I’m on the edge of purchasing a 99 Passat 1.8t 5 speed that was traded in.
Many of you know I work at a dealer but only have the chance to drive them a
few miles. Would like some feedback on the auto versus the 5spd for driving.
I did want a auto but haven’t had any luck finding one in my price range.
Now for the custom question, what rim tire combo works and looks good on a
black metallic exterior with charcoal(black) interior? If you have pictures
of your Passat with custom rims please send them my way.
Thanks
"Woodchuck" <stv_euro…@yahoo.comXXX> wrote in message
news:3ee8ef27$0$41419$4d5ecec7@reader.city-net.com…
> I’m on the edge of purchasing a 99 Passat 1.8t 5 speed that was traded in.
> Many of you know I work at a dealer but only have the chance to drive them
a
> few miles. Would like some feedback on the auto versus the 5spd for
driving.
> I did want a auto but haven’t had any luck finding one in my price range.
> Now for the custom question, what rim tire combo works and looks good on a
> black metallic exterior with charcoal(black) interior? If you have
pictures
> of your Passat with custom rims please send them my way.
> Thanks
I’ve got a 2001 1.8T manual/std (5 speed) saloon. I haven’t driven the auto
version, but I would base the decision on your mix of town and highway
driving. The clutch is quite heavy, and if I lived in town I would certainly
not want a manual. It’s not exactly a sports gearbox either – changes are
fairly slow compared to a lot of other manuals I’ve driving. If I don’t get
the seat position spot-on then I’ll get a sore knee. However, once you’re up
to cruising speed (70-80 mph in the UK) the manual is a good thing – there’s
so much low-end torque that you never need to change gear, and I think it’s
a lot nicer for enthusiastic back road driving and overtaking, which I do a
lot.
Can’t help you with the rims I’m afraid as mine has steel wheels with
plastic covers!
HTH
James
My previous three vehicles were manual 5 speeds and enjoyed
them all. I now have a 02 Passat 1.8T with the 5-speed automatic
transmission with Tiptronic. I could never go back to a manual
transmission after owning this vehicle. Suggest you don’t settle and
wait for an automatic to come along.. As for wheels I think the
ones that come standard a newer GLX Passat looks Great, if you
get your hands on set of four. ’IMHO’
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
Woodchuck wrote:
> I’m on the edge of purchasing a 99 Passat 1.8t 5 speed that was traded in.
> Many of you know I work at a dealer but only have the chance to drive them a
> few miles. Would like some feedback on the auto versus the 5spd for driving.
> I did want a auto but haven’t had any luck finding one in my price range.
> Now for the custom question, what rim tire combo works and looks good on a
> black metallic exterior with charcoal(black) interior? If you have pictures
> of your Passat with custom rims please send them my way.
> Thanks
I have a Passat 1.8T 5-speed and I agree with James except that I do
drive in town (read: New York City). I don’t think it’s that tough on
the body to drive the 5-speed in traffic as long as you’re in reasonably
good shape.
Before buying the car, I tested both the 1.8T 5-speed and a V6
Tiptronic. Apart from the price and power difference, I decided that the
Tiptronic wasn’t for me because it wasn’t responsive enough (that’s in
1998 — I haven’t driven more recent versions). When using the
Tiptronic mode, there was a lag between shifting the lever and when the
gear change actually happened. I suspect that the transmission was
waiting until the speed was in an "acceptable" range before actually
changing gears, or maybe the lag was normal behavior. Maybe I expected
it to be more "manual" than it really was.
I see that there are now chips that reduce the Tiptronic lag:
http://www.clubb5.com/information/tipchip.shtml
I recommend that if you’re deciding between a 5-spd and a Tiptronic,
test drive both before making a decision.
–jc
In article <3ee8f72…@mk-nntp-1.news.uk.worldonline.com>,
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
"James" <james_kel…@hotmail.com> wrote:
> The clutch is quite heavy, and if I lived in town I would certainly
> not want a manual. It’s not exactly a sports gearbox either – changes are
> fairly slow compared to a lot of other manuals I’ve driving. If I don’t get
> the seat position spot-on then I’ll get a sore knee. However, once you’re up
> to cruising speed (70-80 mph in the UK) the manual is a good thing – there’s
> so much low-end torque that you never need to change gear, and I think it’s
> a lot nicer for enthusiastic back road driving and overtaking, which I do a
> lot.
Woodchuck,
I’m sure you’re fully aware of this, but if you go to tirerack.com you
can actually choose your Passat in the exact color you want and start
putting wheels on it to see what it looks like. It’s not as good as
the real thing, but it’s a nice little tool for comparison.
TOE
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
"Woodchuck" <stv_euro…@yahoo.comXXX> wrote in message <news:3ee8ef27$0$41419$4d5ecec7@reader.city-net.com>…
> I’m on the edge of purchasing a 99 Passat 1.8t 5 speed that was traded in.
> Many of you know I work at a dealer but only have the chance to drive them a
> few miles. Would like some feedback on the auto versus the 5spd for driving.
> I did want a auto but haven’t had any luck finding one in my price range.
> Now for the custom question, what rim tire combo works and looks good on a
> black metallic exterior with charcoal(black) interior? If you have pictures
> of your Passat with custom rims please send them my way.
> Thanks
In article <3ee8ef27$0$41419$4d5ec…@reader.city-net.com>,
"Woodchuck" <stv_euro…@yahoo.comXXX> wrote:
> I’m on the edge of purchasing a 99 Passat 1.8t 5 speed that was traded in.
> Many of you know I work at a dealer but only have the chance to drive them a
> few miles. Would like some feedback on the auto versus the 5spd for driving.
> I did want a auto but haven’t had any luck finding one in my price range.
> Now for the custom question, what rim tire combo works and looks good on a
> black metallic exterior with charcoal(black) interior? If you have pictures
> of your Passat with custom rims please send them my way.
The Passat is pretty much the same as the Audi A4, right? If so, then
the 5 speed in my son’s 2001 A4 1.8T Quattro seemed to be pretty easy to
drive. I recall (it’s been about 2 years) that the shifter had short
effortless throws and that the clutch throw was also short…unlike the
long creaky truck-like clutch pedal travel in my 5 speed 95 Golf.
However, I’ve got to tell you that our 2002 1.8T Passat with Tiptronic
is a dream to drive. It shifts when it’s supposed to and doesn’t shift
when it’s not supposed to…in other words it works like you think it
should. And very smooth shifting, too. Not clunky like, for example,
the auto trans on my daughter’s 1996 Mazda 626. And plenty of power,
IMO (I’m approaching or have arrived at geezerdom so 170 hp is plenty
for me). I suspect that most Passats out there are Tiptronics…if I
were you I’d wait for one of those to be traded in.
Regarding wheels….if you’re looking for a bargain, http://www.vwparts.com has
some 5 spoke (they seem to be genuine VW) 7×15 Passat wheels on sale for
$250 (set of 4) on their home page. Also, the Audi people are always
selling stock wheels. Check the Audi web forums. Or the Passat
classifieds on vwvortex.com or clubb5.com
Bill mas…@cvm.msstate.edu
78 Rabbit…10/77 – 4/02 82 Convertibles(s)…since 93
95 Golf GL…since 11/99 02 Passat 1.8T Tip GLS…since 4/02
Juey Ong:
My dad has a 2001 or 2002 Honda Civic Sedan 5spd Manual trannie.
I hate driving this car because when you switch gears, you put the clutch in,
then try to move the shift to the next gear selection, but if your used to driving
a `91 Golf Coupe and you actually expect the shift lever to let you change into
the next gear right away, you will be soarly mistaken. It waits a bit before it
allows
the gear shifter to go into the next gear.
Is this simliar to what your talking about?
Andrew
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
Juey Ong wrote:
> I have a Passat 1.8T 5-speed and I agree with James except that I do
> drive in town (read: New York City). I don’t think it’s that tough on
> the body to drive the 5-speed in traffic as long as you’re in reasonably
> good shape.
> Before buying the car, I tested both the 1.8T 5-speed and a V6
> Tiptronic. Apart from the price and power difference, I decided that the
> Tiptronic wasn’t for me because it wasn’t responsive enough (that’s in
> 1998 — I haven’t driven more recent versions). When using the
> Tiptronic mode, there was a lag between shifting the lever and when the
> gear change actually happened. I suspect that the transmission was
> waiting until the speed was in an "acceptable" range before actually
> changing gears, or maybe the lag was normal behavior. Maybe I expected
> it to be more "manual" than it really was.
> I see that there are now chips that reduce the Tiptronic lag:
> http://www.clubb5.com/information/tipchip.shtml
> I recommend that if you’re deciding between a 5-spd and a Tiptronic,
> test drive both before making a decision.
> –jc
> In article <3ee8f72…@mk-nntp-1.news.uk.worldonline.com>,
> "James" <james_kel…@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > The clutch is quite heavy, and if I lived in town I would certainly
> > not want a manual. It’s not exactly a sports gearbox either – changes are
> > fairly slow compared to a lot of other manuals I’ve driving. If I don’t get
> > the seat position spot-on then I’ll get a sore knee. However, once you’re up
> > to cruising speed (70-80 mph in the UK) the manual is a good thing – there’s
> > so much low-end torque that you never need to change gear, and I think it’s
> > a lot nicer for enthusiastic back road driving and overtaking, which I do a
> > lot.
Plans are changing! First of all the WIFE doesn’t want another std after I
sell my Audi 20v sdn! Also did find a 99 GLX Passat with only 40,000 miles
and I think we have the deal closed for around 14.5K. It’s a silver with
black leather interior and all the extras one gets with the GLX package.
Best of all it’s not from where I work but a Toyota dealer 2 miles down the
road. Anyone interested in a 1990 Audi 90 Quattro with only 117,000 miles
which just went through a engine re-ring and valve job? Will get pictures
posted later….
"Woodchuck" <stv_euro…@yahoo.comXXX> wrote in message
news:3ee8ef27$0$41419$4d5ecec7@reader.city-net.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> I’m on the edge of purchasing a 99 Passat 1.8t 5 speed that was traded in.
> Many of you know I work at a dealer but only have the chance to drive them
a
> few miles. Would like some feedback on the auto versus the 5spd for
driving.
> I did want a auto but haven’t had any luck finding one in my price range.
> Now for the custom question, what rim tire combo works and looks good on a
> black metallic exterior with charcoal(black) interior? If you have
pictures
> of your Passat with custom rims please send them my way.
> Thanks
Andrew Martin wrote:
> Juey Ong:
> My dad has a 2001 or 2002 Honda Civic Sedan 5spd Manual trannie.
> I hate driving this car because when you switch gears, you put the clutch in,
> then try to move the shift to the next gear selection, but if your used to driving
> a `91 Golf Coupe and you actually expect the shift lever to let you change into
> the next gear right away, you will be soarly mistaken. It waits a bit before it
> allows
> the gear shifter to go into the next gear.
> Is this simliar to what your talking about?
Sounds like your synchros are balking. Match speeds better
(double-clutching, for instance) and you won’t have this problem.
–
Mike Smith
William Maslin wrote:
> However, I’ve got to tell you that our 2002 1.8T Passat with Tiptronic
> is a dream to drive. It shifts when it’s supposed to and doesn’t shift
> when it’s not supposed to…in other words it works like you think it
> should. And very smooth shifting, too. Not clunky like, for example,
> the auto trans on my daughter’s 1996 Mazda 626.
Overall I’m satisfied with the Tip in my 2003 V6, but I do find that it
is a little hesitant to downshift, and shifting response, whether using
the manual mode or via accelerator kickdown, can be a little slow. I’m
thinking about a "Tip chip" – anyone else have experiences with them,
good or bad?
–
Mike Smith
Andrew:
The "shift lag" I’m talking about is with the auto transmission in
Tiptronic mode. It’s not an issue with the manual transmission.
–jc
In article <3EEAA6FC.302B8…@nbnet.nb.ca>,
Andrew Martin <mart…@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> My dad has a 2001 or 2002 Honda Civic Sedan 5spd Manual trannie.
> I hate driving this car because when you switch gears, you put the clutch in,
> then try to move the shift to the next gear selection, but if your used to
> driving
> a `91 Golf Coupe and you actually expect the shift lever to let you change
> into
> the next gear right away, you will be soarly mistaken. It waits a bit before
> it
> allows
> the gear shifter to go into the next gear.
> Is this simliar to what your talking about?
In article <vemqbdlf51u…@news.supernews.com>,
Mike Smith <mike_UNDERSCORE_sm…@acm.DOT.org> wrote:
> William Maslin wrote:
> > However, I’ve got to tell you that our 2002 1.8T Passat with Tiptronic
> > is a dream to drive. It shifts when it’s supposed to and doesn’t shift
> > when it’s not supposed to…in other words it works like you think it
> > should. And very smooth shifting, too. Not clunky like, for example,
> > the auto trans on my daughter’s 1996 Mazda 626.
> Overall I’m satisfied with the Tip in my 2003 V6, but I do find that it
> is a little hesitant to downshift, and shifting response, whether using
> the manual mode or via accelerator kickdown, can be a little slow. I’m
> thinking about a "Tip chip" – anyone else have experiences with them,
> good or bad?
I don’t know anything about chipping the tip, but I wouldn’t mess with
it at all. I suspect that I drive in a less spirited manner than you.
My dad always said to drive like you have an egg under your foot. I
follow that advice when I’m driving an automatic. In a five speed I
like to goose it. But even then I try to drive smoothly.
Bill