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I need a family car that I will probably only drive long distances on weekends and which my wife will drive to the odd shop. I am tossing up between 2 passats and would like your views on which one to choose and why. The first passat is a 51 reg SE model with 70000 miles and the vendor wants £3500. The second is a 02 reg turbo sport with 89000 miles in silver which I prefer and the vendor wants £3800 for. I really liked the turbo sport until I got a quote for the insurance which is about £300 more than the SE. I am also worried with the service bill for the turbo and the cost if something goes wrong with the turbo. Can anyone talk me out of thinking about the turbo?
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I assume these are both petrol engines? If so, the 1.8T VAG is unit is pretty well regarded, though there are issues with coilpacks.
I'm more surprised about the difference in insurance costs though - I'm guessing that the non turbo one is either a 1.8 or 2.0, and the difference in power is not that great (125PS vs 150PS for the 1.8/1.8T IIRC). £300 seems a lot more...
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Par for the course with the Passat though.
Given that the Passat is all about space and perceived quality though, rather than performance or sporty handling, I'd be inclined to go for the 2.0 SE, particularly in view of the lower price, lower mileage, and lower insurance costs.
Fuel costs should be slightly lower too, although against that either of these cars should have either just had their third cambelt or you should budget for that in the purchase price.
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David, I have been given the same advice by another wise man. The only reason why I am even considering the turbo sport is because it is about a year younger, it is a colour I prefer and the vendor is very close to my place and also becuase it seems better value for money. Cambelt wise, I will definitely factor this into the price.
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Yes you assumption is right, they are both petrol engines. The passat SE is a 2 litre and the other is a 1.8 litre turbo engine. The 1.8T is a group 14 while the SE is a group 9. The reason for the huge insurance difference is because I have no "no claim bonus".
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Aah, that'd explain it. Didn't realise there was such a difference in insurance groups! Would agree with David then; save the money and go for the 2.0SE.
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The pre 2005 Passat is not a great car to drive though the Sport is better than the std models so that would swing it for me.
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IMHO the 150BHP 1.8T engine would be much more satisfying to drive than the 115BHP NA 2.0 engine. Quite a big car for 115BHP.
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So it looks like I may need to consider the 1.8T after all.
Which car do you think will be worth more in 2 years considering the 1.8T is more expensive to insure.
Also are there any issues with buying a petrol turbo engine that has done 80000 miles?
I will go see the 1.8T tonight as it is close to my house and report back tomorrow.
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I've driven both, and whilst the Passat is not my type of car at all, I echo that the 1.8T is the better of the two to drive power delivery wise. I found the 2.0 litre power and torque shy and anaemic to drive. The 1.8T however had both more outright power and a fatter torque curve that made it more restful to drive despite the smaller capacity.
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ok so it seems the majority of views favour the 1.8T in terms of drive and power, however are there any views on running costs and which model maybe less reliable i.e more likely for something to go wrong and needing a big repair bill?
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One of my colleagues had to have a new turbo on a Passat 1.8T at about 100k. The fuel consumption is fairly shocking too if you use any of the performance....!
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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I agree the 2.0 engine was pretty meek in the MIV Golf compared to the 1.8t which was hardly tyre shredding itself.
However you might want to consider the relative Economy of both engines as the 1.8t in my Golf was poor, (I dont know about the 2.0).
P
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According to parkers, the 1.8T and the SE both do roughly the same miles to the gallon
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Friend of ours runs a 99T Passat estate in 1.8T SE trim. In his words the fuel consumption is grim. Ain't been none too reliable either, with locking & alarm faults, still Vorsprung Durch Tecnic....
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I have read though that since 2001 the passat has been improved quite dramatically. Can anyone shed any more light on this?
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Whilst my experience was with a 130 diesel Passat, it was a 2001 model with sport suspension.
Sport suspension didn't significantly improve the handling but it did mean the car bottomed out on speed humps if you didn't creep over them.
Suspension started clonking at around 40k which was a warranty job (should have been a recall but VAG didn't extend this to UK cars).
Turbo failed at 50k, air conditioning control panel replaced and the boot lock, when the garage replaced the pollen filter, they didn't fit the new one correctly (well documented issue) and the passenger footwell had 3" of water in it, finally the cat gave up the ghost when the baffles started working loose.
I will say that the car never left me stranded, however I had to involve the lease company when trying to get the suspension sorted as the garage initially refused to acknowledge a problem.
I couldn't recommend a Passat and would suggest that you look at either a Toyota Avensis or a Mazda 6, Mazda is a far better driving experience than the Passat.
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Went for a test drive in the 1.8T last night and the car drives very well. It has more than enough power for me. It is also immaculate inside and has the usual number of stone marks on at the front but has a few big scratches on the alloys.
My first concern is the vendor drives like a maniac i.e accelerates and brakes hard. He admitted to me that he likes fast cars and wants to get a supra next. This is evident by the bald front tyres.
My other concern is that he has only had the car for 8 months and he said that he bought it from car giant for £6000 so I am not sure why he is selling it to me for £3800 (his reason is that he wants to get a more powerful car i.e the supra). I suspect that he may be bored with this car or that his insurance premium is way to high (£1100 as he has no NCB).
My last concern is that the servicing is stamped by a mob called TSL and is not complete i.e there is no indication of what was done in the last service. Apparently the vendor said it was a Tesco company car and TSL was the Tesco car service division. Other than that the car is brilliant.
Has anyone got any thoughts on the concerns I have raised?
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Have to agree with Malcolm L that there are better cars to drive around, and no I am not going to mention the M word.
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I'd leave it, there are plenty more out there...
Gord.
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I suspect that the car giant was Trade Sales Ltd at Slough, hence the TSL in the service book.
Don't do it, even if you want a Passat 1.8T - I guarantee you'll find one in which you've more confidence in the vendor for starters.
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8 months of driving like that and he cannot be bothered to fit decent tyres for his own safety let alone other road users! He does not sound like a responsible driver at all. So the car has been thrashed and not serviced properly, well why give it a second thought as you drive away.
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Walk away - plenty more fish in the sea !
P
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I drive a silver 1.8T Sport (2001 - Y Reg) and I recon its a good car.
It's got good power, good equipment and looks good as well.
The headlamps are poor on dipped and fuel economy can be drastic if you put the foot down, but otherwise its OK.
I have seen just over 20mpg on the trip to work when I was in a hurry, but I've also seen 37mpg on the same trip. It's all about how you drive it.
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I think the TDi's are much better to drive and are plenty powerful and quick with decent economy.
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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