Passats are nice cars, but VWs reliability still leaves something to be desired. And its not just a 1980's VW problem, it still exists. When something does break, its usually extremely expensive to repair, and VW dealers overall dont have the best reputation for customer service. OTOH, the older a car gets, the slower it depreciates. The minute you drive the car off the "new car" lot, it depreciates something like 20%. IMO, you should sell it. The mileage is at about the point where you will start having problems with that car. I remember Car&Driver doing a long-term test on your generation of Passats with poor results. They also just did a long-term on the new Beetle, and it's still been expensive to maintain.
American full-size trucks are pretty good vehicles. I think you'd be satisfied with the Sierra. If you want something less heavy duty, more urban use, you might want to look at the Toyota Tundra. HTH