Don't know what muganb has been smoking. The V6 Passat's are very good for reliability. Those motors are about as bomb proof as you can get.
All you have to do is make sure you maintain it properly like any car.
About the only notable fault you get with them is there is a particularly hard to get to air conditioning valve that can cause trouble if you don't use the air con regularly.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 7, 8:30am
Plenty of funky fun reliable cars around that won't depreciate much in the next few years. That Passat was one of them.
An Alfa 156 is another good option. Go with the twin spark with a regular manual transmission. Only catch with the Alfa is the 3 yearly cambelt changes. Other than that they are a good and surprisingly reliable vehicle. You can get a really nice one for about 6-7K.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 7, 8:32am
Only the selespeed transmissions are troublesome. They have a worse rap than they deserve but are still not worth the effort. Great car in manual though. For what its worth the selespeed dosn't tend to lunch itself in the way a regular auto can, more so it requires regular maintenance and tends to have more frequent smaller issues rather than a major end of the world scenario.
dacaveman,
Feb 7, 8:36am
Cool, so you reckon the Alfa is a goer to go and take for a spin! And other than the trans is there anything I should look for or ask about! (I know that this particular one has been up for sale for a while)
rovercitroen,
Feb 7, 8:39am
That was good buying Jazz!
mugenb20b,
Feb 7, 8:39am
Yes, the motors are.but the rest of it is a nightmare.
rovercitroen,
Feb 7, 8:43am
Look how cheap this Passat wagon went for - higher kms though. Listing #: 443699801. On the Vectra, mate had one and had lots of electrical problems with it after 100,000 kms.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 7, 8:52am
That particular Alfa is a no from me because it has the selespeed transmission. Basically if it is an Alfa and has a 1.6 or 2.0 engine and is advertised as selespeed/tiptronic/automatic its got the selespeed transmission which is the one to avoid.
If you are going for low depreciation you are going to be better spending about 6K on a 156 as opposed to the 147. The 156 is every bit as good a car (basically the same car in a slightly larger body) but its generally better value. That said if you can find a tidy 147 in manual for similar money then go for gold.
As for what to look for, there is a part called a "variator" that needs to be replaced about every 80'000km and you do it when you do the timing belt. To do the variator on its own basically requires a timing belt change so is fairly involved.
So be aware of that and find out when it last had its variator changed because its often forgotten. Other than that just check all the normal things you would with a car. If you need a general car checklist yell out and I am sure we can all put together one for you.
Parts are available at a reasonable price from the likes of Italian Auto Centre in Auckland and Dino Enterprises in cambridge. Both of these places can courier pretty much anything you might need overnight either new or secondhand.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 7, 8:53am
Thats not been my experience at all. Other than the occasional coil pack and the odd abs issue (which is all pretty minor stuff) I can't say I have encountered any notable problems.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 7, 8:56am
Yes! They have been going for quite a lot of late so a bit of a surprise to see that one go so cheap. Especially that year with those km's and spec.
dacaveman,
Feb 7, 8:58am
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will pop back and let you know how I get on! (eeek and to take the Vectra in tomorrow and say thanks but no thanks!). I will see about taking the Alfa for a spin and get the old man to listen/look at the transmission, might just be worth a shot!(I will look for a stick shift in the mean time!) Thanks again! and thanks again for the info on parts! :)
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 7, 9:19am
You are more than welcome.
BTW, with those transmissions its not really a case of being able to have a look/listen then give it a service and all is well like a regular auto.
What that transmission is, is a regular manual with a robot that operates the clutch and gear shift for you. Its a good system in theory but this was the very first production version and unfortunately it is pretty unrefined and prone to problems at any time regardless of how well you maintain it. Although maintenance like an annual clutch adjustment does help.
Its also not a particularly nice transmission to use around town. It tends to get a bit confused in automatic mode with town traffic and conditions.
Well worth waiting for the right one.
Best of luck with it all, I think you will love the Alfa, aside from the selespeed they drive every bit as well as they look.
Oh and great move with the vectra. Not only is nearly twice as expensive as it should be they are not as well built as they appear. Its a shame, they drive nicely and are often well featured but suffer from many silly design flaws. Silly things that should have been fixed before it got to marked like exhaust manifold studs that break, a tendency to blow head gaskets, poor corrosion protection on some cars (seems to affect just some), dashboard display failures, dificult to replace coolant hoses. and the list goes on. Plus you have a short timing belt interval like the Alfa,but at least the Alfa is a better car to show for the increased maintenance.
Happy Shopping!
kazbanz,
Feb 7, 7:37pm
OPI'd suggest you look further afeild. Tauranga or Hamilton are only an hour or so away.basicly broaden your horisons. There are plenty of coolANDreliable cars out there in your budget.
floscey,
Feb 7, 10:28pm
02 vectra must be on its 3rd head gasket by now.
rovercitroen,
Feb 7, 10:39pm
Saw a guy over at the beach the other day driving a Punto JTD. I said "What do you think of your car!" He said he really liked it and that the economy and power are fantastic. Said he had had some minor electrical niggles but nothing too major.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 8, 12:32am
Yes they are a brilliant machine. I am a very big fan of that 1.9 common rail engine. Its been changed to a timing chain and a few tweaks when they updated it but as far as I am aware its still basically the excellent original engine.
Its funny, sometimes it is possible to get a new design spot on right from the start (the 1.9 was I think only the second common rail engine ever to hit production, the Fiat 2.4 was the first. but don't quote me on that)
They have been around about 15 years now and some have some obscene km's on them.
Great engine in a great car!
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 8, 12:34am
+1 You are spending a LOT of cash, its well worth the inconvenience of a couple of bus trips etc to check some cars out.
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