color I wanted (Reflex silver w/ black leather interior) for $800 below the TMV and $200 over invoice. I had internet data with me when I went to a local dealer (VA suburbs of DC). FYI, for those of you who are 6 ft or taller, don't bother comparing the less expensive Jetta Wagon. I felt like a kid in undersized clothes in the Jetta wagon. Back to my ultimate purchase decision, just put me in the column of former SUV driver (11 years in a Pathfinder) who has found a fun-driving car for the soccer games, swim team meets and hopefully the car my wife will jump into in a few years after the minivan thing wears out. This one beat out my SUV choices.

mauislick

I have a 2002 1.8t wagon with tip and it has gotten better over the last 5000 mi. at first the shift up from first to second was rough and the lag was very noticeable....it has since smoothed out....I find pressing slowly on the gas pedel for the first second or two then giving more gas works just fine. better not to mash the pedal.....the response isn't instant.....all in all it's great and with a little getting used to ....you wont' notice it at all....the car has gotten a lot smoother as it's gotten to know me and me use to it.....give it a little time and break-in , I think you'll be quite happy with it

john1313

I never knew the turbo lag will eventually lessen or is it the driving habits will adapt to the car? Anyway, I bought the GLX (w/V6) because of this reason. Though I was planning on "chipping" the car, I wasn't sure if the lag will lessen. Plus the turbo reliability also came into question. I love driving my wife's wagon and wish I could have more time with it.

I too cross-shopped different platforms, from stationwagons, to sport sedans (TL-S, I35, S60), SUVs(Discovery II, MDX...) and the list goes on. But, choosing the Passat Wagon was the best compromise of all. It's luxurious, it's sporty, it's a *very* safe car (big concern with a baby on the way) and you can't beat the cargo room. One word sums up the drive quality of the Passat Wagon, SOLID. Hope everyone enjoys thier car and I too will share my experiences with this wonderful car. Thanks.

John

Smiller239

I just bought a 2002 Passat GLS station wagon in Fresco green with lux and leather from Valenti Motors in Watertown. After many frustrating experiences with other dealers in the NY/CT/NJ area, they were a pleasure to deal with. Ask for Jim. He was fair and upfront about everything, including price. Also, the particular configuration I wanted was hard to get. Most other dealers told me that with a hefty deposit they would get me the car but it may take 3 months or so. Jim went out and found my car at another dealer with my exact specs and I had the car in two weeks. great buying experience. Note: I don't work there or have a relative who works there, I was just very pleased with the service I received. Good luck and enjoy the ride. So far I am

Smiller239

I've heard a lot about "chipping" the Passat engine to produce more horsepower. Can someone give me guidance as to how much of a difference in performance there is and where you can go to get it done. Thanks a lot

mauislick

probably the driving habits adapt to the car......I did notice that the car has run smoother and smoother (as in shifts and acceleration) as more break-in occurs. I think the real break-in is more like 3000mi

anyway, just had the 5000 mi done and the car has performed very well......I am most happy with it... and our local dealer (on maui) has a tech who has 30yrs of vw servicing.....and is quite knowlegable.......

jace1

Extensive discussions about performance chips can be found at ClubB5.com, a site dedicated to the current generation Passat. Another site is VWVortex.com

Modifying the engine management software will increase performance but it can affect driving dynamics by altering the torque and HP delivery curves; you should look into it carefully. I don't think we yet have a large enough sample of extended mileage vehicles with performance chips to know the long term effects on engine components. On the other hand, the 1.8T is a very robust engine and arguably overbuilt for how the factory tunes it. Also, VW/Audi alters power output in their various models so the engine is clearly adaptable. Just my .02

Jace1
99 1.8T sedan
soon to add an 02 wagon.

revka

To dwatt56- Welcome to the Station Wagons message board, and congratulations on your new VW Passat Wagon! Please keep us posted on your ownership experience.... Thanks! ;-)

To smiller239- In addition to jace1's suggestions, you may also want to check our our Aftermarket & Accessories board to see what kind of ongoing discussions you may find on performance chips. Good luck. ;-)

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irish20

Just ordered an '02 GLS V6 and can't wait to take delivery. The dealer says that since its coming from the "motherland" that will take 3-4 months.
Anyone else out there have any experiences with this?

mangeycritter

Dwatt: Since you live so close, go over to Autothority in Fairfax and talk to them about their chip for your engine. Ask also for the reprint of the Car & Driver road test of their chip in the Passat.
I bot my 1.8 wagon June 99. Autothority did the chip almost immediately, for about $500 and 45 minutes. I love the results. HP=197, torque about 205, as I recall. I now have over 81,000 miles on the engine, with absolutely flawless performance and NO problems of any kind. I use Mobile 1 every 5000 miles, and that's it. Gas mileage at 73mph averages 32 mpg. Car is very fast. I have owned turbo Volvo's, 528i's modified by Korman in NC, 300E's, and many others. Passat wagon with chip is more fun than all of them. Smiller239: Go for it. Huge difference in performance, about same as Porsche Boxster: 0-60 6.6 secs, 0-100 18.4 secs, 1/4 mile 15.2 secs @ 93mph. I am speaking from experience over 2+ years and over 80,000 miles with the chip. Gas mileage always above 30 on highway, always above 25 in city only driving. Hope this helps.

vwguild

Obviously, your Sales Rep didn't get very far in
school; for Germany is typically referred to as
the "Fatherland"...60-75 days is normal for the
West Coast depending upon where the car is in the
queue(for your salesman, that is French for *LINE*),
if you are on the East Coast subtract 14-21 days.

And, BTW...If you really have an order...Ask him
for the Commission #...If he cannot provide that;
quickly...you have no REAL ORDER. They are just hoping that the Variant that you are looking for will become available for allocation...

irish20

Thanks vwguild. And now what's this term "variant" refer to that I keep reading about?!

vwguild

*Variant* is the marketing term for Station
Wagon that is used in the "Fatherland"...

ivan_99

Does anyone know when the Passat wagon will get the 180hp 1.8T...like the one in the Jetta.

jabilda

The latest Passat gets 170 HP in the 1.8T. Weird, I know, but that's where it's rated.

denverjoe

Does anybody have a list of what is programable in the computer? Things like doors locking at 10mph, door chimes when doors are open, which doors open when you push the remote button etc.

kaac4622

I got the same 3-4 months story for delivery, so I reopened the negotiation for a car on the lot. The one on the lot had more equipment than I wanted, but it was worth the extra few dollars on the lease. I did the deal at the end of the month, so the dealer was motivated.

I picked it up last night. I am VERY happy with it.

bswansea

This topic has been a point of debate for some time now, even on this message board. As I understand it (and I may be wrong), the 1.8T engine generates 180bhp in ALL of the Audi & Volkswagen models that are equipped with it. For some reason, at least on paper, both Audi and Volkswagen have de-tuned the engine by 10hp (to 170bhp)on some of their models (why, I do not know). I know that the Audi A4 and the Volkswagen Passat list the engine as generating 170bhp, while the VW Jetta, Golf, GTI, and Audi TT list the engine at 180bhp (I'm not sure about the VW Beetle's rating). It seems strange that VW and Audi would release the engine with 2 different horsepower ratings, especially with that small of a difference (only 10hp). I am tending to believe that the engine generates the same horsepower in all models, and that the discrepency only resides on paper. It would be nice if someone from Volkswagen or Audi could clarify this issue.

revka

Hi Folks- Did any of you consider the Toyota Highlander Suv before you purchased your VW Passat Wagon? If so, perhaps you can offer some feedback in this new Station Wagons discussion: VW Passat or Toyota Highlander. Thanks for your participation. ;-)

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Rickster

What are the odds of finding a "vanilla" GLS V6 4Motion wagon? The dealers I've visited seem to have only more loaded wagons (i.e. leather, sunroof, etc.).

pathtomax

Hello- I am currently in the market for the Passat GLX Wagon with 4Motion. I drive about 25,000mi/ year on the highways of New England. The other car I am considering is the Subaru VDC Wagon. In everyone's opinion, how does the 4Motion hold up in snow & rain?
Thank you.

vwguild

This configuration is certainly available with
an order, and simply requires perseverance & patience in finding a Dealer that will put this
together for you...

Rickster

What is the usual timetable for such an order?

vwguild

will depend up on where the car is in the queue,
but generally speaking, it will take 60-75 days
depending upon where you live...

revka

You said: What are the odds of finding a "vanilla" GLS V6 4Motion wagon?

You may want to check out Edmunds' PowerShopper. For future reference, look for a direct link in the Additional Resources on the left side of the page. Good luck.

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otis123

Mohegan Lake Motors in northern Westchester County (NYC suburbs, area code 914) ran an ad Sunday saying they had 25 GLS V6 4Motion sedans (no options). Must mean they have "access" to 25, because they could never fit them on their lot...May have wagons, too

My wife has a '01 LLBean V6 Outback wagon that we love. I'm looking into returning to VW for a sedan (owned a Rabbit in grad school and a Jetta in the early 90s but didn't like living at the service department for this and that). I have concerns about the long-term reliability of the V6 4Motion. Anyone have any long-term experience (I guess it could only be a yr. or so)? Thanks.

Decisions, decisions...

vwguild

can be addressed by looking at the History of the
Audi Quattro System...Reason? 4MOTION===Quattro

The systems are one in the same...Just in different cars...Enjoy!!!!

scirocco22

ralph-- As vwguild stated, the 4Motion does use the quattro awd system. If you are asking about the reliability of the the quattro system exclusively, IMO, I wouldn't have any reservations about it. I did extensive research and inquiry about the quattro reliability before I bought my A4. Surprisingly, I found absolutely nothing that led me to believe that there would be problems with it down the line. I was almost sure that I'd find people complaining about expensive repairs or various other headaches about quattro --being such a sophisticated system that it is-- but I found no evidence of that at all; anywhere. So if it's just the awd system that has you worried about reliability, I wouldn't be too concerned ...I can't really vouch for the rest of the Passat, however. As I stated on another board, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that my Audi will be reliable for I've always been a VW/Audi fan --but as I also said previously, I've been a fan of Japanese reliability too!

--'rocco

lt5

Thanks for the advice on premium gas on the passat. I would prefer to use regular, but it is good to know that the car will perform without problems with 89 octane. Does anyone have experience using 87 octane in the 2002 Passat wagon?

lt5

I am considering buying the 4 cyl Passat Wagon, but I live in Buffalo, NY and we are being hit with a snowstorm. Does anyone have advice as to how the Passat performs in snow? Is it worth it to get the 6 cyl 4 motion?

vwguild

It seems that you are trying to take a bite out
of the apple, not once, not twice, but three times...

The information on Octane ratings seemed to me to
be pretty clear...It is not worth what you save!

24 inches of snow in 8 hours, tells me...stay home! The 4MO Variant will go through snow like
a deer...if you need to put cables on to get around; stay home!

I find it somewhat contradictory to be concerned
about saving pennies on gas, and then to contemplate spending another $3700 or so for a
4MOTION...

Let me help by asking, what is your goal??? I wish
I could supply you with a 4MO-1.8T-87 Octane required...

rljaco

I have decided to get a 2002 Passat GLX wagon, automatic, without the 4 Motion. I am totally confused regarding the price to try to get. The Edmunds "true value" figure is $27,115 -- which is about $500 below what it shows for the invoice price. Carsdirect.com shows a price of $30,522. Does anyone have any clues as to how to proceed? There is a local dealer I have spoken to which has been cordial and low pressure so I would like to deal with them. I am in Northern California, Oakland area. Thanks to all.

vwguild

I think that you need to revisit the TMV section
and put the info in again...I think you probably
hit the incorrect car...I just checked and it shows TMV as $29,392.00. And remember that does not include $25.00 for Port Prep, or $92.00 for
FloorPlan INTEREST Reserve, or any Regional Ad
Fees...$50-$150 on average.

Port Prep & FPIR are charged on every car, for
every Dealer Coast to Coast.

Basically, you are looking at about $1000 over
Invoice...

markobodor

The passat 4-motion worked well in the snow - I had trouble trying to get it to slip doing some dougnuts in 3-4 inches of heavy/mashed-up snow at Tahoe a month ago. You'll like it, but I would recommend snow tires for optimum safety - in fact if you have to choose between snow tires and 4-motion, I would go for the snow tires instead, since they help with not only forward traction, but also with braking. I drove a rear wheel drive Porsche to Tahoe for 6 winters and never got stuck. We go the 4-motion because sometimes the highway patrol requires you to put chains on unless you have AWD going up to Lake Tahoe.

4apexs

Need advice...
Considering the GLS 1.8T wagon - live in upper midwest, travel 40k/yr, 80% interstate, 70-80mph, want to get 150-200K out of car. Getting old so comfort #1, dependability #2, gas mileage #3, some snow, so fwd #4.
How comfortable is driving - 200-500mi/day?
Is 1.8T (170hp) ok or V6 worth extra$?
Thanks!

muletrain

I have a 2002 GLX V6 Wagon that I got at the end of Sept. I have a problem with the horn blowing when it shouldn't. This is intermittent and has happened under varying conditions -sometimes when turning but also when driving along a straight road. Has anyone else experienced this problem or do you have a clue as what may be the cause.

pissat

My passat wagon 2000, bought new had 1)a dome light disintegrate on me. 2)car stalled in middle of highway because wires were installed too close to the engine block and fused. 3)ETC sensor had to be replaced. 4)car stalled in garage. Fuse had to be replaced. Mileage at present 15700. Company's attitude we'll fix it so long as it's under warranty. Afterwards-good luck.

mikol

Just bought a 2002 GLS 1.8T wagon with Tip this past weekend. My wife and I were torn between the Outback and the Passat, being 10+ years Subaru owners. The Passats attractiveness and style first drew us to it, however, once we test drove it we were hooked. In addition, this forum helped us feel comfortable with our decision. Only 100 miles on it so far and look forward to tens of thousands more! (GLS 1.8 w/Tip, Luxury Package, HomeLink, and Monsoon $24,500.)

pvonhaam

My wife and I really liked the new Passat 1.8T wagon in 5-speed after test-driving; acceleration and handling were amazing. However, I'm fighting doubts about the long-term reliabilty of this car. I have heard several accounts of electrical problems and other miscellaneous issues plaguing this brand. We want a car that we can get to 150,000 miles without major problems. Our two Nissans have done just that, but they don't make a wagon anymore. Does anyone have some input to help us with this decision? Thanks in advance.

rejacob

Does anyone know the towing capacity of a Passat wagon with the 190HP V6 engine? I would like to get a station wagon that can tow a tent trailer (you know, the compact camping trailers that fold out). This information will help me decide between a Passat and a Taurus. Do any of you have any input about towing with the Passat? Thanks for the help.