# Traded a BMW for a VW?!? Wow, 1 of 2 ever produced.



## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

I'm not leaving Bimmerfest because we still own a 328i but after several years of enjoying our '03 325i (and infinite headaches maintaining it i.e. just replaced the 4th broken window regulator), I traded it for an '03 Passat.

The VW may not be any more valuable on paper than the BMW but it is low mile, actually quite rare, I have the peace of mind of having a warranty, and best of all it is a blast to drive. Now what makes it a blast and rare is the drivetrain. According to www.passatworld.com, of the nearly 80,000 Passats produced from 2002-2004, only 424 were equipped with the W8, 4Motion AWD and a 6-speed manual transmission. Of those 424 only TWO were produced in Indigo Blue with beige leather interior. With 9-years having passed since production, I very well might have the only car like this on the face of the Earth. The car rides as quietly and as a Lexus with gobs of sound insulation stuffed throughout the engine compartment and cabin but thanks to the W8 and dual exhaust it also has a definite albeit faint sound of a V8 muscle car while revving up through the gears and downshifting. For a large luxury car (much larger than the 325i it's replacing) it accelerates off the line and handles amazingly well thanks to the AWD. The stubby stickshift is buttery smooth.

Farewell to the E46





































Hearty welcome to the W8


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

Moved to a VW because a BMW is unreliable? Huh?


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## Frank Rizzo (Aug 2, 2003)

Nice. Heh heh. Does it smell like crayons inside?

I'm familiar with rare VW's. My last two cars were '08 R32 then I ordered a 2011 CC VR6/4 motion. I've only seen two other CC's like it in So Calif ever. 

About 6 mos. ago I almost got ahold of a 2003 W12 Phaeton with the 4 seat option and the rear refrigerator, but the owner backed out.

I've never seen a 6 speed manual W8 car, and did not know they made them. :thumbup: Original wheels too! Looks like you are at least the third owner.

enjoy.


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## Dann902 (Oct 17, 2007)

I bought a new '03 Passat W8 6-speed manual in silverstone gray back in '03. I loved that car but as I got past the end of factory warranty, I got scared by the rarity and the cost of maintaining. I traded it in for an '06 330i. 
I really liked the low end torque of the W8 and it was an awesome highway cruiser. Enjoy yours! Indigo Blue and also I think it was called Pacific Blue were the exclusive W8 colors.


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

@blueguydotcom, I'll have to answer your rhetorical question with, "yes". BMWs have many attributes but reliability is not one of them. I appreciate Bimmerfest members sharing expertise enabling me to perform many DIY projects to keep the E46 going but I could never imagine how such brilliant German engineers could design and produce the worst power windows on the planet and year after year with the E46 they chose to ignore their own incompetence by continuously choosing not add flex-ties to parts bin at the factory. The fact is a 40-year old Ford Pinto that's been rotting away in a junkyard has more reliable power windows than a dealer maintained, always garaged and cherished E46. I hope the VW will be more reliable but I'm hedging my bet by buying a 36-month warranty on the W8. 

@Frank Rizzo, yeah I considered a Phaeton too. They have become very affordable and surprisingly Consumer Reports long term reliability rating of the W8 Phaeton was higher than every other full size luxury car I could think of comparing it against (i.e. Lexus, MB, BMW, Jag, Cadillac, etc). Oh, and yes, according to the CARFAX, Barber VW in Ventura, CA sold it as a CPO to the 2nd owner in 2007 and that owner had it maintained by that same dealer through Dec of 2011. 

@Dann902, thanks, I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with your W8 6-spd Passat.


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## cwsqbm (Aug 4, 2004)

I laugh at this because a friend of mine just got rid of his same-vintage Passat after replacing his window regulators. If you got rid of your BMW because of that alone, you sure as hell picked the wrong replacement.


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## AutoUnion (Apr 11, 2005)

Baller ride. Congrats

They sound great under WOT


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

@cwsqbm - oh man, out of the fire and into the frying pan ... well at least I got a comprehensive 36 month/36K miles warranty on this used car.

@AutoUnion - thanks, heck yeah I love the sound of the W8 4-pipe dual exhaust! But, the cabin is so quiet I enjoy opening the sunroof and rolling down the driver's window in order to hear it better.


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## ECSTuning (Feb 25, 2009)

Congrats on the W8! My VW guys just got all kinds of excited when I showed them the pics of your car. 

ECS Tuning


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

ECSTuning said:


> Congrats on the W8! My VW guys just got all kinds of excited when I showed them the pics of your car.
> 
> ECS Tuning


Thanks, ECS Tuning. I'm excited to have found it.


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

One question for ECSTuning, would you recommend this iPod wiring adapter? Is it fairly easy to install? Only to the back of the radio or can it also connect to the CD changer bracket in the trunk?

http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Passat_B5-4_Motion-W8/Search/IPod/ES5408/

Thanks again,

Dave


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## ECSTuning (Feb 25, 2009)

MontereyDave said:


> One question for ECSTuning, would you recommend this iPod wiring adapter? Is it fairly easy to install? Only to the back of the radio or can it also connect to the CD changer bracket in the trunk?
> 
> http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-Passat_B5-4_Motion-W8/Search/IPod/ES5408/
> 
> ...


Dave the OEM IPod Wiring Adapter (found HERE) is the one my VW guys suggest for your car. HERE is a generic DIY to help you figure out the install.

James with ECS


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

ECSTuning said:


> Dave the OEM IPod Wiring Adapter (found HERE) is the one my VW guys suggest for your car. HERE is a generic DIY to help you figure out the install.
> 
> James with ECS


Great! Order#: 488-870-696 Thank you, James for the quick response. Please also let your VW guys know that I also appreciate their expertise. :thumbup:

Take care,

Dave


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## cwinter (Feb 3, 2009)

Is the shift knob supposed to be turned that way? It looks weird because the middle console does not appear angled towards the driver but the shift knob is. The gates don't actually correspond to the location shown by the patter on the knob, or do they?

Neat ride!


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## energetik9 (Sep 9, 2008)

Are you aware that VW is typically at the bottom of the reliability report? They share a special area down there with Jaguar and Dodge. 

Hey, to each their own....


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## AutoUnion (Apr 11, 2005)

energetik9 said:


> Are you aware that VW is typically at the bottom of the reliability report? They share a special area down there with Jaguar and Dodge.
> 
> Hey, to each their own....


Because BMW is doing so much better right?


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

cwinter said:


> Is the shift knob supposed to be turned that way? It looks weird because the middle console does not appear angled towards the driver but the shift knob is. The gates don't actually correspond to the location shown by the patter on the knob, or do they?
> 
> Neat ride!


Thanks, cwinter. Oh, it is just the floating pattern indicator in the center of the shift knob that has rotated a little too far to the right. It does indicate the actual shift pattern if I could figure out how rotate the floating center piece of the shifter (the ring around the floater and the entire shift knob has not rotated). Pattern:

R__1 3 5
.... 2 4 6


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## MontereyDave (Jan 18, 2009)

energetik9 said:


> Are you aware that VW is typically at the bottom of the reliability report? They share a special area down there with Jaguar and Dodge.
> 
> Hey, to each their own....


Perhaps VW as a whole has reliability issues. I had thought the same thing and had written VW off of my car search until I came across the surprisingly high Consumer Reports rating of 65 points for the 2003 VW Passat W8 (the Phaeton W8 also has a high rating): http://consumerguideauto.howstuffwo...en-passat-4dr-sdn-w8-4motion-6-spd-manual.htm

To put it into comparison the W8 actually ranks quite high:

MB E-Class is 71: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2003-to-2009-mercedes-benz-e-class.htm

Acura RL is 68: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1996-to-2004-acura-rl.htm

VW Phaeton is 67: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2004-to-2006-volkswagen-phaeton.htm

Lexus GS300/430 is 65: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2003-lexus-gs-300-430.htm

Infiniti G35 is 62: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2003-to-2007-infiniti-g35.htm

Volvo S80 is 62: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1999-to-2006-volvo-s80.htm

Cadillac CTS is 60: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2003-to-2007-cadillac-cts.htm

BMW 3-Series is 56: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1999-to-2005-bmw-3-series.htm

Jag X-Type is 56: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2002-to-2008-jaguar-x-type.htm


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