[mstark]

I am interested in buying a 01-04 wagon. I like the idea of deisel, but worry that it will be hard to find a pump. Any thoughts? I also want manual transmission. Oh, and the 4 cylinder that I test drove was not so great. So, I am leaning toward the V6. Other than that, 4 wheel drive is a plus since I live in New England, but not necessary.

So many options, trims, engines. Can someone make a recommendation?

 

[B5.5_Wagoneer]

It really depends. What are you going to use it for? Budget - does money matter?

Me personally, if it is a family car - V6 is overkill and money would be better spent on other things. If it isn't a family car, and you are using it for work or want a cool car to play with, then your call of course

As for the trims, the packages make it easier unfortunently. There was a lot of stuff we wanted but couldn't get because we didn't want leather seats. So cool steering wheel, electronic adj and seat memory, all that stuff was out. VW looses money forcing you to go all or nothing

Have you tried "building" your car on vw.com? That helped us decide.

We wanted a TDI but they had none available and we needed a car pretty quick. But there gas mileage is great.

Our 1.8t is a lot of fun, and we get close to 30 mpg.

 

[RAH]

i would go for the 4 Cylinder myself, 1.8T with the 4 motion, now available in the 04 model. Once you drive the 1.8T for a while, you will learn to love it (trust me :roll: ) and you will get great gas mileage...... Good luck in your decision :thumbup:

 

[RachaPassat]

Living here in NY (like this past winter) the all wheel drive was awesome. I agree that finding a diesel pump may be difficult, but not impossible and you would have to properly plan on filling up if it's far from you. However the gas prices aren't going to go back to what they were last year either.

My '98 has the 1.8T (150 hp) and isn't a barn burner, especially with the weight of the car and me behind the wheel . I believe for a Variant that the way to go is the 6.

Good luck!

 

[atomicalex]

I dream of a TDI. If I didn't have so much $$ into the existing one (and I hate chrome) I would seriously consider trading it on a TDI wagon. We already have a Golf TDI, just find all the truck stops near your town. The clerks go nuts over the VWs and MBs that come in for fill-ups and the truckers are absolutely tickled. It is just a dream car.

I have a 1.8t stick wagon now. It is fine, although we are not a family of lardbutts ( oke: Racha ). The stick makes a world of difference. I also live in Detroit, where we get a decent amount of snow. No issues last winter, and I will caution you based on Big_C's experience, that snow tires will be required to make the 4Mo shine in the snow and ice. Snow tires on the FWD were a night and day difference in winter handling.

Have fun, you can't really go wrong with any of them! :heart:

 

[NoneRock]

Well according to what you are looking for you would have to get a GLX wagon 5-speed. You said you did not like the 1.8t so...

GL - 4 cyl.
GLS - 4 cyl.
GLX - V6
W8 - 8 cyl
TDI (Diesel) - not available in a 5-speed

All others are available in a 5-speed trans except for the GLX if you added 4Motion all wheel drive.

The 1.8t is a fantastic engine, and with an upgraded ECU software for as little as $295 you will have a stronger more fuel efficient engine than the V6.

Happy shopping :thumbup:

 

[Green_Hornet]

When we lived in New England (middle of CT), we didn't have any problems finding stations carrying diesel. And, if your house has oil heat, you have a source of emergency fuel!

 

[saheed]

That's one advantage here in my country, all stations carry diesel.
But not many TDI, since the dealer doesn't seem to import those models.

Get the 1.8T and put some money in a chip.

 

[days-like-this]

Get the TDI if you can find one. The only problem would be the tip trans (no manual available). You won't have ANY TROUBLE finding diesel at a pump, seriously, it's everywhere once you start looking. I live in a ski town and am not concerned one bit about not having a 4mo...I'll just stick Hakka Q snow tires on my new TDI passat wagon and be good to go...

Note the resale of the TDI's will be incredible... :wink:

Sticker for mileage on the TDI wagon is 27-38. I'm averaging 34.5 on my first 5 tanks of fuel (and it only gets better )

 

[mstark]

THANKS!

Thanks for all of your help!

I will be using the car for family and work. We have a 2 year old and hopefully another one will be on the way soon. We also have two dogs (weimaraner and a smaller mutt) 70lbs and 40lbs. The dogs travel with us quite a bit. We currently have a 2002 S Forester and it is not long enough in the front or back seats.

So here is what I have focused on:

'01.5 or '02
manual
4 cyl.
two wheel drive

I had to abandon my deisel fantasies - I can't afford and '04 and if I could where would I get one?

For the car I get, I will look into modifying the chip for better performance and fuel efficiency. And I'll look for snow tires as well. Hoping for leather, power seats and cold weather package.

That's all for now. I hope the 4 cyl. test drive goes better with the manual than it did with the automatic.

Thanks again for all of your comments.

 

[pete1]

Welcome to the club! There's a small but vocal bunch of Wagon/Variant owners here that love to see one more on the road. :thumbup:

Stay the heck away from the Group Buy forum if you love your wallet. :lol:

1.8T Manual + Chip = Buy it, you won't be sorry.