New or old model passat??

triple-M

Well basically there were 2 types of passats available in 2005 the b5.5 and the b6 and im wondering in general which is better/more reliable etc etc.....i've heared that the b6 has problems with the handbrake and fuel pump etc.. heres 2 links of what im considering any advice greatly appreciated
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1305485
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1311066

pipsqueak

id personally go for the older model, The later one as always had niggly teething issues as all first production models had, the last of the older model (b5)were mainly ironed out.
Plus its a 130bhp and the colour on that one is the best color in my opinion with leather.
at 8 grand its a very keenly priced and if the belt has been done and the cvs are sound well then you have a damn good, sturdy, reliable and smart looking motor.

pipsqueak

but why does it say 05 on the advert and have an 04 plate??

Biro

The B6 Passat is vastly superior to the outdated B5.5 Passat. There are handbrake problems alright, but aside from that no other real problems that wouldn't have affected the other one. Neither are the pinnacle of reliability. They're much less reliable than the general car buying public in Ireland would lead you to believe, however on the other hand they're not near as unreliable as the boards folk would have you believe! Draw a line in the middle and you have your answer.
The B6 is a decent car to drive, weak points are in the feeling and feedback, and that 105bhp diesel engine. The 2 litre is much better.
The b5.5 is not a great car to drive at all. Well sound insulated and fairly comfortable is about as good as you can describe it, the 1.9 diesels are noisey and peaky in their delivery. You can do better. I'd advise you to either save for a 2 litre B6 or look outside the VW camp.

pipsqueak

Biro wrote: »

The B6 Passat is vastly superior to the outdated B5.5 Passat. There are handbrake problems alright, but aside from that no other real problems that wouldn't have affected the other one. Neither are the pinnacle of reliability. They're much less reliable than the general car buying public in Ireland would lead you to believe, however on the other hand they're not near as unreliable as the boards folk would have you believe! Draw a line in the middle and you have your answer.
The B6 is a decent car to drive, weak points are in the feeling and feedback, and that 105bhp diesel engine. The 2 litre is much better.
The b5.5 is not a great car to drive at all. Well sound insulated and fairly comfortable is about as good as you can describe it, the 1.9 diesels are noisey and peaky in their delivery. You can do better. I'd advise you to either save for a 2 litre B6 or look outside the VW camp.

the b5 is not a good car to drive??? oh but it has good sound insulation??
op ignore the above, just buy the 05.04 130bhp and be enjoy it!!
great car!

seanybiker

older model every car is nicer than new models. Really dont like the look of a lot of the new models.

pipsqueak

seanybiker wrote: »

older model every car is nicer than new models. Really dont like the look of a lot of the new models.

^^^a chap with taste!!!:D good man!

nogoodnamesleft

I have a B5.5 130bhp Highline. When I was buying I had the option of a early B6 platform passat. The main reason I chose the B5.5 was that I was higher spec, more power and less problems than the B6. Also I find the newer Vw dashes look and feel quiet cheap!

It is true though that the handling isnt the greatest on the B5, however you wouldnt be buying a passat if you wanted edge of your seat driving would you?

seanybiker

pipsqueak wrote: »

^^^a chap with taste!!!:D good man!

Why thank you good sir.

Esel

> > > Circle Jerk forum.

unkel

Back on topic please...

What biro said plus the B6 is not a bad car but both are overpriced compared to other cars in the class. Why not consider a Mondeo, Accord, etc.

lancerwall

would go with the old model passat. Have one myself its 130bhp and think its a great car, had to put 17" alloys to sort out the handling. Had the choice at the time of the new model but chose against it some of my neighbours had changed from the old to new model and they said biggest mistake they ever made

BlackWizard

I drive the 130 old model too. Remapped to 160ish. It's highline leather. Very comfortable car to drive.

It doesn't handle like a BMW but I don't believe cars have to drive like a racing car to be fun. It has bags of power and can easily be thrown around corners. I just feels like a boat when tossed from side to side. But I don't really drive on race tracks or go racing around estates, so I prefer the comfortable ride. The old model needs a decent set of alloys. Dont have to be mad bling bling, but nice ones

I chose it over the newer model because the exterior just doesn't look too good to me. And the interior is disgustingly cheap looking. Crappy plastic looking user console section where the heating and radio is. Just feels like it missed a few sections of the manufacturing line and it needs to be sent back and finishing touches put on it.

BlackWizard

some of my neighbours had changed from the old to new model and they said biggest mistake they ever made

My neighbor in work wanted to change is 02 Passat for a new one but he didnt like the new one at all. It just looks newer but doesn't seem to have anything extra on what he has. And for 30+ thousand euro, he said he wanted something extra and not just a new reg.

_Kaiser_

I've owned/own both...

The 02 SE/Comfortline 130BHP (in my case Auto) version is - as said above - comfortable, well-insulated and has decent performance from the 1.9TDI. Boot space is massive and plenty of rear leg room.

I had issues with my one - passenger door lock was problematic, lights on the dash, and servicing costs are expensive, but that said, my mate had the same car (except his was a highline and manual) and never had a problem.
If I'm honest, even with the issues I had the car still drove well.


I now have a 06 140BHP Comfortline 2.0TDI (DSG Auto) and I can tell you, there's a world of difference in that 0.1L. Acceleration is vastly improved (especially if you drop it into Sport mode), cruises at 100kph at just under 2000 RPM which is good for the fuel economy which isn't much different than my old one.

It's bigger with the same boot space and leg room (maybe slightly more) than the old one, handles a lot better and although there are a few creaks from the dash and front suspension when going over ramps (both common issues) I find it's a nice place to be, which is important as I'm on the road a lot with work.

Again there are issues though, the electronic handbrake doesn't always engage first press of the button (I personally think they should've left it with a standard handbrake), road/wind noise is louder than the older car, servicing is still expensive (but not if you go North ), and I don't think it has as much "pull" in crawl/drive mode at lights/on a hill as the older car, although I've noticed the gear ratios seem to have been changed with the last service and it's better now so I'm assuming a software update is responsible.

The "auto hold" feature is just another toy they should've left out as manoeuvering the car at low speeds often leads to sudden jolts as it kick in/turns off (I rarely use it unless on a steep hill).
Changing the bulbs is awkward due to limited room on the driver's side (but then again, it wasn't that much better on the older car)
Cruise control is great though - and to think I used to believe it'd be a waste with an automatic car!

All that said though, I still prefer the newer one

L-M

BlackWizard wrote: »

I drive the 130 old model too. Remapped to 160ish. It's highline leather. Very comfortable car to drive.

I'd be curious to know how you went about insurance and the remap. PM me if you like.

triple-M

just an update i've test driven both the cars i mentioned in my first post and im leaning towards the older model it just seems sturdier and the 130bhp has a nice bit of poke in it and i've read alot of bad reviews about the newer model,but i still havent mad a final decision,dashboard seemed kinda rattly in the newer model tho which would irritate me,thanks for all the replies:D

Biro

pipsqueak wrote: »

the b5 is not a good car to drive??? oh but it has good sound insulation??
op ignore the above, just buy the 05.04 130bhp and be enjoy it!!
great car!

OP, he doesn't know what he's talking about obviously.

pipsqueak

Biro wrote: »

OP, he doesn't know what he's talking about obviously.

:rolleyes::pac:

bluemoon1

Okay , new model or old model..?

From a person that has driven this car( the new style passat) on the road for a few years.I would say the old passat straight away.

Why.?

During my time driving the new passat I broke down numerous times all on dual carriageways as well where the engine just cut out(picture quick diversion across lanes to hard shoulder). Fuel pumps, engine problems i had it all.Dont get me wrong its a nice car to look at ,drives well but the car is full of problems.Mine was a company car so I was not paying for the service but when I questioned these probelms in the garage it seems i got every problem going so I was told.A bad batch I think he said.

Anyway since then I have heard of a collegues 08' passat breaking down and a 07' passat .So personally nice car.looks well but if i was buying a passat tommorow I would buy the old version.

Just to mention I dont know much about cars so just speaking from my own personal experience.

Best of luck

BrianD3

im leaning towards the older model it just seems sturdier

The old one might "seem" sturdier but the new one is safer in a crash.
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/vw/passat.aspx

The old model does have a decent safety 4 star rating vs the new model's max 5 star rating in EuroNCAP. But in a more severe crash than EuroNCAP test for, the gap between the two could be expected to be wider.

bazz26

OP did you look at the Skoda Superb? Based on the old model Passat using the old Audi A6 stretched platform. They are bargins these days and generally are better equipped than similar Passats of the time.