I saw a low mileage R36 Estate in shiny blue yesterday while car shopping for my gf.
It looked lovely.
I want one.
For the sake of my wallet, please tell me they are rubbish and completely unsuitable to my 20-25k miles a year.
Thank you.
|
That darkish metailic blue?
Like them as well, but not suitable for us, worse luck....
|
|
|
complete rubbish
you dont want one
really you dont
specially the estate
worse of the lot
seriously
|
|
Most reliable car ever produced, build quality better than anything three times the price. So dont buy one :-)
|
|
Mine has about a million squeaks and rattles (03 plate), including an exceptionally annoying resonance at about 2000RPM under load.
|
|
|
|
|
AE and Hector, thank you! Exactly what I wanted to hear. Would be completely stupid and a money pit. I still want one, but it's really not happening.
|
|
|
|
I saw that 5th gear reviewed that very car a wee while back, Jason Plato didn't rate it very highly against the 3.0 tdi A4 that it was pitched against. He said the Passat was a bit nose-heavy in the bends and that the six-pot diesel in the Audi offered more usable real-world performance, as well as lower running costs.
Reputable mags like Autocar seem to rate the new Insignia VXR very highly indeed, a seemingly much more complete package than the souped-up passat and a real rival to the big German super-saloons (at half the price, too). That's the one I'd have - I wish!
|
a real rival to the big German super-saloons (at half the price, too)
I thought the Insignia VXR was about £4-5k less than an Audi A4 S4. Certainly not half the price of an S4 ;-)
Edited by rtj70 on 18/07/2009 at 22:14
|
|
|
|
My neighbours son has one of these as a company car. We went out in it a couple of weeks ago and it is a very impressive car however, due to the sports seats and trim, it is not very wide and he mentioned that his wife did not like it.
Too noisy in the back when extending the engine.
His preference was for the 1.9TDi in everyday use. He works for Bugati (before anyone asks why he doesn't have one of those as a co. car, monthly liability for a co. car in Germany is around 1% of list price).
|
|
Gordon, forget the R36, they cost a fortune to own and run. Consider a suitable & sensible alternative such as the R line 2.0 TDI 140 PS. You can still have it in Biscay Blue, it has lots of features and it costs a lot less to own & run compared to a R36.
|
If we're thinking about 'suitable and sensible alternatives' then we should include the Octavia estate (much cheaper and only slightly less room) and the Mondeo estate (similar prices but more room). Both have, unlike the Passat, proper handbrakes, which for me at least is essential. Or of course the new version of your Accord Tourer.
Agreed, these aren't alternatives to the R36, but if you can afford to buy and run one ot those then Audis, BMWs and Mercedes come into the running (again, not if you want a handbrake).
Edited by Avant on 19/07/2009 at 00:34
|
|
|
|
|
Take this from someone who runs a Toyota Dealer ...... R36 Estate thay are rubbish and completely unsuitable (NOT) ... very very good car if I didnt have a free Toyota I would buy one ... or get a job running a VW dealer and have one for free .. well apart from the tax but dont get me going on that subject please.
|
The Passat I owned was the most unreliable car I've ever owned. Dealer was an arrogant sod as well.
It's been over four years since I got rid and I'm still scarred!
|
The Passat I owned was the most unreliable car I've ever owned.
I know two people who say the exact same thing, although both relate to 2001 / 2002 cars, one bought new, and the other at 18 months old. Water leaks, build issues, electrical gremlins, clutch problems, alarm problems, suspension problems - endless lists of woes.
The new model is a completely different car in fairness.
|
No proper handbrake = no sale, as far as I'm concerned.
Shame really as it is otherwise a very suitable car for me.
|
|
What are the servicing costs? I would ask the dealer for the price of a few common jobs that always come up after 3-4 years. Some of these big engines are notoriously difficult to work on in a small engine bay.
|
|
I too used to have a Passat. Bought new on a 52 plate. 1.9TDI se. I could not believe how many warranty faults it had. This Passat i soon discovered had a couple of design faults. In all fairness to VW i pointed these out and i am pleased to see that they removed them from the new and current model. A drug dealer smashed into the back of the car when it was parked up. The car should have been wrote of but it wasn't. Subsequently i had it repaired at a VW workshop. Biggest mistake of my life. Took it back 6 times for faults and things they hadnt done correctly. In the end i threatened to sue. I got to see the managing director of the dealer, in the end they took the car back for another 6 weeks and it came back ok. But the way i was treated by the VW dealer at first, then the. shoddy workmanship from the VW approved dealer workshop. a few posts on this thread seem to resonate with what i am saying as well. During the time it was in the body shop which was also an Audi approved bodyshop. I used to have close looks at the Audi's and there is no doubt in my mind that the Audi's are definately a better finished vehicle in every aspect. I dont think i would look at a passat at the moment but i would certainly look at an Audi having seen the finish on the Audi's. What you will all find interesting here as well is the drug dealer was not insured so i lost my insurance excess never got it back. I instructed the insurance legal cover i had to recover this money and they couldnt (is it worth having legal cover i ask). But through this i lobbyed the press the police saw my local Mp. I am convinced through my doing this the laws have now been tightened up on uninsured drivers. I got in touch with a very well known motoring journalist and he even chaired a meeting of chief constables to see what could be done.
|
|
My Seat Toledo 1.9 110 bhp TDiSE which I bought new at end of 1999 and has now done almost 172,000 miles. It is an incredibly good and reliable car. I would be tempted next time by a new Skoda Superb in the very dark red (like burgundy) and beige interior with the new VW 2.0 litre 170 bhp common-rail diesel engine.( Manual gearbox and normal handbrake).
|
I'm slightly amused by how my not very well chosen subject has misled people.
I want to be told that the 3.6 litre V6 petrol 4x4 Passat is rubbish and would be a stupid thing to buy without first winning an oilfield in some way. :-)
|
|
I've been very tempted to say what fine and reliable car my 8 year old Passat has been, but I have decided not to.
|
|
|
The official combined MPG is 26.7. You'll be lucky to get 25. So if you really do 25k miles a year that means you'll fork out for 1000 gallons of fuel, or 4540 litres. Petrol is at least a quid a litre, so that's 4540 pounds per year to start with.
Insurance is Group 18, with a typical quote being 799. Servicing costs 1167 for three years, so that averages at 389 per year.
VED is Band 'L', or 405 in 2009.
So 4540 + 799 + 389 + 405 = 6133 per year
(There are probably some other costs that I have forgotten)
OTOH the 0-60 is 5.6 seconds, and you have to spend your hard-earned on something! I don't have that kind of money, but if you have then buy the car - you'll only probably waste it on SWMBO, or something equally daft!
|
LDO, you forgot to budget for tyres at about £800+ a year. And I bet the brakes cost a fortune too. :-)
It's a terrible idea, and no, I can't afford it in any real sense (I like having a life too much) but it would be nice. Maybe I can borrow one...?
|
Oh, and I'd also have to buy the thing. Even at 23k that's going to be another £6k a year on finance. So the car would cost me about £13k a year to own. Or the same as my house.
Mmm. Bargain. Not.
Saying that, my house won't do 0-62 in 5.6, so there are upsides....
|
|
|
I just mentioned the new Skoda Superb, as I have seen a review when they mentioned that it uses mainly Passat parts.
If you want reliability; surely it is best not to go too much towards performance cars. There certainly should be a certain amount of reliable Passats. the company made their well publisized mistakes; but surely things are better now. I have always bought VW based cars and been rather happy.
I really like the quality of the new Honda Accord. The front seats are incredibly comfortable. I imagine that a 2.2 diesel one of those would do rather a good job and I have endless respect towards the Japanese workmanship. Apparently the new Accord is assembled in Japan (not like the Civic). A Honda workshop manager told me that a few days ago.
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry that most of us have gone off topic, Gordon - I think that may be because most of us haven't driven a Passat R36, and some may not have known there was one.....
I think it depends on how much the one you've seen has depreciated from new - and how much it would go on depreciating.
If I were looking at that price range (£30k new, say £25k nearly-new) I'd go for an Audi A4 or A6 with the 3.0 V6 TDI - or you might prefer a BMW 330d or 530d if you'd rather have RWD. Both would hold their value better and be cheaper to run over your highish annual mileage (similar to mine). And I'd guess either would be as good or better to drive.
Edited by Avant on 21/07/2009 at 22:34
|
The feature on 5th gear last night about a GPS which sends you on the most economic route was done in a Passat R36.
It did low 20s on the economy run which was through Birmingham with lots of stop/start to Stratford on Avon and back. It used just shy of 10 litres to do about 42 miles.
The quickest route was on the motorway, IIRC it was 8 miles further each way on free running motorways, but fuel use was still high.
If it's available on line have a look and see if you can work out the maths, I wasn't watching close enough!
|
|
|
|
