I got a last year manual Passat (2015). Phat tork EA888, phat cabin room with a 5spd for 20k.. No brainer.  

I agree. I think you can get a decent one for 25k. The 987 2.7L is no powerhouse but it has it has a pretty flat torque curve. Low rpm response surprised me, upper rev range is meh. Makes great noises though. These cars have bump steer that I wasn’t used to, but other than that nitpick the handling is great. Unstagger…

Took the words out of my brain. My (huge!) Passat daily minivan is the same weight as this car. OTOH my track cars are 2000 pounds. And this is “the best track car you have ever driven?”

If someone empties 5 of the 6 chambers of their revolver, then points it at your family and pulls the trigger.. click, no bang.

My father replaced an e38 with a beBangled version in 2008. The throttle lag was so bad it was downright dangerous in certain situations. If you needed to punch it to get out of a tight spot, code brown time.

Motor is a flash away from 40 extra horses and torques, and you can get a 5 speed up to 2015. Also has better outward visibility due its more legacy shape than other sedans. Plus its NOT A CAMRY. Which for some is an important feature.

Yes Excursion diesel is a decent tow beast. Excellent tow behavior and can net high teens mpg.

Yep 2010-2013 model.