VW Passat W8?

mrthingyx · 4 Apr 2006 at 15:45

Hmmm... looking at acquiring a new (used) car as the wife is now starting to drive and I want something a little more 'interesting' than my current VW Polo.

I've been looking into various Q-cars and the W8 has been mentioned numerous times, being both a complete flop new and within my budget (around £10k) for a nice, used example.

Does anybody have any experience with these cars? A few things have me wondering:

1) The W8 engine: is it complicated to work with and does it need a lot of things doing to it (i.e. like most performance blocks?)

2) What is the fueld economy like in the real world - I've heard it does 20mpg on average but how big is the tank in the first place?

Other car suggestions would be welcome, but I want something understated but appreciably fast.

The sensible alternative to this car is a nice 2.5l V6 turbodiesel with the change spent on bringing hte power up to 200-odd bhp.

Any ideas?

paradigm · 4 Apr 2006 at 16:06

mrthingyx said:
The sensible alternative to this car is a nice 2.5l V6 turbodiesel with the change spent on bringing hte power up to 200-odd bhp.

Any ideas?

Your looking around £10K and say the sensible idea is a 6-cylinder diesel with ~200BHP.

That alone to me says look for a BMW 330D.

PeterNem · 4 Apr 2006 at 17:19

I like the idea of the passat W8 just because it's a little unusual.... the problem is, nobody would really know that, most people would just assume you were driving the 1.8.

So - there's no point buying it if what other people thinks of it is what matters to you.

In terms of personal opinion, that is something only you can decide, but be sure to drive other cars out there in your price range.

NickXX · 4 Apr 2006 at 18:27

You could squeeze a BMW 330i into that budget.

Sone · 4 Apr 2006 at 18:29

what is a W8, i though W engines had to go up in 3's like the old w12 F1 Car?

[TW]Fox · 4 Apr 2006 at 18:55

NickXX said:
You could squeeze a BMW 330i into that budget.

You could, and it'd be faster and better to drive than the Passat.

Rilot · 4 Apr 2006 at 18:59

[TW]Fox said:
You could, and it'd be faster and better to drive than the Passat.

Agree 100% with this.

I drove a W8 Passat when I had my BMW 540i and I thought it was a terrible car. Not actually bad but you just didn't feel like you were driving anything special. The 4.0 W8 engine isn't that powerful (the 540i would waste it).

Unless it's an absolute steal, leave it alone and get a 3 or 5 series instead.

PeterNem · 4 Apr 2006 at 19:27

Sone said:
what is a W8, i though W engines had to go up in 3's like the old w12 F1 Car?

I guess it has to go up in 4's.... as it's basically two V configuration engines on a common crank.

edit: handy little table from a wikipedia page:

Piston engine configurations
Straight Single, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14
V 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24
Flat 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16
W 8, 12, 16, 18
Other inline H, VR6, Opposed, U (Square)
Other Radial, Rotary, Pistonless (Wankel)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W8_engine

ajgoodfellow · 4 Apr 2006 at 19:40

I think they've forgotten the VW V5 engine

PeterNem · 4 Apr 2006 at 19:44

Good point, I guess that proves you can go against the mould, but it's certainly the exception rather than the norm!

MagicBoy · 4 Apr 2006 at 22:08

Why not look for a V6 4Mo instead? Nearly the same performance with better fuel economy.

mrthingyx · 4 Apr 2006 at 22:49

Was thinking about the 330D - everything I have read raves about it, but the problem is...

It's a BMW.

And the whole point of getting a fast car would be that nobody would know... if they did, well... the number of "Little Scrotes Keyed My Pride And Joy" threads is a bit too depressing for me to drop £10k on something ostentatious.

I think the attraction of the W8 is that it's very unusual and very rare... I know Passats are dogs when it comes to handling but considering the amount of 'spirited' driving I do, it's not too much of a worry.

Heh - and besides, the fuel economy of the 2.8VR6 ain't much better.

Knowing my luck, you guys will help me choose and then the missus will decide she doesn't want the damn thing.

How about the 2.5V6 TDI? Anybody tried one of those?

Nozzer · 4 Apr 2006 at 22:50

A BMW 3 series is far from being flash.

NickXX · 4 Apr 2006 at 22:51

Nozzer said:
A BMW 3 series is far from being flash.

Quoted for the truth. There are so many to chose from, it'll lower the chance of your one being keyed.

ajgoodfellow · 4 Apr 2006 at 22:58

I can see why he wouldn't want a BMW

I personally see them as being rather flash and wouldn't buy one personally but that's just me!

The W8 Passat was overpriced at launch (something like £30k!) but due to fearce depreciation it's far more affordable

The Passat has always been held in high regard. If you want a fast, understated car then you can do far worse

[TW]Fox · 4 Apr 2006 at 23:02

The 3 Series is not a flash car. It's everywhere - so common most people don't even look twice at them. There are more E46 3 Series on the road than VW Passats.

ajgoodfellow · 4 Apr 2006 at 23:04

That's the problem though - people seem to buy them because they wish to be seen as better/more successful/etc than the Passat/Mondeo buyers on the whole IMO

NickXX · 4 Apr 2006 at 23:06

ajgoodfellow said:
That's the problem though - people seem to buy them because they wish to be seen as better/more successful/etc than the Passat/Mondeo buyers on the whole IMO

I bought mine because it *is* better than the Passat/Mondeo. Don't get me wrong, the Passat/Mondeo are good cars, but the BMW is by far the better car - or at least was for me.

The only real problem is that you will pay a premium for one.