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Ramblings
Yes it is my wife's car but I love it too

Conceiving "Otto"
After  a decade of trouble free ownership (246,000 miles /~396,000 kilometers) we decided to sell Deb's beloved 1992 Jeep Cherokee Larado ("Ruben") and buy another car.  Our goal was to find a safe, reliable and more fuel efficient vehicle.  Several cars fit the criteria but the Passat seemed to do it with style and value.

We purchased our Passat via the internet through Cyberfleet.com.  Joe Thurmond made it easy for us to get the car we wanted with the minimum of hassle.  At $299 over invoice he saved us more than $1,000 compared the best offer any salesman (3 different dealerships) had made us earlier for the same car.  I would recommend contacting him if you are looking for a car in the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

Our first impressions
This is one beautiful car.  Not quite Volvo S60 or BMW 3 series beautiful but it stood out to us compared to the others we seriously looked at (Camry, Accord, Legacy).  The ride quality is equal to or superior to the other models we test drove including the S60.  It feels like it's floating on air.  The driver's positioning is very adjustable and comfortable.  The controls are a little confusing at first and it took us a little while to become accustomed to them.   The fit and finish appear to be top notch.

I WANT ONE TOO!!!!
If I could figure out a way to do my job in a Passat Varient instead of a pick-up truck ...  We'd have two Passats in the Garage right now.  For the first time in my life I'm actually enjoying driving (when Deb lets me ...).  

Mo's Varient

Der Phaeton
Our sunny day car

Misc. observations we made while shopping for a vehicle.
Have you ever noticed that EVERY car salesman says their car is safer than the Volvo?
With trade in or without the price we were offered for the Passat was the same.  Lesson: Sell your trade in yourself.
Of the three VW dealerships we went to Campbell/Nelson (Edmonds, WA) was the best to deal with.  We didn't end up purchasing our Passat there but would have had the internet price not been so competitive.