Which shape Passat?

[Dakota]

Hi People,

I may be in the market to buy a Passat soon, fingers crossed. I have a bit of a dilemma in which shape to buy. I want an Estate and preferably the 2001 onwards with one piece headlight and indicator. But, even some of the cheapest I`ve seen are a good £2k more than the older shape

I want to mod it fairly mildly i.e a light tint, adjustables, 18`s and some subtle body smoothing. If I bought an older shape I could do all that with the money I`ve saved not buying a newer shape!

What are the main differences between the two?
I know on the front-end the grille is bigger and the headlights/indicators are one piece. Are the rear lights different?

I`ve been looking on Parkers price guide. The Diesel is 115bhp on the older models so 15bhp less in some cases. I`m interested in 1.8T, 2.0 and 1.9TDi engines
I could pick up a low mileage older model over a high miles newer shape and maybe be better off if its been well looked after and serviced regularly?

Opinions pls