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2000 VW Passat V6 2.8

When I was looking for a car last year, it was a choice between BMW323i, Audi A4 1.8T, Volvo S40T and VW Golf V5. My heart went to the Golf after test driving each of them. The BMW was dropped for its high price. It was not value for money. The Volvo was decided against for its lack of driver appeal. The Audi was rejected for its dated appearance.  So an order was placed for a Golf 2.3V5. There was no stock and I had to wait - 4 months!

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Then one of these good days, I visited the showroom again and all were changed. I saw this Passat in the showroom. It looked good, and big. I asked to see the engine bay. In front of me was a beautifully crafted piece of engineering with a purpose. It was put to test and I changed my mind. For a mere US$4000 more than the Golf V5, I bought this Silver colour Passat V6.

Acquired in Oct 2000, this VW is my 7th. Before this, and since 1980, I had a Beetle 1302, a Mark I Golf GL, a Mark 2 Golf GTI, a G60 Corrado, a Passat 2.0 GL, a Mark III Golf GL. The main reason that 7 out of 9 cars I owned is VW has to do with the reliability of the brand and more importantly their value for money. This Passat car has won more awards than I care to mention, the latest being one form Australia. It is also the best family sedan in the USA for 2 years running.

This Passat is the most 'luxury' car I have ever owned. It has 6 airbags, Climate control, Rain-sensor wipers, Cruise control, Leather seats, Walnut wood insets, Remote Alarm, Tiptronic automatic gearbox, Sunroof, 6 Disc CD sound system, Metallic paint, Xeon headlight, ABS, ASR, etc etc etc and Power windows, mirrors, seats .... Indeed, I sometimes wonder how much energy it uses to drive all these motors and sensors.

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The best thing about this car is the engine. A 30 valve 2.8 V6 that you also find in a more expensive Audi A6. The engine is very powerful and extremely smooth. The ride is very good too and the interior very quiet. This gives me an excuse to listen to my favourite CD. The sound system is excellent and it is auto-adjusted as the speed of the car goes up.

Is there anything I don't like about it? Yes. It is a bit big for my taste and for our kind of driving conditions.  But since the kids need some legroom at the back (when they say legroom, they mean playroom), I have little choice.

By the way, just for information, the other non VW cars I owned was a BMW2002 and a Citroen 2CV6. The Citroen being my favourite. Beyond that, I have bikes.

For more information, visit Here

For a history of all the cars I have had, visit Here