'01 Outback vs. '03 Passat - What to buy?

[KiloG]

Choosing between 2 different used cars and looking for any suggestions, opinions, insight, experience with either to help make the decision. Our family has a nicer vehicle for road trips, etc. This car will be used for driving to work and back -- tooling around on the weekend. Thank you!!

Car #1:
2001 Subaru Outback 2.5i
89,300 miles
$7995 asking price
* One owner, automatic transmission, alloy wheels, premium sound system with a CD player, power windows and locks, theft deterrent, and 2.5 liter engine
* Clean Carfax history with excellent service records

Car #2:
2003 Volkswagon Passat GLX Sport Wagon
91,100 miles
$7995 asking price
* Two owners, power moonroof, heated leather seats, Monsoon sound system with a CD player, alloy wheels, privacy glass, theft deterrent, 2.8 liter V6 engine.
* Clean Carfax history

Thanks again for any help you can provide on either (or both) cars!

[KiloG]

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by KiloG

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?

Patience, most members on here are night hawk.

Can you provide links for a more detailed answer " or " you just want what my choice would be if both cars were 100% with no issues ?

[KiloG]

Sorry, Ray, I guess I'm just used to faster responses on some of the message boards I frequent (different industry). I really do appreciate the help! Thank you!

Here is a link to the Subaru:
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dd...9&cardist=6239

And here is the VW:
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dd...9&cardist=6238

[speedracer1407]

Originally Posted by KiloG

Choosing between 2 different used cars and looking for any suggestions, opinions, insight, experience with either to help make the decision. Our family has a nicer vehicle for road trips, etc. This car will be used for driving to work and back -- tooling around on the weekend. Thank you!!

Car #1:
2001 Subaru Outback 2.5i
89,300 miles
$7995 asking price
* One owner, automatic transmission, alloy wheels, premium sound system with a CD player, power windows and locks, theft deterrent, and 2.5 liter engine
* Clean Carfax history with excellent service records

Car #2:
2003 Volkswagon Passat GLX Sport Wagon
91,100 miles
$7995 asking price
* Two owners, power moonroof, heated leather seats, Monsoon sound system with a CD player, alloy wheels, privacy glass, theft deterrent, 2.8 liter V6 engine.
* Clean Carfax history

Thanks again for any help you can provide on either (or both) cars!

Hello there,

I'm sure you understand the risks (and potential delights) in purchasing a well-used car. Of course, It's pretty hard to anticipate how well a 10+ year-old used car with 90,000 miles will hold up, even with light around-town use as a second car. The traditionally bullet-proof Subaru could have a host of issues just waiting to ruin your life, while the traditionally failure-prone VW could have been built by the factory foreman himself and superbly maintained by the most fastidious owner(s). I wouldn't bet on either of those scenarios, though, so I think you have to weigh your own priorities against the typical strengths of each car.

The VW is the car you'll want to drive, hands down. I have a special affection for that generation of Passat. My parents owned a 2002 for 7 years, and it felt special every time I got into it. The interior was fabulous for its time, and still feels upscale today (a friend still has one). And it had all the usual German characteristics on the road: compliant suspension over bumps, rock-solid structure, nimble handling, and that feeling of incorruptible "straight ahead" on the highway. The Passat shared all of its important mechanical and structural parts with the Audi A4 and A6, and the driving experience was unmistakably superior as a result. But I would never own a VW out of warranty unless I was prepared for the risk of expensive repairs. Passats of that generation aren't as failure prone as Jettas and Golfs, but they aren't perfect, and repairs are expensive.

All things being equal, the Subaru should be a far more reliable car. Subarus have that reputation. And while it will never feel as special to drive as the VW, it's not bad. Sure, it's slow, and the 4 speed automatic has huge gaps between gears, but it actually handles pretty well when pushed hard. Its ride is firm, but definitely not punishing. And of course, it's AWD, though I'm not sure if that's important to you. One thing to pay attention to is the interior space. It's cramped. The front feels tight, and just TRY sitting behind yourself in the back seat if you're over 5'8. No leg room, no room for feet under the front seat, and it's narrow. The Passat is narrow too, but those extra few inches of leg room make a big difference.

I suppose it's worth mentioning that my parents also owned a 2009 Outback 2.5i (promise, I'm an adult, I just happen to live close to my parents). Sure, it was 8 years newer than the one you're looking at, but most of the important mechanical bits were carried over from that generation to the next. The Passat was exceptionally reliable, and felt almost as it did new when they traded it for the Subaru. The Subaru had chronic issues with a loose, rattly tailgate and noisy brakes. Those issues combined with how "ordinary" it felt to drive lead them to trade it in for an Acura after just 3 years, the shortest time they've ever owned a car. Maybe it was a fluke, and I'd still bet on a used Subaru's reliability over a Passat. But there's no doubt which car was the better one to drive. I guess you'll just have to see what matters the most.

Wow, that was much more of a novel than I had intended. Hope it helps.