My brother had a cerdric years back and man was it a nice crusier. little bit plain on the outside but far better inside than what other jap stuffhad on offer at the time. I dont think the guys here will like the car youve shown because it calld Gloria LOL, why do they name them with names like that! But guys name there cars with girls names or call them she or her so maybe not.
murdoko,
May 5, 12:07am
Eleanor! HAHA I agree with u man. I think Japs are trying hard to sound foreign and they mostly end up as a big fail.
speaking of names, what does the word 'Passat' mean anyway!
phillip.weston,
May 5, 12:11am
pronounced 'piss hat'.
thejazzpianoma,
May 5, 12:28am
LOL, I was going to post yesterday but it sounded like the poster was off to buy a BMW so I left it at that. I have also been busy with a few projects and doing my tax. so have no fear I have not been banned! Poster1, the 2.8 is a fantastic engine. Very efficient and very reliable. People get excited about the cost of a cambelt change but really if you do the same job on an Odyssey or other V6 you are going to be into fairy similar money.
Bear in mind too its only every 5 years and if you want to do the work yourself it has to be one of the nicest modern V6's to work on as the whole front of the car pulls out of the way giving you super easy access to everything.
They are a lovely car and really very reliable overall. I don't find the auto's particularly unreliable. Sure you can break them if you abuse them and/or don't service them but that goes for many transmissions.
I also wouldn't be put off by the Turbo version. The Turbo's are just as reliable as any other turbo car but if you don't change the oil it will sludge up and cause trouble. just like any other turbo car.
Parts are cheap and easy to get and overall they are very nice to work on. not that you should need to be doing much if you have bought a well maintained example. which is what you should be doing with any car that age.
When you factor in the fuel economy, depreciation, parts cost etc overall the Passat is a really hard car to beat when it comes to total cost of ownership. which at the end of the day is the only figure that actually matters.
People seem to get so hung up on slight variances in very occasional maintenance costs etc when compared to vehicles that are over priced cut down budget rubbish that usually cost more to own in the long run.
Spend your time and find a good example and its hard to go wrong. The only quirks I would say to be aware of is to make sure the waterpump has been changed for a steel impellar one (or change it immediately) and check that the air conditioning works and use it regularly to keep it in good order.
Other than that just do the normal due diligence you would when buying a car and its hard to go wrong.
Best of luck, they are a lovely machine and all engines are good (except the non-turbo 1.8 and 2.0 are really too underpowered for NZ conditions).
thejazzpianoma,
Jan 14, 5:00am
By the way, anecdotal evidence means pretty much nothing when it comes to reliability. I could tell you some real horror story's about Toyota's for example.
Here is the U.K reliability index rating which is a really good indicator of reliability so long as you read it correctly and in context.
When you consider the sophistication level of the car, the average milage and age its rating is really very good (when compared to similar spec/age vehicles)
You will notice that engine/transmission faults are pretty low percentage wise and when you consider the thermostat problem (which I am pretty sure is included in cooling and heating) is easily avoided, along with the air-conditioning issue. Plus the axle/suspension situation is affected by the many 4WD ones on the road.
So, when you actually break it all down, it scores very well.
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