Anyone here still an original (first) owner of a B5 since new?

[opus]

Anyone here still an original (first) owner of a B5 since new? Just curious. I am...99 V6 GLX with 102k miles. I still love driving the car to this day. Sure, I have some expensive repairs every now and then. But, I think the B5 Passat is the best Passat ever - just right in size, excellent fit & finish, handles well, rides well, quiet, 5 speed auto (only luxury cars had it then). Very happy and satisfied owner.

[2002GLXV6]

I'm the org. owner of a 5.5 GLX V6 5 speed manual wit 132,000. Great car, fit, finish, ride, handling. If they only knew how to build a clutch! Hate the clutch! Hate it! Dual Mass Flywheel, who thought up that piece of crap! Other than that as I said great car.

[dbrick]

Me too: 2001 GLS V6, but only 70K - I ride my motorcycle more. The Passat is a delightful automobile. I expect to keep it twenty years.

[Mtech]

Me. Actually today is my Passat Wagon's production date - 9th birthday. There will be cake! I love my Passat, right size, right power, still solid.

[2KB5]

Original owner, 2000 1.8T/Tip., 116K. Still love driving it, but the last year it's been a maintenance headache (more like migraine). I'll probably keep it though.

[Nadroj]

I have a 2001 B5.5 GLX with 93k miles. Wonderful car with a wonderful community.

[VeeMike]

Guilty. DOM 12/1998. 30 mos. lease in March 1999. Went to buy an S4 late summer 2001 until the Audi salesman was an absolute jerk who put down the Passat every chance he could. Then I found www.ClubB5.com just before 9-11 and the rest, as they say, is history. The mods started immediately. Now 242,900 mis. later my car is still super clean.

[dirtyjers]

Guilty. DOM 12/1998. 30 mos. lease in March 1999. Went to buy an S4 late summer 2001 until the Audi salesman was an absolute jerk who put down the Passat every chance he could. Then I found www.ClubB5.com just before 9-11 and the rest, as they say, is history. The mods started immediately. Now 242,900 mis. later my car is still super clean.

What was the Audi salesman saying? That's awful sales tactics on his part, he has to know that it's the same company, sharing a majority of their parts.

Sorry for off topic.

[ylwagon]

Bought our wagon in '98, still a nice ride.

[atsffan]

2000 1.8T original owner, purchased July 2000. 133k miles and still pulls well and looks great after a bath. Love the manual tranny (despite the comments above about the clutch).
I had the Upsolute program loaded about a year after I purchased it and the 30-40 extra HP and torque are just right for the vehicle's weight.

I keep considering posting it for sale here, but I know I'd regret it 10 min. after it left my driveway.

[FatBastard]

I am the original owner of a 2001.5 GLS V6 with 105K miles. Generally, have liked the car. Repairs have included: Alternator; Control Arms; Most engine oil seals; timing belt & water pump (preventative); tires 2x; shocks... Likely need catalytic converters, but holding off with O2 sensor extenders until aftermarkets are available in California.

I've been out test driving newer cars, and haven't found that most drive as well as my 12 year old Passat. So, still like it in some ways. Also, really like the uncluttered interior compared to most cars. I wish I liked the look of the new Passat better.

[Passatian]

I expect to keep it twenty years.

[dbrick]

Quite doable, IMO. I kept my last two motorcycles 9 and 13 years, last two cars 11 and 21 years.

[opus]

I've been out test driving newer cars, and haven't found that most drive as well as my 12 year old Passat.

Same here. Every time, I test drove newer cars, I think to myself "my old car is just as good as this new car".

[opus]

Quite doable, IMO. I kept my last two motorcycles 9 and 13 years, last two cars 11 and 21 years.

When I just got the Passat, I had planned to keep it for 10 years. At 10 years, I planned to keep it until 20 years. Now at 13 years, I am keeping it until 25 or even 30 years. It gets better as it gets older.

[atsffan]

Bottom line is that I can't justify getting rid of a car that might (worst case) run me a thousand a year for some major maintenance item that I either can't do myself or decide I don't want to do myself.

If VW would import the Scirocco, I'd go for it; I love the CC, but it's just more car than I want to get into now. I want a nice 2 door - the Polo WRC springs to mind. VW needs to broaden their car (not SUV crapola) offerings, esp. at the smaller end to compete with stuff like the Mini & Fiat 500.

[JeffTepper]

Over the 40+ years I've been driving my driving patterns have changed considerably. In the early years, I was driving new cars every year or two and enjoying the "new" factor. Included in the mix were Porsche, BMW, Volvo, Ford, several Japanese brands, and of course VW. More recently, I got tired of eating all that new car depreciation and began driving used cars and hanging on to them longer. My wife is the original owner of her '98 GLS 1.8T stick shift. It's got about 170,000 on it. Little annoying things include leather upholstery seams letting go, the original clear coat (black) paint is beginning to cook off, plastic bits and some electronics are beginning to fail, and it's at a point in its life cycle where some parts are NLA. On the plus side, it is sized just right for the two of us, has a great driver interface, is reasonably good on gas (it's stable mates have V8s), and has been reliable with regular servicing. At the end of the day, I enjoy driving it, but there will likely be a point where critical electronics fail and the cost of maintaining it as a daily driver will so far exceed its value that I will probably lobby for its replacement. Note that at 14 years, this car is the newest car in the current fleet! We have looked at the 2013 CC but the back up camera feature (required) is not offered with the 4 cylinder engine so we are holding off pulling the trigger for now.

[Davesea]

I am original owner of 2003 Passat Wagon.

[stealth]

Sort of, I took over my 99 Passat from my gf. she is the original owner, since we live together she still drives it sometimes ( she bought a 09 accord) and I drove it before tht, so you could say we together are the original owners. I took it over at 139k miles, it has 162k now. I had to put a lot of work into it when I got it from her, she never would have been able to pay a shop to fix it up. She special ordered it pretty much exactly the way I would have, (black on black leather, fwd, 1.8 , full winter pkg , 5 speed, sunroof, alloys, full size spare) kind of brought us together. Never been dented or wrecked, but lots of new parts! Only mods are euro fog light switch, Konis, panzer skid plate and super aggressive winter studded tires ( Nokian hakk 5), Debadged. No check engine lights, no vibes, still gets 30+mpg, all accs work. Only thing currently needs fixing is drivers door sensor. Original turbo, clutch, cat, tranny and most of the exhaust (really amazing for a New England car) except the flex pipe and down pipe. It's on it's third timing belt, second power steering pump, one complete replacement of front control arms.

[norpol]

Original owner of 1999 GLS wagon, with 338000 kms. Still going strong but needs more and more TLC these days.

[Cole Raceway]

Yep!! My wife bought a 2001.5 GLX 2.8 4motion. She got a company car a couple yrs ago so I am the main driver now. In another yr we will hand it down to our son. It has been a total money pit (compared to our jap cars) at 147k miles BUT I TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!!! Have driven many cars since and NOTHING compares!!

[JMPS 3]

I still have my 2003 GLS manual with 90k miles. I chipped it this past year and it seems like a new car to me. I hope to keep it at least 15 years. I have rented a Jetta and a new Passat and feel my car is just at a higher level. I do try to fix everything right away so I don't get annoyed with small things. Last thing was the visor wire issue. Thanks to EBay I got one for $35!

[KidCrazie]

Recently purchased a '99 Passat 1.8T GLS FWD. First VW I have ever worked on and would seriously liked to have jumped onto the German scene a lot earlier. Enjoy the suspension & torque and the Tiptronic trans. No doubt the HD suspension I've just enstalled and the other performance parts add to this enthusiasm. Great to be here and this this site kicks serious butt!!!
Just wish I could bump into more VW tuners around my area.

[Itschuck]

I have 2000 1.8t ATW with 114k on the clock. Bought in June of 2000. Mechanically the car has been fairly good. Few minor issues, plus the usual stuff like suspension ( control arms ) and of course the ABS controller is now rearing it's ugly head. If it wasn't for the clear coat peeling ( my 91 Cabriolet has better paint and its original ) and the interior falling apart I would rate this car as excellent. Cheapest leather seats I have ever seen...

[arpad]

'99 GLS 1.8T Tiptronic with 163,000 miles . Always run on Mobil 1 , usual Passat problems except no sludge , engine drips about one quart per 2500 miles and I'm too lazy to change the valve cover gasket . Still quiet and comfortable with good mileage .

[CRUZR]

I am the original owner of a Fresco Green 2001.5 1.8t manual with 135,000 on it. Love this car, I've looked at other new cars recently and I also can't justify buying a new one when my baby is still in great shape. The new vehicles just don't offer anything special enough to make me desire a new car just yet. I'm always concerned that something big will fail though!

APR chipped, HD Bilsteins, 2.5 inch cat back Techtonics / Borla exhaust / 034 Diverter valve everything else is stock. Still fun to drive.

[ytqm]

Still Here. Purchased 12/1999 2000 1.8t 5sp. 362,000 miles. Hanging on as long as I can.

[ashman78]

Dad's the original owner of our '98, which I bought in '01. Mom's the original owner of our '01.5, which we bought in 2007 or so. From VW's perspective (immediate family), these are both considered one-owner cars

Needless to say, we don't cycle through cars much -- and our balance sheet and cash flows are happier for it, despite the occasional expensive repair or maddening DIY job.

[mrgreek2002]

I am!

[Zach440]

I purchased my 1999 Passat 6cyl-5 speed in May of 1999. It now has 80,000 miles on it and it continues to be the best car that I have ever owned. If anything it seems to be getting easier to take care of...I have had two sets of tires-two belt replacements (better safe than sorry), new brakes (rotors et alii) front and back and a couple of batteries. I have never had the water-ingress problems that have plagued many. I have always used Mobil Synthetic oil. And, much to the surprise of my mechanic, it has NO oil leaks, and never has had. Many of the potential problems that might have occurred with my car were easily sidestepped due in great part to PassatWorld. If one avails oneself of this forum carefully, most common problems can be stopped before they happen. I have replaced the EGR hoses, the vacuum lines, added extra grounding (a la Hermann), added European engine covers, Euro Hella (oem) HID headlights (with aiming motors that are wired to the combo switch at the dashboard), and LED bulbs,but have left the outside appearance stock. It seems that many of the complaints that end up in this forum are often the result of owners not understanding the maintenence needs of these cars. Yes the Passat needs more care, but I believe that the extra work is more than repaid with a car that is extremely well built, handles like a sports car and can be used for a wide range of everyday tasks. And it is great fun for a gearhead like me to work on...