2005 VW Passat Wagon or 2007 Subaru Outback

I currently own a 2007 Subaru Outback with 70,000 miles on it and I still owe $11,000 on it, $350 a month. A friend is selling her 2005 VW Passat wagon AWD with 110,000 for $6,000. Should I sell my Subaru and buy the Passat Wagon. I could get rid of my car payment. What do you think of the Passat Wagons, I do also love my Subi…???

Never buy a car from a friend. Stick with it for now.

That would be a very bad move.

First, buying a car from a friend is a great way to end a friendship.

Secondly, the reliability of VW Passats is dismal, and their maintenance and repair costs can be very high.

Stick with the Subaru and keep your friend.

You really need to make larger payments and get rid of the car loan. You’ll soon be upside down, meaning you owe more than the car is worth. Not a good position to be in.

Agree, nothing about this deal sounds good to me. Speed up your Subie payments.

I second mcparadise’s post as well as others’.
Accelerate the pay-off of the car note.
Cars (the vast majority of them anyway) are a depreciating asset.
Properly take care/maintain the Subbie and enjoy driving it untill the wheels fall off, in another 230k miles :slight_smile:

A friendship can end quickly on something like this. There’s nothing wrong with the Passat but there’s a lot of unanswered questions.
Will the Subaru actually bring 11 grand, where those vehicles are in in terms of maintenance and timing belts, etc, etc.

At this point you’re better off holding your cards as they are.

Keep the Subaru. It is less expensive generally to maintain than a VW Passat. Also they do not have any of the annoying electrical problems that plague VW.

Also if you are still considering it ask if the timing belt has been changed on that Passat. It is at least a $750-$1200 maintenance dependent where you live. A Subaru has one but it is half the price of VW.