Check it out: 2003 Passat W8 6-Speed Sport Wagon

[radarwhiz]

Saw this today on CL thought it was pretty cool. Never knew they made the Passat with the W8

http://morgantown.craigslist.org/cto/3488224253.html

[1986nate]

I had been considering one as an eventual replacement hauler. But working on them when they break, and they will, is an absolute pain. They suffer from the same timing chain tensioner pad failures as any other VW/Audi engine.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by 1986nate

I had been considering one as an eventual replacement hauler. But working on them when they break, and they will, is an absolute pain. They suffer from the same timing chain tensioner pad failures as any other VW/Audi engine.

Eventually, VAG will break your heart....

[1986nate]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

Eventually, VAG will break your heart....

Not possible. I expect this car to break at any possible moment. I thrash the hell out of it.
And between repairs(yes, even the ones I've caused by abuse), insurance and purchase price, it has still only cost me 6 cents/mile to own.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by 1986nate

Not possible. I expect this car to break at any possible moment. I thrash the hell out of it.
And between repairs(yes, even the ones I've caused by abuse), insurance and purchase price, it has still only cost me 6 cents/mile to own.

Yes, but, be fair. I'm sure you are doing all the repairs and only including cost of parts. For many of us, it would be the labor that kills us. Second, you do a HUGE amount of highway driving. That helps drive down the cost per mile significantly as it is short city trips and age that kill a car. Third, out of everyone that complains about the reliability of their SVX or "newer" Subaru, I bet they are just as abusive if not more so than you are and probably don't maintain their cars as well as you do.

VAG ain't no Honda or Toyota. Hell, Honda and Toyota ain't no Honda and Toyota anymore...unless you move up to Acura or Lexus. Same for Mercedes. The last time I was in Europe, the Taxi drivers told me they were moving away from Mercedes because they just weren't as reliable and durable as they used to be. You pay for the name and, maybe, some performance and luxury extras but you aren't getting the main benefit for the extra money which was the durability. I will be shopping around for an Infinity AWD G series car for my next car. It isn't quite as good as Acura or Lexus but a lot cheaper.

[1986nate]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

Yes, but, be fair. I'm sure you are doing all the repairs and only including cost of parts. For many of us, it would be the labor that kills us. Second, you do a HUGE amount of highway driving. That helps drive down the cost per mile significantly as it is short city trips and age that kill a car. Third, out of everyone that complains about the reliability of their SVX or "newer" Subaru, I bet they are just as abusive if not more so than you are and probably don't maintain their cars as well as you do.

Surely you can't be serious with that.... Towing with a 1.8L turbo 4 cylinder, whether highway or not, is much, much, much harder than city driving with anything, especially when towing over 2 tons up mountains regularly. Of the 32k miles I've put on it, at least 20k have been with vehicle in tow. Not to mention the 1000-1500 miles I've put on it going through mud pits, hydro-locking the engine, driving down gravel and dirt "roads" at 70+mph.

If you truly think the driving it sees is easier than most cars on the road, I want what you're on.

[Blacky]

Unlined aluminum block!

There are 3 on Ebay. Much cheaper too. No 6 speeds though, just TipTronic.

[fzftw]

I have found none other like it for sale in the country.

There was one for sale on my local craigslist a few months ago. Same year/color/motor/trans and had 5k more miles. They were asking 8k. I was very tempted.

[Green1995SVX]

I've sold one of these before. They really don't feel much faster than the 2.8 models which are bulletproof. They have a pretty interesting exhaust note. The B5.5 is a very well built car. The W8 passats suffer from the timing chain tensioner failure. The timing chain is on the rear of the engine, and engine removal is required to replace the tensioners and retime the chain. In order to remove the engine, the front of the car has to come off. To be fair, removing the front of the car is required for lots of repairs on these cars and as such it is very easy to remove. The timing chain tensioners don't fail if the car is maintained based on the maintenance schedule. The failure is caused by oil passages within the tensioners becoming clogged with sludge. In some light cases, AutoRX treatments can resolve the issue. They also have the typical torque converter issues associated with certain models of this era of ZF 5HP transmissions.

This time period saw some very reliable VAG cars produced (see Nate's A4, and basically anything with the 2.8 30V engine), however the W8 passats arent one of them.

My S8 has been absolutely incredible. It has about 180k miles and is still as tight as the day it was new. The 4.2L 40V engine is just about as bulletproof as engines get, and what a wonderful noise it makes. I believe the early 00s were the height of build quality in German assembled VAG cars. I feel that in around 2002 the quality of the interior materials started to decrease in some ways. Most of the examples I'd give are things that only somebody as neurotic as myself would notice, I think.

Like with almost any car, if you look after it, keep it clean, and maintain it regularly, it'll last a lifetime.

[Green1995SVX]

Oh, and that is an EXTREMELY rare car. (stick, sport pack, wagon) If I got my hands on one of those at the auction, I'd sell the **** out of that thing.

[EdWindows]

I want those rims! (with different center caps of course :P)
Also, I had no idea they made a W8 engine. I thought the smallest W was the W12.

[Green1995SVX]

Originally Posted by EdWindows

I want those rims! (with different center caps of course :P)
Also, I had no idea they made a W8 engine. I thought the smallest W was the W12.

The very first W configuration made by VAG was the W8. The W8 passat was essentially a "beta" test of the W configuration to see how they held up long-term. They're really not all that complicated. It's basically two VR6 style engines in a V configuration. Those that know about the VR6 engines know that they're a V6 with only one head since the angle of the two banks of cylinders is so close.

This is the block of a W8 engine:

This is the block of a VR6 engine: