W8 Would you buy one again?

[Damage]

Like the post said. What are your opinions? Are they reliable like any other VW? Anything i need to watch out for? Just found a 02 with 71,000 miles on it. Just wondering if i could get some advise.

[W8sted03]

You need to have deeper pockets than with other typical VWs. Everything, and I mean everything, is more expensive. The car itself is fantastic and I have been very pleased with mine. However, had I known the overall cost of maintenance + those unexpected costs, I probably would have stayed away from it. Regardless, the car is really fun and not everybody has one. This helps to offset any problem I have with the high cost of the car.

[Damage]

Did i mention the guy only wants $7900 for it? Thanks for the response. I have had a 98 2.8v6. that was more expensive than the vr6's. that i have had.

[18t papa]

Personal Opinion: You couldn't pay me $7900 to own a W8. People will ask you "Oh where's your car?" and you'll say in reply "Oh its at the shop having the engine pulled out to do some simple maintenance."

[scotts13]

Did i mention the guy only wants $7900 for it? Thanks for the response. I have had a 98 2.8v6. that was more expensive than the vr6's. that i have had.

Let's see... that's $7900 for the car, plus the inevitable $4000 for the cam chain adjusters, and then $3000 for a torque converter. They pretty much all need those two things, so you're looking at a $15,000 car. Oh, and a new thermostat is $500 for the part alone; and you have to remove the engine to change the oxygen sensors.

Great car, I love driving one - someone else's.

[Damage]

WoW Thats a spendy car if you gotta replace a bunch of parts!!! Might as well own a Pheaton or something! Thanks for reply. So far im guessing its gonna be a money pit.

[sdavis872]

Let's see... that's $7900 for the car, plus the inevitable $4000 for the cam chain adjusters, and then $3000 for a torque converter. They pretty much all need those two things, so you're looking at a $15,000 car. Oh, and a new thermostat is $500 for the part alone; and you have to remove the engine to change the oxygen sensors.

Great car, I love driving one - someone else's.

That's why you only get a 6 speed, no torque converter to fail. If you're a negative nancy like these guys, then don't get one. If you're poor and know nothing about cars, don't get one. If you're negligent, don't get one. I haven't had mine long, but it only had a couple problems when I got it, all of which I was able to fix myself, and other than that it runs 10x better than my 1.8t GTI. You just got to make sure you find a good one. I would definitely buy mine again. I paid $8300 for my 03 6 speed, spent $500 in parts and maintenance (front axles, one parking brake cable, oil change stuff, spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter, cabin filter) and $650 for coil overs. So for under $10k I have a perfectly running car thats 1 of 424 (because it's a 6 speed) that looks like this.



I honestly wouldn't want another car right now.

[veedahbleyoo]

This picture just made my decision. Clean as phuhh.

[W8sted03]

I still wouldn't pay 7900 for it. I might try for around 5800-6100. Try to get at least half of the cost of the cam chain adjuster taken off, just in case.

[Jesse-B]

I would try to get it for 6500. I love mine! Have had it for about 8 months. No problems so far. Just make sure you use the correct oil and check out the w8 forums.

[hambone60]

Gotta love these threads, lol. I have an '03 6MT sedan. Paid much less for it than most. It's been a cherry of a car. Just put new rear rotors and pads on it. Before that it was a serpentine belt. That's it. Tires don't count. Previous owner did the coil packs and plugs. It hit 150,000 miles yesterday. Runs like a new car. No way would i own an auto. That's me though. This car still has all the original suspension and shocks/struts. Tight as a new car, but it's got most all highway miles. Previous owner drove it 100 miles/day, i log 60/day mostly highway. 5,000 mile oil changes with Mobil 1 and the occasional can of seafoam in the oil. Maybe i have an oddball? I really enjoy the car. I have seen the nightmares some have had though

[sdavis872]

Gotta love these threads, lol. I have an '03 6MT sedan. Paid much less for it than most. It's been a cherry of a car. Just put new rear rotors and pads on it. Before that it was a serpentine belt. That's it. Tires don't count. Previous owner did the coil packs and plugs. It hit 150,000 miles yesterday. Runs like a new car. No way would i own an auto. That's me though. This car still has all the original suspension and shocks/struts. Tight as a new car, but it's got most all highway miles. Previous owner drove it 100 miles/day, i log 60/day mostly highway. 5,000 mile oil changes with Mobil 1 and the occasional can of seafoam in the oil. Maybe i have an oddball? I really enjoy the car. I have seen the nightmares some have had though

From my experiences, if it's a W8 over 100k that has been trouble free and still is, it's probably fine, if it struggled to hit 100k, then it's going to be problems. At least from what I've seen, from the experience with my own car and from the sounds of your car, seems that around 100k is the make or break point, the point where the problem ones are sorted out from the good ones.

[hambone60]

Maybe? Not sure what the answer is. Maintenance? Oil? Not sure. I'm gonna get it chipped Friday.
Might be its doom! Lol. At this point i would buy a crate engine at a reasonable price just because the car is so nice. But i have driven some obscure cars since '76. I put 176,000 miles on a tr6, 290,000 on a 325 cabrio. Gluten for punishment.

[MontereyDave]

In January I just bought a 6-speed with 75K miles. Albeit only a few months and 5K miles since I bought it, I still feel comfortable recommending the car wholeheartedly. If you're somewhat hesitant about the purchase you could do what I did and buy a comprehensive 36-month/36K mile warranty for about $2K - who knows, it might the best $2K I ever spent. Anyway, the car is a blast to drive. The handling is amazing and the build quality throughout far exceeds the BMW 325i I traded in for the W8.