Passat of the Month - June 2006
Adam Bleser (Bleser)
Overland Park, KS USA
Adam Bleser (Bleser)
Overland Park, KS USA
First and foremost I would like to say that I am truly honored to be Passat of the Month. There have been many beautiful and award-worthy customized Passats over the years as Passat of the Month, so I am quite flattered to have this opportunity.
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The roots of owning my Passat actually come from a Volkswagen Jetta. My friend purchased a 2001 Jetta GLS in November of 2001, and after taking a ride in it, I was truly impressed. Not so much by the power (it was the 2.0L 115 HP four-cylinder), but the overall quality of the car. The way the interior was laid out and everything that the engineers thought of truly blew me away. I am also proud of my German heritage, so to own a Volkswagen was right up my alley.
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Fast-forward to the spring of 2003. I am about to graduate college and am looking to make that first new-car purchase. I set out to buy a Jetta having remembered its amazing quality and German roots, and as I am looking/researching, my father mentions the Passat. I immediately turned the idea down, saying that they are too expensive (I thought they started around $30K simply from the way they looked compared to other cars on the road). After paying a visit to VW’s Web site and seeing I could get in a GLS for around $25K, I was excited. Then I found these forums (which were then known as clubb5.com), and I was 100% decided. One look at julianfang’s profile, and WHAM, I knew what I wanted: a black B5.5 that would need some “alterations” from its stock form.
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After purchasing my black/tan leather 1.8T GLS B5.5 in July of 2003, the ideas started to accumulate. I knew the stock 15’s had to go. I wanted a BBS-style wheel and found the new ASA (BBS licensed) AR1 wheel in 17x8”, which looked perfect. I had them installed before my first oil change. Then came the need to rid my car of the SUV - style wheel gap, so I purchased the full Eibach Pro-System suspension and had it installed.
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Both were not quite right. The 17’s just looked too small, and the Eibach suspension on my 1.8T manual transmission Passat had the illusion that I had a body in my trunk at all times (the dreaded reverse-rake look). It had to be changed. So I ordered the same wheel in 18x8”. I also did a lot of suspension research and decided to replace the Eibach setup with Neuspeed Sport Springs and Neuspeed-Bilstein Grooved Shocks. I set the shocks to one notch below neutral and had them installed. Now we’re talking. The final two major steps were the full Votex body kit and GIAC 93-octane chip. The image in my head I had of my Passat the day that I bought it was now realized: a one-of-a-kind German head-turning sport sedan that I knew the Passat could be!
![Image]()
I have since sold the car, but kept it in my family. It is now proudly daily-driven by my brother who takes excellent care of it and keeps it well maintained. I help out with the maintenance and answer many questions from curious browsers of these forums.
None of this would be possible without the help, support, and ideas that I have gotten from these forums. PassatWorld’s community of people is truly a step above your “standard” automotive forum, and I am proud to be a member and a true Volkswagen driver. Thank you again to everyone at PassatWorld; you are all responsible for turning the Passat into a true 1st-class European Sports Sedan all over the world!
The roots of owning my Passat actually come from a Volkswagen Jetta. My friend purchased a 2001 Jetta GLS in November of 2001, and after taking a ride in it, I was truly impressed. Not so much by the power (it was the 2.0L 115 HP four-cylinder), but the overall quality of the car. The way the interior was laid out and everything that the engineers thought of truly blew me away. I am also proud of my German heritage, so to own a Volkswagen was right up my alley.
Fast-forward to the spring of 2003. I am about to graduate college and am looking to make that first new-car purchase. I set out to buy a Jetta having remembered its amazing quality and German roots, and as I am looking/researching, my father mentions the Passat. I immediately turned the idea down, saying that they are too expensive (I thought they started around $30K simply from the way they looked compared to other cars on the road). After paying a visit to VW’s Web site and seeing I could get in a GLS for around $25K, I was excited. Then I found these forums (which were then known as clubb5.com), and I was 100% decided. One look at julianfang’s profile, and WHAM, I knew what I wanted: a black B5.5 that would need some “alterations” from its stock form.
After purchasing my black/tan leather 1.8T GLS B5.5 in July of 2003, the ideas started to accumulate. I knew the stock 15’s had to go. I wanted a BBS-style wheel and found the new ASA (BBS licensed) AR1 wheel in 17x8”, which looked perfect. I had them installed before my first oil change. Then came the need to rid my car of the SUV - style wheel gap, so I purchased the full Eibach Pro-System suspension and had it installed.
Both were not quite right. The 17’s just looked too small, and the Eibach suspension on my 1.8T manual transmission Passat had the illusion that I had a body in my trunk at all times (the dreaded reverse-rake look). It had to be changed. So I ordered the same wheel in 18x8”. I also did a lot of suspension research and decided to replace the Eibach setup with Neuspeed Sport Springs and Neuspeed-Bilstein Grooved Shocks. I set the shocks to one notch below neutral and had them installed. Now we’re talking. The final two major steps were the full Votex body kit and GIAC 93-octane chip. The image in my head I had of my Passat the day that I bought it was now realized: a one-of-a-kind German head-turning sport sedan that I knew the Passat could be!
I have since sold the car, but kept it in my family. It is now proudly daily-driven by my brother who takes excellent care of it and keeps it well maintained. I help out with the maintenance and answer many questions from curious browsers of these forums.
None of this would be possible without the help, support, and ideas that I have gotten from these forums. PassatWorld’s community of people is truly a step above your “standard” automotive forum, and I am proud to be a member and a true Volkswagen driver. Thank you again to everyone at PassatWorld; you are all responsible for turning the Passat into a true 1st-class European Sports Sedan all over the world!
) in July of 2005. Although it is a fabulous car with excllent power and clean lines, the interior quality and fit & finish is surpassed by the Passat. German interiors are always top-notch and hard to beat. 
