Found my unicorn. Now what.

I've been all over the map lately regarding cars. The Volvo is nice and a remarkably good car but I can't shake the feeling that I will never be happy with it because of the driving position I have to contort myself into to drive it.

While poking around on Autotrader, I found the unicorn that I've been looking for. A 6 speed version of a rather rare vehicle in a chassis that I know and love.

Problems: It's in another state, and my credit isn't the best so any interest rate I'd get would be usurious. And then there's the devil-you-don't-know factor, although the Carfax did show dealer maintenance history and I didn't see any signs of bad. I'm not dumb enough to think absence of evidence is evidence of absence but it's still a good sign. And having this would also allow me to sell off the Quantums because this is actually a car that is awesomer than a syncro.

So, GRM'ers, talk me down from going into debt for a decade old unicorn to be used as a daily driver, with a marque history of running just fine right until the point where it eats a timing chain. (But this one is a SIX SPEED! They made, like, twelve of them!)

Don't do it!

Or do it and document going down in flames for our entertainment.

What exact car are you talking about anyways?

I hesitate to say what it is because I fear someone snagging it from me before I can even get a chance to turn it down, like the last time I saw one for sale.

It's a W8 Passat, which is not common, and it's a 6 speed, which is rare even in the little bubble of W8 production. Same chassis/brakes as the 2.7t Audi S4, but with a four liter eight that makes a little more power.

I really really like the B5 chassis, very familiar with it, like the feel and I find them really easy to work on, but it is very hard to find one that isn't all ragged out. The first time I sampled a W8, I had a "I got to get me one of these" moment. This is a non ragged out W8, without the Curse of 5HP19.

I originally snagged the OKTAVIA license plate because I was about to get a W8. But then it was gone.

I suppose first priority is to talk to my bank before talking to the dealership.

Don't do it! From what I gather you're local to me and i don't need tempted by Quantums, I just can't handle it.

You want to go into debt to buy a B5 Passat???

I know you like them more than I do but holy E36 M3 man - NO! They will bleed you dry and you will likely end up with a non-running car you owe money on. DON'T!

. . . and just for the record - I like VW's. In fact I just finished doing water pump/timing belt on my Golf this weekend.

PubBurgers wrote: Don't do it! From what I gather you're local to me and i don't need tempted by Quantums, I just can't handle it.

I offered to sell 'em to a certain rallyist who likes Quantums but he never got back to me. Was going to give him a helluva deal, too. Oh well.

Problem is, one of them is thrashed but is needed for parts to finish up the nice one, which needs little odds and ends finished on the engine (make coolant manifold, change intake plenum to suit my goals for the car) and buy the engine computer to control it. I figure it's going to be at least another $1500 in parts alone before the car is drivable, and another $2000 after I debug it then install the turbo I was originally planning for, but when done it should be a 350-400bhp Group 4 wolf in wagon clothing. (Not your typical turbo engine swap)

Or I could sell all of that at a big loss and use that money (and the money I was going to additional spend) towards a car that I won't be afraid to drive because it might get scratched, breathed on wrong, etc. So basically the W8 would only cost me a couple thousand dollars over what I was already planning to spend, for a car for which exactly zero replacement parts are available for many critical items and for which a lot of things would require fabrication to replace instead of just throwing money on a counter.

Not to dampen the enthusiasm, but I side with those who would counsel abstaining from going into debt for what may very well be a money pit.

I'm really not worried about money-pit-ness. The only expensive B5 problem I've ever seen in ten years of working on a lot of them is the rear shock tower/control arm mount rots out. Those are shockingly expensive (IIRC they're $550/side now) but the cars are worth it because the chassis itself doesn't rust. Not rusting is a huge boon for me. I'm tired of buying older cars, then throwing them away after two or three years because they dissolved out from under me.

NB: Alternative car I've been seriously looking into is RX-8 R3, which is more expensive and it will most likely be scrap by the time it's paid off because it rusted apart.

The only expensive issue you've encountered is because you haven't owned a W8 model yet

I'd rather have a Audi S4... and those are known to be expensive.

Unicorns can be very expensive to keep, just because you found one doesn't mean you should own it

There's a wagon on SWOV for sale I think, hard to sell them it seems.

As a former owner of a TT Allroad. A 4.2 Phaeton. And currently a V6 Passat 3.6 4motion wagon...... I understand the lure of the silly German automobile.

That said, I'm not sure I'd recommend such a purchase to anyone who wasn't very well positioned to deal with the potential of a catastrophically expensive repair at any time.

And for my two cents: the silly B5 S4 offers a better bang for your buck and a broader aftermarket support than a W8 Passat does. IMO there is a reason the W8 died on the vine, it wasn't really that good and there are better options available.

Editorial note: I just used silly twice, blame the bourbon.

Didn't someone post on here last time people were talking about w8 passats that there is some issue with part of the timing chain/variable cam timing components failing that costs $6k just in parts to fix? There are probably a lot better choices for anyone that an occasional surprise $10k in repairs is anything more that a slight inconvenience.

Yes, if the screen breaks free from the camshaft solenoid and blocks things from working, the cam can rattle around and cause the chain to jump time, which is a $10k fix.

Solution: Pre-emptively remove the screens, blow everything out, and get on with life.

A lot of the problems were because dealer techs would see a code, throw parts in, which doesn't solve anything, then a cam jumps time and oopsie. The parts aren't cheap but the labor is the expensive bit, since the official procedure is to drop the engine/trans out and separate them on the floor in order to access the chains.

Don't get me wrong, if I go out there and they don't let me start the car cold or plug in a scantool, I'm outta there. If I plug in a scantool and all of the monitors are incomplete, I'm outta there. That goes for any car. (I remember helping someone buy a Malibu, him driving, me watching transmission shift times on the scantool, while the salesman sat nervously in the back seat...)

Seems like the decision has already been made :)

Just be mindful that any premium you pay for the "unicorn-ness" will be lost should you have to sell the car under a deadline. And in this case, the manual and gas-guzzler engine will be liabilities to the sale.

I have to wonder what the bank will think - they may only value it at the V6-auto price-class, which is a bit below what you're looking at paying. That decision could make the loan unpalatable for both sides. I think they will be the determining factor more than anything here, unfortunately.

Are you anywhere near Connecticut, Knurled? My folks have a B5.5 Passat wagon and if you think they're cheap and easy to service, they would like to employ you as their mechanic.

Pretty sure that's one of those German cars that was great, to lease, when it was new.

In reply to peter: or if you happen to be in Kentucky. I need a VW expert handy.

Usurious?

Sorry...had to.

Sounds like you know your stuff, hopefully your willpower is strong enough to fight off the "I wants".

I know if I had found THE car (like the one) then scoped it out and found an issue, I would sit there and tell myself a dozen ways to fix it and assure myself that I wouldn't wind up hating the car. Then I'd wind up hating it. Maybe it's similar to that "Never meet your heroes." thing. shrug

Of course you already said you're not afraid of it's reputed money gobbling ability...so what's the danger in having a little look-see, right?

I say go for it. "How hard could it be?"

Your buying parts for what is essentially half a Veyron engine. That sounds expensive to me.

Go for it. Your only live once.

Just don't forget to entertain your GRM pals with a build thread.

Full disclosure: I've owned a B5 Audi, and it's cured me of any VAG lust I may ever have in the foreseeable future.

pinchvalve wrote: Your buying parts for what is essentially half a Veyron engine. That sounds expensive to me.

problems or not.. those are very cool engines. I would love one in a locost or swapped into something light

fanfoy wrote: Go for it. Your only live once. Just don't forget to entertain your GRM pals with a build thread. Full disclosure: I've owned a B5 Audi, and it's cured me of any VAG lust I may ever have in the foreseeable future.

Exactly. But I am a guy who DDed an 81 GTV6 for 5 years.

I prob would not go into debt on that old of a car with questionable reliability and maintenance costs. But then again, every time I listen to an exhaust video for a W8 I get the tingles

The videos of boosted W8s makes me happy in the pants. Usually they're autos, though.

You should boost this one. Let me live vicariously through you.

I hate that VW/Audi has so many cars that i want, but am afraid of.

This "unicorn" and the Touareg V10 TD are VERY high on the list.