Volkswagen Passat

Well i can't say how well this model 2000 passat wagon gls 1.8turbo was for the first owner. must have been ok, he put over 100,000 Miles on it before i ever bought it. but it looked great and ran well enough for me to spend way more then i should have for it. after a year the oil pump went out, i thought no prob i bought the full engine warranty. little did i know the dealer would screw me out of this warranty job, because it could only have oil changes done at the dealership. that was not explained very well at signing. not only am i a mechanic fully capable of performing these simple oils changes, they tried to say it needed to be done every 3,000 miles , which was not correct for my model of every 6,000 miles which was done. they even did a engine tear down to inspect for internal damage that showed nothing wrong and concluded that there was no inherent cause for the oil pump failure. What a waste of good money on a bad warranty. $800 later car was runing great for a while. then a... Read more

Proud Ex-owner of 1993 GLX Passat! I loved my Passat till another car decided to play tag with it at 75mph while it was parked. Found him bloody and unconsciously drunk and my passat sitting there in two! Needless to say it saw the junkyard. Although, before it's instant death, it ran like a champ! I loved the little torquey VR6 it carried in its bay. And the plush luxury interior with the European touch was great! It had enough power and torque to carry me and three other cronies with easy and fun. The 5 speed stick was a blast too! However it did have it's usual German quirks about it. The electrics, like all my other VW's, always pooped out early. I'm an auto technician so it was easy to trace and locate the problems. Parts were a bit on the expensive side of things but overall the car was more than satisfactory! 2 thumbs up!

I haven't even had this car for a year yet but I'm content with it. I had my doubts at first, when I first got it the battery died when I went to get the mail and they had to take it back for a day. Then again it was used and the problem was taken care of quickly. The car has been fine ever since it is a magnificent little car! Took it on my first short road trip from San Francisco to San Jose and it was perfect! I love that it has a tape player I love playing my ipod in the car. Has a CD player and all that jazz so it's all good. I don't need luxury or what not in a car I'm not all picky. It has great pick-up and is very reliable in the rain. Hugs corner very well and the stereo system is great. Only thing I complain about is that the radio is very sensitive to hills and trees so it doesn't have a great signal, then again I don't usually listen to the radio. Great little car I recommend it XD

2006 VW Passat 2.0 T, Purch. new 9/05, Manufactured 5/05. Passat has run & performed beyond expectations in both power & mileage. Average 29.5 -30.2 mpg on road trips@70 mph+. Avg. 24 mpg city. Only One Major Problem: At 40K miles, started to notice vibrations at highway speeds. Thought tires not balanced or wheel weight issue. Tire shop checked @43.5K miles. Struts & Shocks in Total Failure! VW Factory replacements would not fit. Discovered that this Passat was mounted on a 2006 Jetta suspension and not designed to carry the weight of a Passat. Has anyone else experienced this issue with the Early 2006 Passat?

2006 Volkswagen Passat. We own the worst car ever made. The dealership told us we should never buy a first year model car again. Very helpful (<-- sarcasm) It's been to the dealership 26 times so far, and are researching the lemon law. We're getting rid of it, that's for sure. I'd even go as far as to say I'd get another VW as they are usually good cars, but I'd never get another Passat.

Got a 2003 Passat about a year ago with about 33,000 miles on it.. Big mistake! I've had more go wrong with it in 12 months than I've had with an old 1996 Chevy S10 over the past 8 years. Four recalls, plus (at my expence) brake light switch, both cv boots, an engine oil leak and now it won't start when it's below 10 degrees unless I use the remote start. Probably a simple $500 igniton fix to take care of that. Oh don't forget about the $50 replacement windshield wiper blades. Worst and most costly vehicle I have ever owned. Is this German Engineering at its finest? Called VW and they had the guts to offer me a discount on a new one. Yea, you bet. I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night. Stick with Honda, Toyota, or Chevy.

I am the recent owner of a 2001 Passat 4Motion Wagon. Before purchasing the car, I did alot of research, and read all the negative print and real life negative aspects of the car. Regardless of basically being warned about the poor quality of this German made vehicle, I bought it. I checked the crankcase through the oil cap and saw there was absoulutely no sludge or a minimum sign of anything looking abnormal. The first thing I did was change the oil with Fully Synthetic 5W30 Mobil 1. So far so good. I must confess though that whenever I drive it I am terrifed of the "Check Engine" or "STOP" light coming on. I also own a 1994 Ford Escort LX wagon. The best car, as far as reliability, I have ever owned by far. I bought it in Germany in 1999, and til this day my total maintenance cost has been roughly $500.00!! $300.00 of that cost was for a new alternator, battery and rear brakes in July 07. The Ford is only worth about $400.00, but I would drive to Alaska with it if I had to. I just h... Read more

I bought a 2000 Passat GLX in 2003 and have put about 40K miles on it. I like the car -- it's powerful and fun to drive -- but the repair costs are obscene. The water pump went out while I was on vacation a couple of years ago so I had it trucked into a dealer in Maryland who charged over $800 to replace it. I'm now handing it off to my son who is in college. I had him take it into the local dealer (Jack Daniel's in Fair Lawn, NJ), and they're charging me $200 to replace the spark plugs and $175 to replace the brake fluid (both of which services I asked for). They just called and said that the axle boots need replacing, so that'll be another $544 plus tax. Every time I set foot in a VW dealer's repair shop it costs $800-$900. I just bought myself a replacement car, and didn't even bother to consider another Passat, even though, as I said, I've enjouyed driving this car. I bought an '04 BMW 325i instead.

we are the only owners of a 2002 passat 1.8 L turbo, 4 cyl. We have had that car in for repairs FOURTEEN times since the purchase. Our most recent repair for over 1,000 (mind you we have 46,000miles) was for a broken water pump and cv boot. The water pump was clearly defected...but what do you expect when part of it is made of plastic. We have also had to have the ignition coils replaced 3 times. I attempted to call VWOA and got absolutely nowhere as soon as they realized our warrenty of was several months ago. Even the dealership was of no help but interestingly enough a gentleman I spoke to in their repair shop said "if you had a Honda...you'd get some help". We were sucked in by the buying price, the look and the feel of the car...but in short term were very disappointed. Of the various repair shops we have spoke to, there was an overall consensus...NO VWs. ...YES Honda, toyato, nissan. HMMM..my 1998 Honda CRV has 111,000 miles and has not had near the problems or cost posted to i... Read more

Seriously, the worst car we have owned. The cars handling and performance is excellent but its reliability and cost of ownership leave you incensed. We purchased the 2002 V6 sedan and our estimated cost of ownership since then is $1100 per year for repairs only. Our other car, the ever reliable Honda, also cost us $1100 in repairs but its taken seven years for that accumulated cost.

99 Passat - had the following troubles: 1. turbo failure 2. oil pump failure 3. water pump failure 4. timing belt mechanism collapse - got rid of it in 2005, thank God

I bought the 2004 gls 4 motion new and except for an initial problem that was compounded more by the dealership than VW, the car has been flawless in over 53000 miles. The brakes squeak a bit but it still has the original pads. I stick to the 5k oil change schedule and have used synthetic oil since new due to the fear of sludge. I dislike having to use premium gas but fels that it'swoirth the trade off for the way this car drives.

I bought a 2001 VW "new" Passat 4 Cylinder, 1.8T brand new. After owning it for about 6 months it started producing a rattling noise in the engine. Took it back to the dealer numerous times. VW tried everything, i.e., tuning the muffler(?), replacing the spark plugs with Bosc sparks etc. I stopped taking it back and drove it with the rattle, since they could not fix it. After about 1.5 years the diagnostic engine light came on. Took it back, VW dealer tore down the engine and found a loose bolt near the cylinder head. The rattling noise went away. The dealership was asking who in the hell put in the wrong plugs into the engine. I told them they were the last ones to have worked on the car. Now at 68K miles I replaced the rear breaks, i.e., rotors and pads. VW puts in cheap rotors which wear down fast and bad tires on new cars. Also the car battery died very quickly (so cheap batteries). I am worried about the oil sludge problem on this car. This sludge problem is due to ... Read more

I have a 2001 Volkswagen Passat V6 and bought it used just over a year ago. The vehicle looks very classy, is comfortable, spacious and drives wonderful. On the other hand, I have replaced 4 or 5 major parts since I bought it Dec. 2004 which has turned me off of Volkwagans. There was only one owner and based on the carfax he kept up the maintenance so I thought it was in near to perfect condition. But what you must BEWARE of is the Volkwagan dealership servicing department (mechanics)and Volkswagan Corporate they are sneaky, and give you the run around even if you are under warranty. My advice is never buy used Volkswagans.

Full Review This is a car that I love and hate at the same time - sort of a conundrum in some respects. As our family was expanding, my wife and I wanted something safe, but efficient. Unfortunately most Japanese makers don’t make wagons any more and we didn’t want to kick the planet in the face by driving an SUV. I had owned several Subarus in the past and was looking at another Outback, but it just wasn’t luxurious enough after driving a Lexus and Mercedes for a while. This car was mainly for my wife to drive. I currently drive a Lexus LS400 and had owned a Mercedes prior to that. I liked the fit and finish of the German car and I wanted the same for my wife. When compared to the Outback, the Passat was tighter, better constructed, had much better styling, good drivability and we really liked the overall fit and finish. The car just felt right for us. Consumer Reports had given it average reliability rating and it was one of their “Best Buys” and the top sedan in its class (according... Read more

I bought a 1999 V6 Passat as a certified used car from Volkswagen less than three years ago and I've been really disappointed with it. Since I've had the car, its been in the shop for 7 major repairs, totalling approx. $5000, a third of its used car price tag. While some of that was covered under its warranty, the problems with this car are staggering. On top of it all, I recently brought the car in for replacement of its lower control arms which were recalled, and as soon as we left the dealership, the car pulls really hard to the left. The dealership says there's nothing wrong with the replacement part, but they don't deny the car pulls severly to the left. Their remedy, replace my tires and then they'll see about replacing the part. Give me a break!

I have a 2001 Passat turbo used, I love the car, the way it looks, handles, everything. Have only 33,000 mi. on it, and have had a couple of problems. Main one was O2 sensor going out at 26k, and the part was impossible to find. Other than that, just normal stuff like breaks (which were WAY more expensive than my old dodge neon!). The tachomoter rattles for some reason when I accelerate, but the car is so pretty inside and out that it doesn't really bother me. We just had our first big snow of the year, and it handled great.

My 2004 Passat 4 motion wagon has done nothing but shake, rattle and roll. It has shaken at high sppeds since day one, wobbled at slow speeds and rolled to and through a slow stop. Front brakes have been replaced twice, rear brakes once. In between, the specialists could not duplicate the problems, but brakes were replaced. This gives a new meaning to the old boogie song. In addition, the car has lost OnStar several times, the side defroster nozzle barely breathes, the left rear window doen't go up and down correctly, the mileage does not meet manufacturers specifications as stated in their brochure. I lost a piece of molding which service said was replaced. While talking to the manager about the problems, I mentioned the replaced molding. He reached down, took a piece of molding off another car, and voila, my car had a molding. The top rail molding dislodged and added extra beat to the interior Monsoon music. The rear window washer was out of commission during most of the winte... Read more

IF you are consider the 1.8T 4-cyl version, then my rating is 5-star for sure. The price is right considering the comfort, drivability, safety, power, and reliability. I will say that you're far better off with the 4-cyl with a turbo than with the naturally aspirated 6-cyl. The 4-cyl feels zippier because it has low end horsepower and handles the slightly heavy passat well. I agree that they are getting a little pricy for what you get, but I'm quite pleased with mine for the money we paid. VW makes a good car, and in recent years a very reliable and confortable car at that. It really just comes down to price. I highly recommend test driving though - you really can't tell from what people write in here whether you'll like one or not, but my suspicion is that you will, and I test drive a LOT of cars and put TONS of miles on my passat. Not quite track-worthy, but definitely sporty considering it's size, power, and luxury - you'll be surprised in a good way! UPDATE: After 50,000 miles, th... Read more

2004 GLS 4 motion. Love the car and the gas mileage. No problems.

2000 1.8T. Great ride, handling. TERRIBLE reliability. Had problems since it was bought new. Over 5K invested into this hunk of junk! Now we're told it needs a NEW engine + Turbo to the tune of 9K! It has less than 60K on it. Missed the recommended 5k oil change ONCE! VW refuses to back up their 100K engine warranty b/c of this. Back to a Toyota/Honda/Nissan. Will never buy a VW again!

I have 2002 passat GLX 4-Motion. I look forward to driving this car everytime I sit in the driver's seat! Fairly quiet ride-some wind noise on fwy. Smooth most of the time-tire noise on rough roads, but better than most other cars I've driven. Interior and exterior styling can't be beat in this class!

atleast it's german car. Stable, Fancy than japanise, Solid, Never gets old unlike other cars because design changes every 5-6 years so that means it is valuble car.

very good car. better than the accord and camry combined.

I have a 2000 Passat V6. I love it. A major step up from the Accord and Camry. Love the touches like real wood trim, unlike the fake wood in Camry and Accord. Waiting patiently for the all new 2005 or 2006 Passat.

I drive a 1999 GLS Wagon, 1.8L turbo 4cyl, 5 spd manual. It has 80K miles on it. I drive quite a bit and enjoy the ride. the older models have awful cupholders but I have found the car to be incredibly reliable. I also average over 30 MPG city and highway (though most of my driving is highway). I had a great experience with the dealerships I have used. I would recommend it to anyone and would also consider purchasing again.

Mechanically perfect vehicle, but has some evident flaws that almost completely ruin it. First off, it comes standard with a bunch of neat stuff. The problem with that is, the high starting price. $21k. That's high when similiar rivals, Camry, Taurus, etc. start at around $6k less. Another problem is engine power. Standard inline-4 makes a decent 170hp but for the price it should be V-6. A V-6 is availabe, starting at $24k, but only produces a miserable 190hp, very outdated. A "W-8" is availabe, (engine is like a V-8), but then we are talking about 40,000 dollars. Although reliability and parts are excellent, this car is simply too much money.

My Husband and I fell in love with the Passat 1.8T and bought ours used. To this day we dearly love the car but have had no end of problems with it. At only 48K miles we had an entirely new engine and turbo installed (under warrenty) but another $400 worth of work done as well. About every 3-4 months we were putting about $400 worth of repairs in her. We love the car, love the look, drive, response and safety rating. But we will never again buy a VW and we hated dealing with the VW dealerships.

My 2000 GLX rivals many of the more expensive luxury sedans. The interior and ride are plush and there is power under the hood.

This vehicle majorly BITES you in the wallet, with repairs both big and small in the first three years, some covered by warranty but many not. And VW's "consumer advocates" are do-nothing sympathizers that tell you "Gee, that's too bad" but have no power (or desire?) to really go to bat for you. We now drive Hondas- one a sedan, the other an SUV- and are much happier. VW, you stink BIGTIME!!

The Baroness of vehicles, as it glides through the air, hugs the road and is comfortable.

Got a 2000 Passat GLX and this vehicle is really an Audi without the all wheel drive option. It is a slick package that most people overlook when looking for a new vehicle. Drove a BMW 528 and a Lincoln LS8 before settling on this. I love to drive this car at night because of the dash lighting. The Monsoon audio system is great. If you are considering a "near" luxury sporting vehicle drive this. It has a real personality.

I have a 1999 Passat 6 cyl. and I'm quite happy with the exterior and interior design, jet-like dashboard, and comfortable ride. If it had better pick up out of the hole, I would have rated it Great.

I have a 95 VR6 (6 cyl) and it is a nice ride. It is just over 100k and still rides extremely well. Only problem, is that common repairs are more expensive due to the specialty parts.

A slick VW. My friend has one with a leather interior, tinted windows, great stereo, etc... It really is luxurious.