Surfing Waves

My friends mum is buying a new car in 6 months and has offered to practically give me her old one. I'm not sure what to do.

It's a silver R reg VW Passat.
Looks nice, but perhaps a bit too posh for my image (!). I reckon it's typically driven by middle aged people.
It has acceleration (unlike mine)
Plenty of room to sleep in it on surf trips .
Air conditioning (should we ever need it in the UK )
Power steering.
Electric windows.
probably lots more good stuff I don't know about
Would have to buy more roof bars for it.
Not sure how much it would cost to run - insurance, petrol, road tax, fixing it when it goes wrong (probably too much????????)
Main problem - my car is 7 years old, it's still my first car, it's small, practical and I'm used to it... we've really bonded. This Passat feels like the size of an aircraft carrier - it's really long and wide. I'd never navigate it round those little north devon lanes and parking would be a total nightmare everywhere. In fact, I'd be too scared to take it in a multi-story car park, I'd never get it round those corners!!!!!!!

So, I want your advice about whether I'd be able to afford to run it, and how easy it would be to drive something that size - would I just get used to it, will it always be a problem to park? Does anyone drive that car or something similar?

Thanks. x

If your used to your car and can quite easily live with it i.e. can use it for every purpose in your life then stick with it. The passat will be more expensive to run as insurance would be higher as will the engine capacity(more petrol money!).

I think you would be wise to keep the one you've got if you live perfectly well with it now

Any idea what engine it's got?

The diseasels do about a million miles to the gallon! I'm kinda thinking about getting an estate one because of the massive mpg.

On the lines of the size of the thing, you've seen my monster great 4x4 right? Never have a problem with it on even the most tiny of the Cornish roads!! Plus, think about DBBB, PW, Kitey and all the other people who run VW vans.

Buy a Aston Martin instead

Thaya, you have seen my truck, you do get used to the size quite quickly, but if its a nice car, then treat yourself !!!

Typically, VWs get bundled into a higher insurance bracket than their (sometimes identical) VAG siblings.

But if it's a 1.9 TDi, then it should be well affordable - especially seeing as it's being sold to you at a knock down price! Plus it'll run forever, need next to no looking after, other than bog standard stuff, and will return an MPG probably on a par, if not better, than your 'small car'. Plus, as and when you come to flog it, you'll probably end up making a few quid!!

Gift horse and mouth springs to mind............

yea, if you know the engine size is, look online for quotes on insurance, if you like the quote and the car, take the offer, if you would prefer your car then keep yours instead

Sounds like a good car to me Thaya but trust your instinct if you're really not sure.

I learnt to drive in a VW Lupo and then got a VW Polo, they were like little matchbox cars! My ford Focus is still obviously fairly small but I cannot paralel park it - it is sooooo embaressing!!!! i used to do it just fine in the other cars, it was just so easy!. As for driving round small roads and multistories - that's fine, I really dont think you'll find a problem there.
It's nice to have a little more acceleration to play with, suprisingly you will use the air conditioning, I do, I really like having it during the summer, especially on long journeys.....If you do get a bigger/comfortable car you will always be the nominated driver for long journeys/holidays etc etc
Like the others said, if you really dont like it, you can always just sell it on. What condition is your current car in?

It's a silver R reg VW Passat

Chicks and cars , if it was a bloke he would have said, "It's a 1.9 tdi R reg Passat estate".

Seriously though, my mum had a '93 Passat 1.6 tdi saloon for years and I drove it loads, great car. Big but felt smaller to drive. You'll get used to whatever car you have, whatever the size. After a while you won't even notice the size.
In fact I drive a Passat now. Love it. Mine's not that practical - '01 V5 saloon, but don't do too many miles these days. VW relaibilty is pretty average, but I suppose its what you're used to i.e. its loads better than a Ford, Renault or Peugeot etc. But tbh you can get lucky or not with any manufacturer. I've been lucky so far and had my car 1 year now. My mum was lucky too for about 5 years.

Bassically you need to tell us what you've got now and all the details of the Passat, before we can give you any really good advice.

Isnt the most important thing for a girl the colour??

Do you like silver Thaya?

If you do, have it

But if your present car is only 7 years old, you'll be taking on an older car.........might have more problems in the future..........parts for foreign cars are more expensive generally.

But if it's been regularly serviced and looked after, being a VW, it'll go on and on, and if it's a diesel, you cant go wrong

Like broosta says, you'll get used to the size

PS remember that if you have your aircon on , it drinks your fuel!!!

Bewilderbeast wrote:
On the lines of the size of the thing, you've seen my monster great 4x4 right? Never have a problem with it on even the most tiny of the Cornish roads!! Plus, think about DBBB, PW, Kitey and all the other people who run VW vans.

yes but I'm a woman

at the moment I drive a 1litre vauxhall corsa. it has a large unsightly dent (caused by some t*wat bumping into it at work and driving off) but it does give it a bit of character . It has no acceleration, takes about a minute to get to 60mph, barely makes it up hills (wont do over 40 up those in devon!) , creaks REALLY loudly when my board's on top, costs me about £300-600 each year just on it's MOT, doesn't have power steering or air conditioning, is VERY small, and seems to be dying a slow death.

Yet.... I LOVE it to pieces and would be really upset to se it scrapped (I doubt any one would pay money for it!). We've had so many adventures together, and so many happy memories.

I was thinking of trying to get by for the next 2 years with it, but now with this offer it seems too good to refuse, yet for some reason I have doubts. i think it's mainly a money thing, and being worried about driving something so big. Maybe i should just take it out for a few long drives and see how I get on. I suppose I should get a quote, just to see what insurance would be like.

Thanks for all your help so far Any more comments appreciated!

My wife drives a Jetta TDi, she loves it. Passats aren't much bigger than they are, at least not here. TDi engine lasts forever, uses almost no fuel, comfy car. I had a '95 Passat diesel, one of the best cars I ever had.
If your present car is soon to be gone, take the almost free Passat, and don't look back. What if you don't take the Passat, and your present car dies in 3 months, won't it cost you more then to find a new one that isn't almost free?

pat42 wrote:
PS remember that if you have your aircon on , it drinks your fuel!!!

true - but so does driving around with your windows open.

in america a passat is a small car. mostly young people here have vw

Are Veedub TDi engines that great at high km's? I've blown up two TD mitsubishi engines on a 4wd in the last two years, at $8k a go to have replaced, it's an expensive problem.

I was told that high mileage on a turbo diesel is real bad if you don't know that it's been regularly serviced, because they run so hot, the cooling system can gunk up, and you can then have problems with the head gasket, and if that's gone, then the entire head will be well on the way towards going as well.

That's easily checked. Before you buy it, take it to a VW/Audi/Porsche specialist, get them to check it over. They will know if it has been abused or not. And diesel engines run much cooler than petrol engines, not hotter.
Never had a problem with any of my VW diesels. The guy who sevices mine says that the motor should last minimum 800,000kms, minimum! My wife has 165,000kms on hers and it just barely broke in. Can't even tell it has that much kms on it.
Any engine that hasn't been serviced properly will have problems in later life, gas or diesel.

jethrodog wrote:The guy who sevices mine says that the motor should last minimum 800,000kms, minimum! My wife has 165,000kms on hers and it just barely broke in. Can't even tell it has that much kms on it.
Any engine that hasn't been serviced properly will have problems in later life, gas or diesel.

I blew one TD engine at 122,000 km's and the replacement at 110,000 km's. Must be Mitsubushi's that are rubbish. Might have to go for a VW next if they hold out that long.

Ya, sounds like maybe it is just those motors in your vehicle. Bummer, that gets expensive.

Yep, that’s Mitsubishi for ya! Engines made out of old biscuit tins and chocolate gear boxes!!