Long-Term Car Updates

The fact that the Volkswagen CC is just a chopped-top version of the regular Passat would mean that space would be compromised. But that’s hardly the case.

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Our 2012 Volkswagen Passat CC long-termer came back last week, having spent a few weeks at the dealership getting its front fender repaired after a hit-and-run incident. It looks new again, and with a broken-in engine, it drives even better.

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Owning a four-wheel-drive is a dream for the majority of the population in the Middle East, particularly due to the excessive feeling of safety, the commanding view and availability of cheap gasoline. Sadly enough, barely a few realise the true potential of these vehicles, the result being these unfortunate four-wheel-drives living the life of a budget sedan. One such commonly-seen family SUV is the Mitsubishi Pajero, which also happens to be our new long-term hauler.

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If you keep track of automotive news, you’ll know that the facelifted new “2013” Volkswagen CC has just been unveiled. It gets a straight new corporate face and some LED-specific enhancements. And from what we can see, our “older” CC arguably looks better. Of course, it will take a while before the redone model reaches UAE shores, so we’ll reserve judgement for now. Right now, we had to deal with our car becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident.

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Our freebie Volkswagen Passat CC has now completed its break-in period, so we’re finally getting to open up the throttle and listen to that 3.6-litre V6. The same engine powers the new VW Touareg as well as the pricey Porsche Cayenne V6, and we loved the motor in those SUVs.

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It’s time to close the chapter on our 2000 BMW M Roadster, our first attempt at owning a near-exotic car. We bought it in early 2008, and sold it last month, barely driving it for 7,000 km in more than three years. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know if you plan to buy a premium sports car on a budget.

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Back in the early days of summer this year, we asked Volkswagen Middle East if they’d be interested in providing us with a long-term car. We were fine with any car, as long as it was for a decent amount of time, and we even offered to pay part of the cost. They soon got back to us, offered us a VW Passat CC V6 for no cost, and even let us choose the colour. While we didn’t ask for any specific colour, we found it rather astounding that VW would import a brand-new unmolested car from Germany just for our test.

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So after 8 months and over 20,000 km, the Mondeo has departed. In an unanticipated move, I spontaneously decided to sell the Mondeo as the idea of owning a four-wheel drive, which sprouted up from nowhere in a corner of my brain, and had incurably spread all over my mind like cancer in short notice.

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You might be wondering why there have been no updates on our 2000 BMW M Roadster, the ultra-rare sports car of which only a handful exist in the UAE. The truth is we haven’t been driving it much, because it is a race-car for the streets. Race-cars aren’t particularly good on crowded streets.

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So I racked up another 10,000 kms on my Mondeo, and it was time to visit the dealer again for a service -– a major one this time. The major-service interval for the Mondeo falls every 50,000 km; my car which has done a tad less than 40,000 km, has gone through the major service. For those who bothered to follow the previous long term reports of this car, the story behind doing a 50,000-km service despite car doing only 40,000 kms will be nothing new.

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