Volkswagen Passat Variant, 2006, Vantaa

Here is a sprightly four-wheel-drive V6 Passat.

The car is in reasonable condition for its age.

There is rust bubbling on the wheel arch, more at the lower edge of the front passenger door.

Otherwise the body is tidy, no dents and hardly any scratches.

You can see these relatively clearly in the photos.

The engine runs well and retains its power. It has a timing chain, so no need to worry about a belt change.

Pleasure to drive — the very powerful V6 growls nicely and the automatic changes smoothly. Driving is truly effortless and comfortable. The car warms up quickly and the four-wheel drive makes progress sure in winter conditions. Fuel consumption is quite modest on the motorway.

The interior is very clean and nothing is broken. Wear is visible only on the front seats, where the alcantara is slightly bobbled - but the upholstery has no holes or similar damage.

Features work — except the rear window wiper.

Faults:

The car requests service and therefore occasionally illuminates the engine warning light in the instrument cluster.

One xenon headlight is blown, which also triggers a fault warning.

The gearbox often jerks when cold as a gear engages; when warm it works completely normally. The gearbox does not grind, hesitate or delay when changing.
Sometimes when cold it reports an electric parking brake fault even though the brake is not engaged. In such cases it may drop into neutral.

These problems have only occurred after the car has stood overnight in freezing temperatures. Once the car has warmed up the issues disappear.

Idle fluctuates slightly, otherwise no complaints with the engine.

I drove the car to a workshop and received the following assessments of these issues:

idle - a hole was found in the breather hose and the air leak causes the problem

handbrake - the battery is poor and causes spurious error messages, especially when cold; the car thinks the handbrake is on and therefore drops into neutral

gearbox jerk - the gearbox oil and filter should be changed; the cold makes the gearbox jerk when a gear engages because the oil is old.

Finnish car

Towbar

Engine block heater + interior socket

Xenon headlights

Cruise control

Front seat heaters

Electrically adjustable seats

Automatic air conditioning

Heated electric mirrors

Electric parking brake

Leather-alcantara seats

Paper service book

Trip computer; there is a navigation unit but it requires a DVD.

Two sets of 17-inch tyres on alloy wheels — summer tyres in excellent condition, winter tyres are friction tyres and will last until the end of this winter.

1 x key

The vehicle must be collected within 7 days of the auction ending unless otherwise agreed - Huutokaupat.com.