Used Car of the Day: 2001 Volkswagen Passat GLS Wagon

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Manual-transmission wagons are usually going to get our attention when it's time to pick a used car of the day.

Today we give you a 2001 Volkswagen Passat GLS wagon with a five-speed stick.


The owner bought it new in 2000 and has now put 251,000 miles on the car, which has a 1.8-liter turbo engine. The clutch was replaced at 196K miles and the lower control arms were replaced at 248K.

It appears the owner kept up with basic maintenance, but there is some cosmetic damage -- peeling paint and a dent.

There are some mods, such as Koni shocks and Eibach springs. Other mods include a 6-CD changer, short shifter, tinted windows, and new gauges.

Check it out here.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

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2 of 29 comments
  • Keith Keith on Apr 02, 2023

    Maybe my market's different. but 4.5k whack. Plus mods like his are just donations for the next owner.


    I'd consider driving it as a fun but practical yet disposable work/airport car if it was priced right. Some VAG's (yep, even Audis) are capable, long lasting reliable cars despite what the haters preach.


    I can't lie I've done the same as this guy: I had a decently clean 4 Runner V8 with about the same miles- I put it up for sale around the same price as the lower mile examples. I heard crickets chirp until I dropped the price. Folks just don't want NYC cab miles.








  • Randy in rocklin Randy in rocklin on Apr 03, 2023

    My 1991 MR2 and 2004 Spyder runs like a champ. I did spend a pretty penny fixing the SMT but it was worth it. My 87 Supra with 200k mile runs great. The car has no tolerance for an overheated engine, once it hits H time for a new head gasket.

  • Bd2 Another excellent article Murilee, I have always admired the engineering, quality and styling of these vehicles and credit their inspiration with the legendary Hyundai Tiburon which can fetch low six figures these days at private auctions.
  • Ravenuer Looking forward to it!
  • Daniel J I love my mazda 6. It's getting harder and harder to drive it around where I live as municipalities fail to repair roads. SUVs are just easier to drive with all of the potholes.
  • 1995 SC On the plus side, I found a sedan I want to buy
  • Teddyc73 As I asked earlier under another article, when did "segment" or "class" become "space"? Does using that term make one feel more sophisticated? If GM's products in other segments...I mean "space" is more profitable then sedans then why shouldn't they discontinue it.
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