Volkswagen puts Passat W8 out of its misery
VW has stopped W8 production due to sales so slow it oftentimes seemed that customers were sneaking into dealerships at night and putting their Passat W8s back on the lot. The goal was a modest 5,000 per annum, and less than half of that was sold in 2003, while a whopping 268 were moved through August of 2004. Ouchers. Audi declined the W8 for their S4 when the engine was first introduced, choosing instead to go with the biturbo'd V6, and VW execs have recently axed plans to put the W8 in a Skoda and in a Golf R40. I think I can hear the Phaeton shaking in its mink-lined boots from here.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brian Hall 11:10PM (12/18/2005)
Bad news for any owners of the W8...or could it be good news for an owner of one of the 268 2004's. Put it in a garage and let it "age" like fine wine and obseesed VW young'uns growing up and making good money in five years may outbid each other for the cool factor of driving one.
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Dave S. 11:10PM (12/18/2005)
...or good news for someone who just got a used one, only $23k for one with 24k mi on it. Fantastic car, great price and with no more available, should hold its value for along time, much like the Saab Viggen. Also like the Saab Viggen what I really like most about this car is that the totally ignorant will mistake it for a jetta (hard to tell a viggen from a low-end 9-3), the less ignorant will see it as just a nice mid-sized sedan on the cheap and only those in the know, basically VR6 owners so far, will drive by with their mouth open. This is a car for people who love to drive, not for people who live to impress their neighboors, most of the bad reviews I read said something to the effect of 'why arent there more red flags and gold emblems to scream to everyone in eyeshot that I have more money' thats just tacky, how very pimp-daddy of them. This baby looks almost identical to the '99 20v turbo I used to have but has 120 more ponies quietly hiding under the hood, wouldnt have it any other way. Guess the Germans have once again overestimated the class of the average american.
-Driver Found
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Norman Drews 11:10PM (12/18/2005)
We'll see what happens. I still have my 2003 Passat W8 and haven't had any difficulties with it. I still like out-accelerating the cars next to me. I removed all the W8 badges. A true car enthusiast would know the difference between the Passat W8 and other Passat vehicles.
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