I've been taking my time and looking for something decent. And what I want as a daily. I found an 04 passat W8 wagon 4-motion with the 6-speed manual. Its in my price range. Been taken care of. And 60k miles.

Hoping somebody on here might have aN opinion on it. Or know about the reliability.

Idk much about the w8, but you have to remember that's a 8 year old Volkswagen. Not an old one, a newer one with all kinds of electronics. You don't see too many w8's around, and chances are neither have many of the mechanics around here.

But I would def look into that bish. The w8 and a 6 speed sounds like a great combo. Does it have any type of warranty when you buy it? What about the timing belt (or chain, idk what it has)? I'm pretty sure the entire front end will have to come off like my Audi. What else has been replaced? If you're serious about the car, take it to a dealer and have it inspected.

Post up some pics of it.

I've done a bit of research the w8 with 6-speed is quite rare. and they only had the w8 two or three years.  they have torque converter issues. but that's not a problem.  And I believe it said some kind of cam sensor or chain guide issue. Its a known problem.   

This one looks like it might have the optional sport package. but I haven't found another one to compare.

Here's a link to where its listed.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=76167544




And to compare.  I'd been looking at mid to full size suv's in the $10k-$14k price range. particularly the durango with 4wd and a hemi.  But there's something about a audi/vw that I still want.

I def would think that is a pretty rare combo, and then the wagon on top of that. But that combo only matters to certain people. Many people will look at it as another passat.  But you know you have a little something extra under the hood. It's different, so I like it.   .

Maybe Keith will see this and chime in. I feel like he would know more about it.

Edit: It looks blue to me. On that link it says its green

on a side note, the w8's do sound very sexy with an exhaust on them

I agree with taking it to a dealer for inspection, but I wouldn't trust Dpat. My friend took her 1.8T passat there 3 weeks ago because the CEL popped on. It won't start now and they can't tell her what's wrong with it.

Yes, try to take it anywhere else reputable instead of D-Pat. Bunch of nancies that work there. From what I read, that w8 is a pita to work on, especially inside of the engine bay. But don't let that discourage you.

W8's are hard to find parts for. Which mean when you do find parts expect to pay money out the ass. Cost of repairs is something to consider when buying a car. As rare as the combo is I would advise to not purchase unless you like living the bankrupt dubber lifestyle.

Oh yeah the ratings from factory on the w8 from auto reviewers only received 2.5 stars out of a possible 5...and that was brand new.

W8's are cool for the unique factor but that's it. Get the v6 4mo and call it a day. The W8 has a bad reliability rep. Repairs/replacements almost always involves putting the car in the service position which means you have to take the front end off.....I did like my wagon a lot when I had it....boring as hell with the 1.8t even chipped in auto. Held all sorts of cool stuff. The 2.8 car will be a pretty optioned out car as it's the higher package and parts are super cheap cause there's tons out there. Suspension mods are limited to your knowledge of the VAG family and know what you can swap from other models. In the end it's a midsized car that didn't get the same attention like the mk4 did at it wasn't it's golden child line. Keep that in mind, that means it's just a cheaper build A4 with no resale value.

-Keith Stone

Good luck trying to change out the primary o2's with the engine still in the bay. I would expect to start having issues within too long from buying it

It truly would be silly to buy such a car as this. You should just buy a B6 A4. There's pleanty forsale in that range and they have better resale, or riding public trans is a good option too...

Anything from the past 10 yrs that has been made by vw or bmw has been lower quality than what it used to be.  The main issue is the amount of plastic used on these cars today.  Check valves and vacuum lines deteriorate quickly in the engine bay because of the drastic changes in temperature. These vacuum leaks are hard to find unless you know what to look for.  Valve cover gaskets are prone to leaking on just about any audi or vw.  The oil from that leak will make it to the plastic coolant flanges on the block and swell the rubber seals, causing a coolant leak.  The flanges are prone to cracking and/or leaking from the sensors connected to it.
Things can start to go downhill quick if it hasn't been maintained properly.  If you do go that route, be sure to check things like the valve cover gasket.  The list goes on for these cars but that covers the main issues for a majority of the vw lineup from recent years.  Just like any car, as long as it has been maintained properly then you should have nothing to worry about.   

I can honestly say I've never had a valve cover leak on any VW....and I've had a lot.

i second this

That's all I've seen at the shop.. the 1.8 turbo in particular has had that issue on nearly every vehicle I have worked on that had that engine. Most of the cars that come in have ~60-100k miles on them.  Seems that is the time the issues start to surface on them, just like most cars that are made of plastic today.  I'm not saying the VW's are a bad car, I've seen plenty with over 200k on them.  Just sharing what I've seen since he was asking about reliability.  Would hate to see him buy it not knowing what he could be getting into.  The modern euro cars will nickel and dime you to death unless you do the work yourself.

Wow that was a lot of info. And all worth taking into consideration. I'm not buying that car. I don't plan on doing much to whatever ibget besides driving it. With the possible option of cosmetic upgrades. And a bit of performance down the road.