my son is back state side and is hot for a ride. i talked him out of the jeep . it's his first car purchase. 2000, 71k, manual trans, one owner but in a non-VW dealers lot . i know nothing about these cars. i explained how there should be a record of the sevices and to compare that with the main schedule in the owners packet. i warned him about being an anxious buyer and relax. "it'll be there tomorrow son".

k

A co-worker of mine bought a pre-owned Passat (2k3 model, V6, front wheel drive, iirc). Seems to be a pretty nice car except for all the electrical faults. It is still under warranty though, so VW pays for all the repairs and loaner cars. When it isn't in the shop I've gotten a few rides in it. Seems to be a nice mix of comfort and sport.

Kev - mines a 2001 1.8 manual. Bought it used with 77K miles from Robert Larson VW there in Tacoma. Haven't had a single problem with it (knock on wood). Gas milage in the low 30's. Nice, quiet, confortable ride. Recently spent some big$ with the 100K mile tune-up/timing belt change. Something he can look forward to.

scheduled maint....that's why i stressed finding the service record. explained about a pending timing belt service or the like could could be spendy. what did that set you back? when you have a moment could you look in your maintenance book for me and see what he could be looking at? i figured 60k had to have called for some major work. these cars take a major hit value wise at 4 years if ebay is any kind of indicator.

k

My girlfriend has a 2000 turbo Passat that I have inherited maintenance of. For the most part I like the car. Nice power, comfortable ride, great mileage (mid 30s), good room.

I think that 2000 was a transition year for the body style and some other upgrades.

Big complaints to date:

There's something about the tie rods that may cause them to wear out after only 60,000 miles.

Electrical gremlins give me constant error codes.

The cable driven power windows are supported by a plastic tab on the glass. When the tab breaks, the window goes down and stays down. Repair is about $200 - 300 and it is not covered under the class action settlement that covers this identical part in the Jetta and Beetle. I was very upset with VW America over their customer service in regards to this issue.

I have had to replace all of the 3.5mm vacuum tubing associated with the turbo. some of them were crumbling away after less than 6 years. I don't know if the quality of the hose was lousy or what. To add insult to injury, they used some kind of one time use crimp clamps that are a real PITA to get off. Especially from the plastic nipple on the turbo cut-off valve.

There was a safety recall to add a shield between the tire and the fuel filler neck. Not really a hassle, just check to see that it was done.

The windshield leaks. For some reason (styling) there is no trim in the gap between the top of the windshield and the roof.

There's something in the left rear quarter that rattles over bumps, and I can't find it to save my life.

I gave up asking questions on Passat forums. Never got a response. I guess that I'm spoiled.

For the most part, I like the car, but I'm still trying to decide whether or not I would buy another one. They probably worked out some of the bugs over the years, but that doesn't really apply to you.

Good luck,

Ben

TIMING BELT NOW! Actually, 15K miles ago. Use the update kit. The Cap'n

just got off the phone with the local vw dealership. was told the maint is on 40k intervals. the next is in 9k or so. $530 for required items if there are no other issues. they told me timing belt good til 105k "or so"... seems long to me. what do you charge for a belt Cap? what are the *while we're in theres*?

k

Go to passatworld.com Good info site. I go there when I need to figure out stuff on ours. 2001 wagon. 01 is the change over year they become B5.5 basic car is an audi A4

Classier than a Jetta and has nice interior and them heated seats are a big PLUS. The engine size might play a factor on drivability to gas milage ratio. I think its a great product

I just put a motor in a 97K car. Belt stripped teeth, valves were so bent they destroyed the block, not to mention the head. He's in it $5K. A friend lost a belt in a 2001 New Beetle at 52K. Basically, since he had me change the oil, VW told him he wasn't a "loyal customer" and he could take a hike. BTW, VW says you don't even have to LOOK at the belt until 60K. He bought it as a VW certified used car at 36K. Great cars, but you have to take care of 'em. And you HAVE to run VW synthetic oil (cheaper than Mobil 1, BTW). We get about $850-900 for a T-belt/water pump service.

The Cap'n

Consumer Reports, Apr. 2007 issue, pg. 82.

"Vehicles to avoid"
"This is CR's list of unreliable cars based on our 2006 survey. The vehicles earned below-average Used Car Verdicts, meaning they proved worse or much worse than average for the model years listed."

<snip to only show the Passat information>

Passat (4-cyl., FWD) '98-'00, '02-'03, '05-'06
Passat (V6, AWD) '00, '03-'04
Passat (V6, FWD) '99-'01, '03-'04
Passat (W8)

ask me how I know... I have had three, outside of that one, I never had any issues..

Lack of maintenence and operator abuse will make any vehicle worthless in very little time.

thanks guys. so they have an interfearense engine when the belt goes parts start bending? the car's history is sorta grey after 41k and it went to AUCTION. . it's the old story of used car dealers in a base town that peddle to to the military. at autotrader online the picture shows the price at $6990 on the windshield. the online price is $6710 . i'm also going to suggest he tell the dealer he wants a ppi done at the nearest vw dealership and if they balk he should walk away from the car. the ? now, will the pup listen to the old dog.

k

True. A great car can be turned into a nightmarish experience if the owner fails to maintain it properly. This is one of those cars, as is the 944. The Cap'n

I bought my 1.8T new in 1999, and replace the belt every 90K. I am close to 190K miles with no real issues. The tape deck was replaced a few months ago after it crapped out, and the cat went at 130K that I replaced with a much cheaper aftermarket cat suggested by the local dealer ($1400 OEM vs $400 stainless aftermarket). I still love driving it and it is driven about 100 miles a day. mileage is still at lower 30's, 36 mpg when driven at the speed limit.

Mark

I had a 01 Jetta and now have a 02 Passat. Maint. is the biggest thing. The next is that the oil pick up is to close to the pan and if you have any sludge build up, you will blow the motor ( don't ask me how I know). They are great cars and fun to drive.

I visited Mark Henry yesterday, and he mentioned his Passat needed ball joints to the tune of $1000, although an A4 joint would work and only cost $800. Don't know much about the year or such.

I have an '04 w8 passat. Knock on wood, the only problem I have ever had has been with the climatronic flashing diagnose and the a/c stopped working, when the car was new. Took a few days, but they fixed it. Brakes also had bad lot rot which took many trips to fix. Otherwise, I love the car. I would recommend a B5.5 passat any day. My parents do say they like my passat much better than the B6 platform A4 they have.

Maintainence is key, but starting out with a good car is key too. If I were buying any used car, I would want a full service history or close to. I plan on keeping the w8, so I've already flushed the brakes and cooling system, and the car is just turning 23,000 mi. At 25k with my oil change i'm going to flush the automatic and put new fluid. I've just had too many automatics on high-hp cars go bad using manufacturer recommended drain intervals. I'm with the Koreans, just look at how much 'routine maintainence' they require for their 100,000 mi warranties!

My parents have a new GTI and a new A4, both 2.0Ts. The audi sounds like a diesel the engine is so noisy, not the case with the GTI. Regardless, the Audi is getting traded in. A few years back I had a 1.8T beetle and it too sounded like a diesel and sounded like it pinged heavily under load, even on premium 93. I got rid of that car because it had the tell tale signs of sludge buildup, even with frequent oil changes with synthetic (for which they had a design change to address this problem with the 1.8s).

what the heck would result in the sludge build up? what were the tell-tale signs? indicated high oil level after a change with the required ammount?

k

http://www.passatworld.com/