From the moment I drove it off the lot, I felt special in this car. I saw people pass me on the highway with their noses pressed up against their window staring in admiration at my Passat. I’ve had strangers approach me and complement or ask me questions about it. Every 10 years an automobile is designed as perfect as possible catching the imagination of drivers. That was my Passat. Best described as a driving pleasure.
My 1995 Passat was dark green with tan interior. It had a 2.0, 4 cylinder engine, an automatic transmission with plenty of pep. I put over 315,000 miles on it. That works out to over 12.5 times around the earth! The repairs were nominal. It survived being rear ended by a commercial van in New Jersey while stopped at a light.on Meadowlands parkway; It was also rear ended in Philadelphia while stopped for a light. I remember storming out of my seat to scream at the driver only to find this tiny old man barely able to see above his steering wheel. He looked at me and said “I couldn’t help it, I sneezed.” I shook my head and laughed as there was no visible damage to my Passat. It did not flip when I did a 720 degree spin out on snowy Route 80 in the Pocono mountains. It kept me protected when I had to spend the night on Route 380 in Pennsylvania. I plowed through over three feet of snow for miles with the Passat’s traction switch and front wheel drive until traffic blocked my path.
The six speaker surround sound system was excellent. The fuel mileage was excellent for a 4-door sedan (20- 27 mpg.) It even had a security system that needed the key to lock the doors. This eliminated the chance of locking your keys in the car. This was something I did on a regular basis. I finally gave it away to a needy neighbor after ten years of ownership. It was comforting to know the new owner was really thankful.
What I consider the true bench mark of a great car is the fact that I had three different people ride in my Passat. Not a month later they were driving their own Volkswagens. They all told me that it was the ride they took in my Passat that impressed them to want their own Fahrvegnugen.