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15000
members - 11/04 |
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12000
members - 03/04 |
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10000
members - 10/03 |
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9,000
members - 07/03 |
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7,000
members - 01/03 |
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5,000
members - 06/02 |
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3,000
members - 12/01 |
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Terry
Springer (lausbub)
Florida, USA
RIP Terry.
Terry passed away on July 22, 2002 after a long battle with cancer.
He used to be a Club B5 discussion forum moderator and helped shape
ClubB5.com into what it is today. He will never be forgotten.
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Terry's Personal Statement:
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The first B5 Passat Variant I saw was pictured in the
German auto magazine Auto Bild during the
summer of 1996. I immediately fell in love with the
car. At the time, I was stationed in Italy and driving
a Chevy S10 Blazer, which I bought because it was
safer than the little tin boxes that those crazy
Italians drive (no insult against Italians is
intended, but driving in Southern Italy is an
experience in itself). I didn’t like the truck
aspect of the Blazer, but I did like the utility of
having that rear cargo bay; I knew my next new car
would be a station wagon. My love for the B5 was
reaffirmed with my first hands-on experience at the
Washington, D.C. Car Show on January 1, 1988. I wasn’t
purchasing a new car yet, but I knew the Passat would be a
strong contender when I would begin looking.
After many delays, I finally decided to buy at the beginning
of this year. The Volvo V40 is the only other “Variant” on
the market in $25-$30K price range, so the decision to buy a
Passat was easy to reach. In late March, I ran across
ClubB5.com and I am happy to say that all of you helped me
learn a great deal about the car and the potential
modifications I wanted to do. I got so excited by the prospect
of finally owning a B5 Passat Variant that I moved my purchase
date up from September
to June. Unfortunately, the very day I took delivery,
the Club B5 forums went down and I was unable to share
my joy.
I decided to go
with a GLX because I wanted all of the electronic “schnick
schnack” that comes along with it; after thirteen years of
driving a manual and swearing I’d never buy an automatic, I
caved in to the hassles of D.C. commuting and opted for that
extra “schnick schnack,” the Tiptronic.
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I decided from the start that I wanted to do most, if not all
of the mods as quickly as possible. Prior to taking delivery,
I had my 17” Borbet Type R’s sitting in the garage and I
ordered the Projektzwo front spoiler, Abt rear wing and Abt
grille. Two days after I drove off of the lot, I had a
customizing shop install Eibach sport springs and mount the
Borbets wrapped in 225/45-ZR17 rubber. Within two weeks, I had
my windows tinted, an Eclipse Commander Stereo installed and
the stock alarm replaced with a Clifford. In just over three
weeks, I had the spoilers, grille and splashguards painted and
mounted, the lower valences painted and a SS sport muffler
installed. At some point, I also mounted a customized German
license plate with HD for my hometown of Heidelberg, installed
clear corners, a Euro light switch and an HKS SMF intake. On
September 30th, my nephew, brother-in-law and I
completed the most recent mods: connecting both rear fog
lights and the in-dash indicator, installing In.Pro clear tail
lamps, installing the Kamei SS door sill guards and my new
personalized Maryland license plates. I think I am done with
the mods for the time being; the only thing I plan to do is
add the Kamei SS bumper guard when it becomes available in
early 2001 and install aftermarket fog lamps that will fit my
Projektzwo spoiler. It
is odd driving a car that people stare at all of the time.
People have pulled alongside me on the freeway giving me a
thumbs-up. One guy pulled up next to me at a red light and
motioned for me to roll my window down; when I did, he leaned
over his wife in the passenger seat and yelled, “You’re
the man.” An establishment I frequent uses valet parking;
the college kids that work there literally compete to be the
one who parks my car. Where people used to cut me off, they
now make room for me in traffic. The past four months of
ownership have been nothing short of fun and I’ve enjoyed
sharing it with my fellow Club B5ers. Thanks!
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