This low mileage Volkswagen Passat W8 manual is worth the inevitable pain and heartache

The Volkswagen Passat W8 was an odd car when it was first introduced, and even odder when most W8 Passats had or throw a grenade at yourself or become too expensive to maintain and eventually got lost. However, this one is a well-preserved, low-mileage example of one of the Volkswagen of the strangest decisions, and It is currently for sale with no reserve on Bring A Trailer.

Volkswagen’s midsize Passat sedan was designed to compete with America’s most beloved family cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, but that wasn’t enough for the evil mastermind behind Volkswagen’s most outrageous cars, Ferdinand Piëch, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche. Piëch believed VW needed to move upmarket, and he was the man behind other unprecedented Volkswagens like the S-Class rival Phaeton and the luxurious and over-the-top Touareg SUV. The W8 Passat was designed to give buyers a step down from the Phaeton luxury sedan, but time has not been kind to the W8 engine.

The Passat was the only car ever produced with this odd W-shaped eight-cylinder engine, and the first in a line of VW Group W-shaped engines that would eventually grow into the W12 and W16. The W8 was a Dr. Frankenstein project, created by taking two of Volkswagen’s revered VR6 narrow-angle engines, cutting two cylinders from each, and grafting the two halves together.

It was offered from 2001 to 2004, with standard all-wheel drive and a five-speed automatic or, as this example does, a six-speed manual. The 4.0-liter W8 produced 270 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, which wasn’t particularly remarkable and didn’t deliver particularly strong performance. The W8 was praised for its smooth ride and quick acceleration, but it cost a ridiculous amount of money, around $40,000 when new in the early 2000s. Factoring in inflation, that’s about $68,000 in 2024 for a Passat.

So even when new, the W8 Passat was an expensive, rare and unique car with a one-of-a-kind engine. Rewind 20 years and the thought of servicing an eight-cylinder German car with such a bespoke engine made my wallet tremble. However, this particular car is an exceptionally well-maintained, low-mileage example, so perhaps this is the only W8 Passat worth buying? Check it out on Bring A Trailer.