In praise of VW Passat B5 130 tdi
Discussion
Picked up an absolutely mint Passat b5 saloon yesterday, An executor sale of a mint one owner car. It's the 130 bhp tdi version with a five speed gearbox. It's just had it's twentieth birthday and is like new inside and out. What I am most impressed with is how frugal and punchy the PD engine is. I think it is worth keeping after a cambelt change as a cheap spare car to use.
Love an early naughties vag group car, especially a vw. Just recently got a family owned mk4 golf which I absolutely love. Its the 1.6 petrol and would have loved it in a 1.9 but beggars can't be choosers. Was over the moon that I needed a car asap and a model I'd always wanted was readily available for me to buy 
Hope it serves you well, always fancied the b7 estate that came after it.
Hope it serves you well, always fancied the b7 estate that came after it.
Well gave my Passat a scrub and brought it up to the MOT station saying 'do your worst'. Flew through withe examiner telling me one of the best B5s he ever tested! My next treat will be to replace the tyres and get a timing belt and the water pump replaced. Ideal vehicle for the winter days ahead!
Scoobydrew95 said:
However, being 26 years old now there is a stream of constant maintenance.
Strong, well engineered cars that (correctly maintained) will last a very long time.This same reputation killed most of them. Their reputation for "spend nothing driving" meant many had nothing spent on them. General maintenance and upkeep were ignored, which was the end of a great many cars.
Stay on top of maintenance and there's no reason one won't do many hundreds of thousands of miles.
Dr G said:
Strong, well engineered cars that (correctly maintained) will last a very long time.
This same reputation killed most of them. Their reputation for "spend nothing driving" meant many had nothing spent on them. General maintenance and upkeep were ignored, which was the end of a great many cars.
Stay on top of maintenance and there's no reason one won't do many hundreds of thousands of miles.
Absolutely and i am more then happy to do so, ive done 1/5th of its entire mileage in under 2 years so it's not surprising that these items are at a point of being needed. I did NOT appreciate doing the engine mounts over the weekend though. What an arse of a job that was. Anyway it's been my favourite car i have owned to date and intend to keep the maintenance up. Just would appreciate a quiet few months This same reputation killed most of them. Their reputation for "spend nothing driving" meant many had nothing spent on them. General maintenance and upkeep were ignored, which was the end of a great many cars.
Stay on top of maintenance and there's no reason one won't do many hundreds of thousands of miles.
The only brand new car I've ever bought was a 2003 Passat estate, only the 100hp PD TDI.
Only kept it 4 years and 55000 miles which was probably a waste of a good car but I changed it for a Td5 Discovery 2 which I really loved.
The Passat cost around £15k with a decent discount and I can't get my head around how a similar car is £40-50k these days. Don't think I'll ever have a brand new car again.
Only kept it 4 years and 55000 miles which was probably a waste of a good car but I changed it for a Td5 Discovery 2 which I really loved.
The Passat cost around £15k with a decent discount and I can't get my head around how a similar car is £40-50k these days. Don't think I'll ever have a brand new car again.
Well notched up my first 1000 miles today on my second diesel fill. 53.3 mpg average and never missed a beat. Still goes like a rocket - 30-50 mph in third is awesome. This month she's being treated to new front tyres as the current ones are legal but well worn. local garage does good deals on Falken so will get those. Big trip to Stoke on Trent next month for a wedding so want her going and looking her best!
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