A year ago we bought this estate from its first owner at 180,000 miles. Freshly MOT'd for £1,200. First impressions are that it has huge space, comfortable, smooth ride but a bit wallowy in town. Solid power but heavy weight to contend with. All the bells and whistles except for cruise control i really miss. Consumption in town poor at 21mpg but open road a fair 36mpg In the last 10 years and 198,000 miles the car had a total cost of ownership of £6,999.10 consisting of 26 751 miles - VW Service + wiper blades = £297.40 36 326 miles - VW Service = £324.45 54 403 miles - Kwikfit tyres = £345.03 54 983 miles - VW service = £207.24 54 983 miles - VW brakefluid change = £42.50 59 221 miles - VW brake pad replacement = £137.77 64 958 miles - VW lube service = £135.41 66 019 miles - VW brake pad replacement = £106.25 66 019 miles - VW cam belt replacement = £484.00 76 105 miles - VW Service = £320.38 87 213 miles - Kwikfit tyre = £87.03 88 234 miles - VW lube service = £135.41 89 200 miles - Kwikfit replace battery = £87.80 91 164 miles - VW brake pad replacement = £147.90 97 752 miles - VW service = £247.67 97 752 miles - VW brakefluid change = £42.50 115 656 miles - VW lube service = £145.96 115 656 miles - VW repair oil pressure switch = £45.00 122 966 miles - VW brake pad/disk replacement = £490.00 122 966 miles - VW replaced speedo binnacle (smoking dash) = #120.00 123 515 miles - VW replace temp guage sensor = £116.28 124 641 miles - VW service = £98.00 124 641 miles - VW cambelt replacement = 557.06 124 641 miles - VW repair alarm = £288.06 128 757 miles - VW service = £298.77 146 332 miles - Kwikfit tyres = £140.00 151 759 miles - VW service = £239.99 156 682 miles - Kwikfit tyres = £206.28 173 457 miles - VW service = £249.01 178 356 miles - Kwikfit tyres = £145.98 180 191 miles - VW cb boot replacement £174.13 184 601 miles - Oil change £20.83 187 673 miles - Filter and plugs replaced = £55.00 188 390 miles - Mr Clutch cam/aux belts replaced = £263.98 ~(50% less VW) 188 908 miles - Mr Klutch Oil and filter change = £60.72 189 075 miles - Replace main lightbulb £8.95

change oil every 6k.allways after journey when engine is very hot dont switch it off.wait for 30 sec let the oil go out the turbo.that the recipe to make it last for ever.k&n air filter.dump velve (forge).all u need to do.and u dont have to worry about all stories with broken turbo or black fog or any engine foults.suspenssion is to soft on corners the car goes like limo.but 225 or 205 tyres do the grip.speed great 238km/h thats what mine can do. consumption well... easy drive 40-47mpg motorways 45-55mpg town ride(racing) 8-15 mpg. very confy.and good acceleration specially on first gear and fourth.pulls well.lock issues remote recoding.BUT NEVER RUST ON IT.AND THE SILENT INSIDE PERFEFCT FOR IT PRICE.NEVER GET RID OF IT.IF...THEN BUY ANOTHER ONE

Would have to agree with the positive reviews. Have a 1997 Passat saloon, with 115,000 miles for £770 and it was reasonably well looked after. The only expensive thing I have to shell out for soon,(which was obvious at time of purchase), is a new clutch (bitng point high). Having said that I've had a VW Polo go on and on with an old grinding clutch so who knows. My advice if you need a clucth- keep £400- 450 aside. Does anyone have advice on how long the clutch can last specifically on a passat, with only approx one inch of rise left from bite point? Be interested to receive comments. The MINOR niggles (see below), are simply due to the previous owner not fixing them. Luckily, I have a lot of MOT history with the car and some service receipts, which give a good indication (as with any car), of the maintenance effort the previous owner made. The 6 CD disc changer in the boot still works and the speakers are fairly crisp for an old motor- bang tidy. Now the niggles: - Rear passenger door lock pops up and has to be manually pushed down after locking drivers door, (probably won't fix as I don't mind) - Fob central locking buttons no longer work - Boot lock not working and needs new solnoid and lock- VW charge £150 for new parts so breakers yard here I we come - Scuff to rear wheel arch but car is HPi clear and no signs of chassis damage - AC needs re gassing but autumn is on the way so won't fix for 7- 8 months - One electric window isn't working - Dash box unit/ storage handle snapped off- I effectively see this as an easy way to lock it. (Close it, then walk off with the handle in my pocket- that's some good resourcefulness right there - Shock covers seemed to have crumbled but it has a new MOT with no advisory and handles fine- guess no problems to worry about No knocks, rattles, bangs or clunks. The turbo and throttle are smooth. The brakes are great- some think Passats are too snatchy but I like the ultra sensitive brakes, as I'm fairly soft footed. The clutch I can live with until it goes totally and it was a pleasant drive home (more than 60 miles on motorway) when I bought it. The cup holder pops out, the cubbie hole latches all work. For a high spec VW with a new MOT, £800 is a steal. Even with the cost of a new clutch its still good value. Can't say for the long run but I think (and hope) it will be with me for 4- 5 years. Find a good one with new MOT and service receipts, haggle on the price and enjoy. Would have happily taken the estate version as well- test drove one and it was just smooth. (NB: fuel consumption reading of 35mpg- better than my old car so happy days). Handling is fine, just don't compare it to the latest sharp handling exec cars and you won't notice it's race track weaknesses.

VW Passat 1.8 20v Sport Turbo 1997 R Plate 151000 miles.

I'm shocked at reading the reviews on this site. all I can say is get a car that's been looked after, my passat has had a oil & filter change every six months regardless of mileage since new and has been mechanically sound. All repairs I've done are wear and tear. Great car don't know what your all moaning about !

Hi. I have owned a Passatt estate 130bhp estate 6speed sport for some years now. My wife drives it 99% of the time.

One guy said his has a tendency to leak sometimes. Well, mine leaked into the footwell areas at the drivers and passengers side.

It actually went back to the passengers side rear foot well. I have learned that if you remove your battery and look underneath you may need to remove the plate that the battery sits on. There should be a hole to let rain water drain away sometimes this gets blocked with leaves etc and this area fills up with water and then enters the cabin area via cable holes etc all you need to do is unblock the hole. There are about three holes that should be kept unblocked in this area but the one underneath the battery is the most critical.

My rear wiper wash stopped working. On further investigation I found that if you open your boot and open the hatch on the left hand side where the hose that carries the water from the front of the car, there is a joint inside. If you put your hand inside the hatch up towards the window you will feel it. Get someone to activate the rear wash it can come apart and the water just squirts into that area. I can not fault my car.

My wife hit a speed ramp and busted the engine sump losing all the oil. The car told her to stop but she ignored that and drove for another 4 or 5 miles until she reached her destination. The car seized at this point. We replaced the sump and refilled with oil. The engine seized another five times after we started it but we just kept trying and then it started and has been going ever since.

I still tow my caravan with it and have total faith with it. I also have an A4 Avant which I drive and would rate the Passat better than the Audi. The suspension is a bit soft but I'm looking into spring assistors for some help from one of their products.

All I can say is that you should buy a Passat with confidence it will serve you greatly.

Of all the cars I've owned, of which this was not the most expensive or powerful, it is the most relaxing and pleasurable to drive especially on long journeys. It also has a boot capacity larger than most estates and nearly all 4X4's i've found on the market in Europe.
Perfect car for my family of five and not too thirsty either.