PassatVariantPunk (Stephen)

First off, thanks to the Good Lord for such a great vehicle! It is a joy to drive, own, mod, and steward.

My first years of licensed driving consisted of using whatever my folks had. Wrecking their Subaru during my first month of permit driving made room for a new car. Their choice was a fully loaded, Satin Silver 2001 B5 V6 Tip. I came to appreciate the Passat's appeal, developing an affinity for the brand and model.

It was only a short while later that my chance to own a B5 was an option.

To be honest, though, the car scene was not for me. Kids my age worked twenty hours a week for minimum wage only to spend that money on useless spoilers, batches of vinyl, and purple tint. Just wasn't my thing. This wagon was strictly for my transportation needs.

Stumbling upon the forums changed all that. "Another Day, Another Mod" was the buzz phrase. Here I saw the amazing variety and potential. We can see it even now: stock to OEM+ to extreme modifications. The mod bug hit.

And I struck back hard when I splurged twenty bucks on an S2000 antenna. Really, all the other modifications were out of my price range. That season of life allowed only looking, no touching. Only after receiving the car's title did I loosen the purse strings.

Modifications while still continuing are slowing down. My hope is to create an A8L Variant. It may never reach this but not because a lack of time. I expect to keep this car for several more years. While there are many great cars out there, a simple truth that greens-keeping taught me is that the grass is greener where you water it. I own this wagon and will stick it out with this wagon. 250,000 miles is my goal. Is there anyone with me?

Future mods will be finishing the stereo system with a custom StlB5 enclosure, installing a New South Performance Power Gasket and PureMS snub mount. I intend to suede the interior this winter upon finding the right color match.

Of all the posts and all the mods, the Volkswagen camaraderie has impressed me the most. These communities we proudly claim membership in are places we learn, teach, show, help, encourage, razz and really make friends. B5one is a prime example; this club makes for a great accompaniment to owning a Passat.

Beyond driving, just look as the community encourages Vikki with support, tangible and intangible. Our family of car enthusiasts is more than just brake upgrades but the chance to help one another in a time of need.

So, thanks to each of the members of our community. Being able to meet a few of you at Mike's Garage Day and just recently at South Shore VW GTG reinforces the point that our community is one of the best. It is inspiring to see what can come out of a club simply founded on the appreciation of a car! Thanks especially to our Moderators for this honor and their time.

Drive safe and keep the rubber side down!

Other oneB5s

B5one is a licensed club of Volkswagen