Manual Wagon: 2004 Volkswagen Passat

This next car comes as a tip from SecondMouse who writes: For some automobile enthusiasts, there is a special interest in sporting wagons. That interest often grows if we are talking about German cars, and it goes up a bunch if the vehicle in question is a honest-to-goodness manual transmission. Here is one that might tick all the boxes for those so inclined - a 2004 v6 Passat wagon with low mileage and manual transmission, available at the modest price of $2500 in Houston. Find this 2004 Volkswagen Passat offered for $2500 in Houston, TX via craigslist.

Mostly Automatic: 2001 Audi S4

This next car comes from Erik202 who writes: I came across this car and it interested me so i did a little research and found that the automatic trans version of these B5 S4s is actually much more rare than the 6mt. I'm not sure that is proper justification for choosing it over the manual but hey, it's something. the price doesn't hurt on this one either ($4178 USD). Find this 2001 Audi S4 offered for $5750 CAD ($4178 USD) in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada via Kijiji.net.

Cheap Commuter: 2004 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T 5-Speed B5.5

The Passat has been Volkswagen's large family sedan option for many years and it is typically been based on a platform shared with the Golf and built in Mexico, but the B5 generation Volkswagen Passat was built on a Germany built platform shared with the Audi A4/A6 from 1997 through 2005.  This means that it used a longitudinal front-drive (and optional 4motion all-wheel-drive) setup and could be had with a number of engines, including a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder turbo, a 2.8 liter V6 and a 4 liter W8.  In an odd twist of things, the 1.8T 4-cylinder engine (chipped to 200 hp) and mated to a 5-speed with front-drive is actually the most fun to drive out of the powertrain options...and today's example comes slightly lowered and fitted with wheels from an C4 generation Audi UrS6.  Just make sure the seller has used synthetic oil and drive it for another 100k miles.  Find this 2004 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T offered for $2300 in Fremont, CA via craigslist.

4Motion Equipped: 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 Wagon

The B5 generation Volkswagen Passat had an interesting model lineup during its 1997 through 2005 lifecycle.  It started with the basic 1.8T powered 5-spd stripper models that offered a surprisingly fun drive for economy car price and included a turbo-diesel option, but went all the way upmarket to a 4.0 liter W8 powered leather infused luxury cruiser.  Not many cars have that range, and the W8 powered wagon models are particularly interesting to the low buck car enthusiast. Find this 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 Wagon offered for $2,500 in Dallas, GA via craigslist. Tip from Matt C.

AWD 6-sp Manual Turbo Wagon: 2001 Audi S4 Avant B5

The B5 generation Audi A4 was introduced in 1994 and featured a longitudinally mounted engine mated to a front transaxle with optional quattro all-wheel-drive. It is a good cheap used car, and the hottest version released to the US market was the twin-turbo equipped S4.  Thankfully, the product planners at Audi decided to let the USA buyers get the Avant/Wagon version and was in this generation that Audi started to legitimately challenge BMW in the compact luxury sports-sedan/wagon wars. Find this 2001 Audi S4 Avant B5 offered on SecondDaily.com bidding for $1000 (buy-it-now of $7750) with 9 hours to go, located in New York.

5k: Standard Time: 2001 Audi A4, B5 1.8T 5-Spd

It was nice this weekend to sleep an extra hour courtesy of the additional hour shoved down our throats by the US Department of Transportation (yes, the US D.O.T. is in charge of standardizing time zones since the Uniform Time Act of 1966).  As we transition back into Standard Time, we'd like to take this opportunity to recognize a few cars that are deplorable with a torque convertor equipped slushbox, but delightful with a standard gearbox.  First up is the B5 generation Audi A4, a fun affordable luxury sedan with a standard gearbox and a dreadful deathtrap with the slushbox.  Here is a nice 2001 Audi A4 offered for $5,980 or make-offer on eBay, located in Paterson, NJ with 8 days to go.

5k: B5ive: 2001 Audi S4

The B5 generation Audi S4 was sold in North America from 1999 to 2002 and featured boosted power from a twin-turbo V6.  The B5 S4 was the first properly fast S4 model and set the stage for good looking 4-door Audis for years to come.  Today the B5 S4 is well depreciated but still remarkably fast for a sub $10k car with a clutch pedal and modern comfort.  Find this 2001 Audi S4 for sale in Sioux Falls, SD for $6,700 via craigslist.

20k: Quattrollin: 2001 Audi S4 B5; RS4 look 550hp

The B5 generation Audi S4 was introduced in 1994 and featured a longitudinally mounted engine mated to a front transaxle with optional quattro all-wheel-drive. The hottest version released to the US market was the twin-turbo equipped S4 and it was in this generation that Audi started to legitimately challenge BMW in the compact luxury sports-sedan wars. Turn up the boost, slap on some fender flares and dial up the everything to 11 to build your own RS4, or just buy today's feature.  Find this 2001 Audi S4 B5 for $26,000 asking (but the seller assures us he is considering all offers above $20k) in Chicago, IL via quattroworld.com forums.  Seller submission from Paul Y.