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             “Passaudi…”  A name so graciously given to my Passat by my best friend’s brother the day he saw my car.  Being a Jetta driver himself, he quickly came to appreciate the differences between the siblings, and made me realize just how much I loved my car!  “It really does look like an Audi!” was all that Brian could say after he took a couple laps around the body.  Although, in its virgin form, the Passat is no ugly duckling, it still surprises me how a little bit of paint, minor suspension work, and some new shoes can utterly transform the look of the car.

Newly introduced to the VW scene, I purchased my first “People’s Car” after one sunny afternoon three years ago, and an entire day behind the wheel of an Indigo Blue GLS with leather.  Every minute behind the wheel of the car was another minute I fell more and more in love with the quality, the power, the luxury, the switchblade key, and sheer pleasure that driving the car offered.  It was the epitome of love at first sight, and I couldn’t help but grin quietly each time my good friend offered to let me drive her fine car.  Weeks later, I was on my search for my own Passat when I stumbled across the Colorado Red B5 on the vortex, tastefully clad in Charlestons, suspension, Votex, and various performance upgrades.  I was intrigued at how modifying a car could make it look and perform that much more.  It wasn’t too much longer before I did the inevitable, and discovered ClubB5.  After much deliberation, I decided that I loved the look and feel of the classic B5 too much to purchase a newer B5.5.  After what seemed an eternity, I found the exact car I was looking for, a Satin Silver GLX with a Black interior.  After making a fuss for over four hours, I obtained the car, the certified pre-owned warranty, and walked out the door, proudly flipping the switchblade key in and out as I walked towards my car.

I became an avid lurker of ClubB5, and became very envious of the uber-nice B5’s being presented on the boards.  More so, Satin Silver cars like BoeserBlicks’s, JonBoy’s, and Bel’s became my role models and constant reminders of what my car could become.  I still consider my car unworthy in their memorable presences, sans Bel’s which still lives today, but a closer look at my car would unveil that the clear corners (my first mod) came straight from JonBoy’s car, and the exhaust you see is straight from Norah!  I found myself with the severe case of the mod-bug, changing my car every week.  Some items were large such as the wheels, suspension, and Xenons, but some were small such as the grill and antenna.  I’d tried various modifications throughout my ownership, and decided the look I was trying to achieve was one that of a package one might be able to order straight from the factory.  Hence, the removal of such things like the Kamei grill, retention of all factory badges, addition of as many OEM parts as possible, and only subtle yet distinct changes were made to the car.  Several days and trials even went into the Carputer to make sure the look was as factory as humanly possible.  After many countless hours of being poured into my car, she now sits the way she is today and still brings me excitement each time I get into the car. 

ClubB5.com became like a drug to me, and the eye candy, information, and thoughts provided to me became my outlet from the rest of the world.  The amount of time spent on the boards late at night raised many questions with the girlfriend, prompting the humorous inquiry of whether not I was looking at porn!  My only reply was, “Of course! Passat Porn that is!” Which brings me to my disbelief of that slow Saturday night when we both decided to stay in and watch movies and was given the unbelievable news.  It surprised me to see as much excitement in her eyes as mine when I told her that my car was picked B5 of the month!  To this day, I still can’t believe I was chosen, and am completely honored by this award.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think to be chosen, and am proud to be part of the ClubB5 history.  If it were not for this community, my car would never have changed a bit!  Thank you all for your knowledge, support, and inspiration!

Special shout outs go to Joel Nickerson of Omaha, Nebraska who donated countless hours into helping my car with his mechanical genius, ClubB5 for providing the indispensable knowledge from bumper removal to fuel filter replacement, and P.S. Autobody for painting my lowers with five different shades of Satin Silver to get the color JUST right! 

For a complete mod listing, please check out my profile in the Midwest section.

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