[GUESShimself]

welp, last week i purchased a 1999 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T. i got a good deal from a dealer who really didn't know what he had. heh, he didn't even know there was a 6-disc CD changer in the trunk :lol:
i'm new to the volkswagen lifestyle. my previous automobile was an '89 Jeep Wrangler.

i'm just a poor college student, so i don't really have the funds right now to really do too much to the passat at this time. when i do have the money however, i would like to get to work on my new B5. any suggestions on what i should start out with? i'm sure new wheels and tires will be up there... i've been thinking a lot about 'em. what's a good size to get? i really want to keep the smooth ride of the passat and i've heard that going too large will really cut down on the smoothness. i've also been doing some reasearch on chips. it all sounds pretty cool.

any way, here's my new baby:

 

[luvmyb5]

Same thing happened when i bought my '99 1.8T- got a REALLY good deal on mine with everything but leather seats! I'm in the same position college/moneywise and have yet to do anything to mine. Is yours stick or automatic? Anyway, welcome to the club.

 

[GUESShimself]

i don't think i'd buy anything automatic. i need to feel like i'm actually driving the car, so a manual is what i got

 

[luvmyb5]

same for me- 5spd all the way

 

[Stranded In Daytona]

Ideas

Hey man,
Im in the same position, college, broke, and stuck with a car that im addicted to. But there are a few things you can do that are pretty cheap and affordable. 1)Get your windows tinted-- A good 20% charcoal tint all the way around would look pimp on your car. But for you, being in NC you have inspections and you can get any darker than 35% wouldn't let you pass. But just roll down your windows and take it to some bum shop to get inspected. I am from Wilmington, NC but go to school in Daytona Beach. I don't have to worry about inspects now thank God. Other things you can do would be to open up your Intake. A good K&N system is the ticket, but they can be expensive.... I just put a regular k&N filter for my stock Box and can feel a definant improvement already, plus my gas mileage has gone up by about 3 miles per gallon. You can find clear corners for your car cheap on this forum, or vwvortex.com, or even ebay. A shorty Antenna gives a nice look and they are about 20 bucks if you look at those 3 websites once again. Since you have the 1.8T you can do a lot with the engine... Downpipes, chips, diverter valves, bla bla bla.. but that gets pricey. You can also smoke your tail lights for about 70 bucks by JonBoy... he's on this forum, just search for him to contact him. A kamei or evolution grill looks really good also. If you wanna, take a look at my pictures of my car. Hope some of this helps.
Cameron

 

[coloradob5]

Hey Eric, welcome to the club. My 2000 1.8t GLS looked exactly the same as yours when I got it.

Now check mine out:
http://www.clubb5.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16320

You have a lot of fun and a great car to work on ahead of you, so be patient and enjoy the ride.