VW Passat W8?

[mrthingyx]

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?

 

[mrthingyx]

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?