Not all that long ago, Volkswagen attempted to eschew the whole “people’s car” schtick and move its product line up-market. The result was cars like today’s Nice Price or No Dice W8 Passat: the fanciest Passat ever. Let’s see if its price now makes it one for the people.
Lots of people liked the 1998 Cadillac Deville we looked at last Friday. Well, what we really liked was its $1,800 price tag. That’s E-Bike territory, and while the Caddy may not be the sportiest or most efficient of rides, it does have a roof and, according to the ad, working heat and A/C. The result of that feature set/price match-up was a solid 93 percent Nice Price win.
Today, we’re going to go for another arguably cheap eight-cylinder saloon, but one that leans a little more heavily on technology and Germanic style than the traditional American approach of the Caddy.
We should note at the outset that today’s 2004 Volkswagen Passat W8 is a model that would not have even existed were it not for one man, then Volkswagen Group Chair Ferdinand Piëch. The grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, Piëch had a vision of an upscale Volkswagen, which led to him driving the development of such pie-in-the-sky cars as this fancy Passat. He argued that Volkswagen needed to expand its market presence upward in order to grow and profit. What resulted was cars like the range-topping Phaeton, the fancy off-roader Touareg, and the most expensive Passat the world had ever seen.
Volkswagen introduced the Passat nameplate in 1973 as a fastback doppelgänger to Audi’s model 80 saloon and two-door. Both models shared the same estate body style with brand separation handled by fitting different grilles, badges, and lights.
Over the years, VW alternated between Audi-style inline overhang engines and Golf-like transverse setups for the Passat models. By the time the B5 dropped in 1997, it was once again using the longitudinal layout and the same AWD setup as Audi’s Quattro, just rebranded for Volkswagen duty as the 4Motion. This generation of Passat was initially made available with a spate of four-cylinder gas and diesel engines, topping out with the quad-cam 2.8-liter V6, the mainstay of the competing Audi lineup at the time.
That would all change in late 2001 with the introduction of the W8 engine in the newly restyled Passat. Alarmingly described in retrospect as a ‘test bed’ for later W12 and W16 engines, the ‘W’ motor would later make its way into much more expensive cars.
The 271-horsepower eight-cylinder would be slotted into the Passat as part of an effort to make a shorter leap between it and the upcoming Phaeton. In layout, the 4.0-liter engine was two VR6 motors, each with two cylinders lopped off and then wedded together in an unholy fashion. Shorter than a traditional V8, it still fills the Passat’s engine bay like a coffee cup with no room for cream or sugar. The cars came standard with the 4Motion AWD and offered the choice of either a six-speed stick or a five-speed automatic.
This particular Passat W8 comes with the automatic. It also has 182,000 miles on the ticker. That’s remarkable, considering the reputational woes the W8 engine has amassed. According to the seller, the car “Runs and drives good and tight” and boasts that it just passed its state-mandated smog test.
Aesthetically, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. This appears to be a good 10-foot car, with a few nicks in the paint and some curb rash on the still-handsome BBS ‘Madras’ wheels noticeable upon closer inspection. Two of those wheels are also missing their center caps.
The interior also shows the miles in the wear of the leather on the driver’s seat. That is completely worn through to the foam on the squab. Everything else looks to be in fine shape, and the wood trim does warm the place up a bit.
Under the hood, things seem just as tidy. There is no evidence of mechanical monkey business, and all the plastic covers and trim are all intact. The car comes with a clean title and a $2,750 asking price.
Is that a lot to ask for a Volkswagen of this caliber, regardless of its original aspirations? Or is that a fair price to pay for a peach from Piëch?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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