Looks
Comfort

Reliability
Repair Price
Parts availability
Auto trans SUCKS!

All Passat owners - just wait until the car is out of warranty and needs parts. I put 3 motors in the drivers window in 24 months - at a cost of $600 each. No help from VW or dealerships on broken parts.

I spent $2700 on maintence this year, and needed $3000 more in repairs before I got rid of it. That is the second and last VW I will EVER own. VW does a great job of advertising them, but just wait until you have to fix them. Radio died after 18 months. Tires and brakes last months, not years.

I loved the car, but it was ALWAYS needing repair. You can't buy parts anywhere but VW and whoa do they charge you for them. FARFROMHAPPY should be there new slogan. Good luck VW owners. Talk to you in 2 or 3 years and let's see how happy you are.

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Milleneia, Accord, Camry, Maxima SE.

Engine/Handling is sehr gut.
Tiptronic is more fun than I expected.
Red backlighting on the dash looks like an airplane cockpit at night - very cool.

Cupholders are pathetic (but optional armrest cupholders are available through VW.com).

I have been drooling over the Passat since the introduction of the current body style in '98. I paid about $500 over edmunds.com invoice price for a pretty well loaded 2001.0 1.8t Variant. The 2001.0 is the same as 2000, except that it adds cruise/radio controls on the steering wheel, plus side impact air curtains. And if you are a fan of the current Passat, get it while you can. Check out vwvortex.com for pictures of the new 2001.5 body style. Personally, I think they uglied it up a little.
I shopped around over two states but could only find the color combination I wanted with the luxury package and monsoon in a 1.8T with leather. I was originally looking for a V6 with cloth, but after driving both with the automatic (commute imposed restriction - my left leg was getting huge from all the clutch work), I decided the 1.8t was enough power. The Tiptronic's manual mode is fun but doesn't seem to net much in the way of improved acceleration; the auto is very capable. I am really happy with the car so far. Definitely higher end than others its price range even though it is not cheap. I think the monsoon upgrade is definitely worth it if you're particular about the quality of your audio and want the stereo to match the dash, although it probably still isn't enough for the fanatics out there (you know who you are).
One thing of particular note, I have a very hard time judging speed in this car - 65 feels like 20. It's no boat, mind you, it's just sooo smoooooth.
I am a Honda owner four times over and thought I would never stray from the flock, but the nutty German goodness of the Passat was too much for me to resist. I just hope it holds up half as well as the Hondas did over the long haul.
I would recommend those in the SC/NC/VA area check with Ben at Maxwell Volkswagen in Burlington, NC. Straightforward slimeless guy with a good dealership backing him up, beat my local dealer for price and quality of service hands down.

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97 Accord - very zen, it is truly itself while being nothing at all.
00 Saturn LW2 - European bottle but somehow still tastes like American beer.

Smooth ride, safety features, full size spare.

Weak brakes, narrow stock tires. See Summary.

I've had my Passat for almost 2.5 years now and I'm sick of it. When something goes wrong, watch out.
After a week of ownership an oil leak developed around the valve cover, which then dripped oil onto the heat shield of the exhaust manifold thus a burning oil smell. The dealership replaced the valve cover gasket (had to order gasket, none in stock) and figured that would solve the problem. No dice, a few days later the leak was back. They replaced the gasket a second time. Still the leak persisted. They ordered a new valve cover(almost a month wait). In short, the leak is STILL with me. I'm living with it even tho it's a real nuisance.
About a month ago the alternator dash light started to flash. Took it to the dealer, bad alternator(only 2.5 years old). $700 dollars later for a REMANNED alternator and I was off and running, or so I thought. 4 days later the alternator belt broke leaving me stranded in 100 degree weather, a $75 tow bill, and no car. The dealership found they had installed a faulty alternator which in turn caused the belt to break. Almost 3 weeks have passed now and I still do not have my car back. Seems whoever is sending them replacement parts keeps sending the WRONG alternator (up to 5 wrong deliveries now). I've spoken with the Service Manager and he cannot explain the mistakes, I've spoken with VW USA and they are looking into it. I've already payed $600 in rental car fees (the dealership has agreed to pay for 6 days and cover only $25/day, the rental is costing me $30/day + taxes and insurance.
At this time I am very angry. I have told both the dealership and VW USA that if the car EVER gets repaired I am immediately going to sell it and buy another product. I won't buy another VW product or deal with this dealership again.

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None

The roominess is great with the Passat. European styled interior makes the car feel more expensive than what it is. Fantastic trunk space.

Well, there's a lot. Very disappointed with the car and I bought it on good faith from Consumer Reports review and a few friends who had the car. The gas mileage is weak for being a 4-cylinder. After 8 months, my oil cooler separated and blew the engine. Had problems filling my gas tank: when filled at gas pump, the engine would not turn over. Constant speaker/door vibration on the passenger front door. Rear break squealing. Arm rest compartment broke. The dealership for service is very weak. They can not fix the speaker/door vibration and the rear break squeel. They hear it, but I was told they can find the problems, so the problems still exist. The after service calls for a follow-up are a joke.
The power lags with the Turbo. Do not like the CD changer being in the trunk. When you want to change music you have to stop the car. The warranty is one of the worst out there, 2yrs/24,000 mile. Come on Volkswagen, stand behind your product.

Paid $24,500.00. 4 cylinder, 1.T, dark green outside, black leather inside, sun-roof, CD changer, Tiptronic.

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Honda Accord V-6 Coupe

Nice looking (nicer that newer Passat), excellent VR6 motor, very good passing power, user-friendly trunk, lots of room inside, heated leather seats, handling, BBS rims, body integrity, ABS and traction control. Very well optioned for price. Recently sold it with 96,000kms.

Poor 4 speed automatic. Clunky and car is slow off the mark (except when passing, where the auto will out hussle a 5 speed), brakes - replaced front rotors and pads after around 60k, some oil leaks (including transmission), replaced rear trunk lock and now have 2 keys, power rear window does not work, radio speaker cuts in and out, coil shorts out (fixed myself with silicone due to cost of new one - over $600!!!!), tires (Goodyear Eagle GAs wear out quickly and cost me over $700 to replace) but due to strange rim size, very little choice when replacing. Air conditioning condenser cost me over $700 just for the part.

I paid $21,000 for the vehicle with 23,000km on the odometer - very good price in Canada for the options the car came with (only thing missing was a sunroof). It was 2.5 years old when I bought it. I have driven the car for 4 years and have generally been very happy with it. It has never left me or my family stranded due to any mechnical failures. It handles well - stiff ride is the penalty. Some repairs have been costly (tires, air conditioning, oil leaks, rotors), but I would not say it is unreliable. I had problems with my Honda when I owned it as well. I am trading the car in this week (as soon as the new one is ready) and I received a decent trade in value. However, there are some problems with the car that I have not fixed, so I don't know how much they would have cost me.

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Honda Civic SI coupe - I needed a 4 door sedan and wanted a European handling car with a sweet motor and room for a family. Can't really compare the two vehicles - the Passat is several notches higher than a Civic.

Excellent build quality, great fun to drive (combo of V6 and 5sp), large trunk, spacious back seat, confortable front seats for long trips, safety, handling, braking, superior looks/design to other cars in its class, sharp silver/black leather combo, respectable fuel efficiency for powerful car (avg 31 mpg on freeway trips).

Cupholders should be better, no rear armrest, interior trunk release in glovebox (this has been changed on newer models), V6 prefers/requires premium fuel (although it runs OK on mid grade), radio too low on dash (appears to be changed in 2000/2001 models), OK stereo (again appears to be fixed with intro of Monsoon system), fake wood interior trim seems to tarnish easily.

My wife and I have had our Passat for just over 18 months now -- the car has about 20,500 miles on it. We paid just a little under sticker at the time because the 5sd/V6 combo was still new and rare, and the silver/black leather combo was considered highly desirable. I imagine there is more dealing room nowadays.

It is a wonderful car that has been virtually trouble free. The only problems were a broken rear cupholder (I broke it -- replaced free under warranty) and a small leak on the power steering resevoir (replaced free under warranty). There was also the brake system recall.

The Passat is a great road trip car. Since we moved last summer, we primarily use it for weekend road trips -- since we bike/Bart to work/school and use our 97 Jetta for short city trips. We did a cross country jaunt last summer in the car -- 3 weeks, about 6,000 miles. You can fit an amazing amout of stuff in the trunk (even more if you fold down the back seat). The seats are very confortable, the V6 has great power, and the car handles nicely. I highely recommend the combination of the V6 engine and the 5 speed manual. The performance is great and the fuel economy is decent.

We didn't think there really was any comparison between the Passat and its competition when we were shopping. The fit and finish was better than any Japanese or American model, and the ergonomics were far superior. The only other car we seriously considered was an Audi A4 -- but we couldn't justify the Audi's extra cost and the small back seat.

Except for one dealership in Northern Virigia, we have been very happy with the dealership service (routine maintenence). I have owned a few VWs, and unfortunately, service quality varies a lot from dealership to dealership -- although overall things seem to have improved from the early 90s (a person, subjective evaluation). If you have a choice of dealerships, ask around or check out some of the VW message boards or web sites (such as VW Vortex at www.vwvortex.com) to find out where the best service dept is.

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97 VW Jetta, Subaru Legacy

Great acceleration, perfect design. I like how it looks and feels. Every small part is made to perfectly fit where it belongs (ulike american cars, unfotunately). 100,000 miles powertrain warranty, safety.

Keys are too big (with built-in remote). Weak cup holders. Anyway nothing major (knocking on the wood). A little bit expencive (but German car...)

I will recommend this car to everybody. It much roomier than it looks from outside (I'm 6,4" and feel comfortable). Engine sounds and looks great. It feels like the car is a live and always busy doing something. I've tried a lot of different models before I bought VW Passat. I was really surprised when I've tried it at first time. I thought I won't fit in there. After testing all cars (I've selected them based on quality, SAFETY, price and this web site reviews, actually, too), I had to make a choice between Toyota Camry and VW Passat. Passat won. Camry is good too, but after Passat it feels much cheaper. The most important is that Passat has GREAT design. It is amaisng how did they fit all those features in this car. Engineers really worked to build it right.

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Toyota Camry V6, Dodge Iterpid, Crysler Concorde, Buick LeSabre, Saturn, Volvo S70, etc...

Roomy interior and loading capacity.

Mostly minor things that adds up. Weak brakes (changed at no cost), doors that won´t open - and an exploding backdoor window. Most disappointing however is the Turbo engine with its lack of power. Aftersales service has also been poor (local problem?)

I suppose most problems are solved on 2000 version - but I will still not buy another one. I know a few friends who are very satisfied with their Passats (Diesel HDi´s). Several european magazines places the Peugeot 406 as number one in this segment (with Ford Mondeo second) - and since I can buy the 406 in a V6 version for the same price as the Passat this is my next choice.

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First midsize wagon bought.

solid feel, hugs the road, workhorse. QUIET!! compared to so many other cars we tried. Front-wheel drive + good Michelin winter tires = good in winter.
Incidentally, my wife just got back from England and she said Passats are everywhere - probably the fleet car of choice!

After only 5 weeks I reversed out of the garage and heard a crunching noise. I'd driven over the engine splashguard (no apparent impact). I expected the dealer to replace it under warranty - No. So I took it to VWCanada and they said no, I must have impacted something. I maintained that the bracket was too flimsy and the guard had fallen off. When the Service Mgr happened to say he'd had four previous cars in the last month with broken splashguards, I felt there was a pattern developing that was worth investigating. The dealer offered me one at cost, but I turned them down. I took VWCanada to binding arbitration (CAMVAP) arguing "not of merchantible quality" and won - the judge said the bracket was too flimsy and the splashguard too low. He did not order VWCanada to replace anyone else's but my own, but if anyone has a broken splash guard contact VW for a replacement and don't put up with any s**t from them.
After four months, the driver's door had dropped slightly. It still closes but there's kind of a double-clunk as the door contacts the guide before it finally closes. My body shop guy says its a common problem on Jettas (the top hinge needs adjusting), but my dealer denies all knowledge of hinge problems. They're going to replace it though.
The rear cup-holder broke within a month. The front one doesn't get much use, but it sure looks like it came from a Skoda!

Yes, I'd recommend it. Beats any minivan! But I'm not impressed with the way I (& four VW-driving friends) have been treated by the dealer or VWCanada. The pre-delivery inspection was a farce (I found a screw & a lightbulb on the floor, the rear washer didn't work and the heated seats I'd paid for weren't there [took a month to get a refund from the dealer]).
I turned down the alloy wheels (too much salt in NS). I got the moonroof and there's plenty of headroom. I also got the dealer-installed CD 6pack for less than any similar units.
The dealer was going to sting me for a tow hitch, but I found one elsewhere for C$200 all in.

Last month the dealer lent me a wagon while mine was in for work - only this one was a V6 4 motion standard (manual). WOW, I'm a convert to the V6, and I may even consider a std next time. The 4motion? Hmm not sure I have the need, even if the desire is there.

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We wanted a wagon, so our choices were limited. If Honda still made an Accord wagon, I'd have got one. We (thankfully) traded in a Taurus wagon. We almost got a Legacy wagon, but the decision came down to "Do we want the better, quieter car or the better dealer?" We chose the better car. Yeah, 4WD would have been nice but 4motion wasn't around in mid-'99.
We have a 96 Accord too, it's OK but it's not built like the '91 we had.
We shouild have looked at a Merc wagon.

Ultimate 4X4(under $50K)
Built like a tank
Resale value is excellent
Made in Germany

Gas Milage

$33,000 after taxes but a great car with a great resale value.
Awsome stereo with an excellent blue lit display. Looks preety neat and emits a feel of luxuary.

I would recommend this vehicle if you:
-have a sense of adventure
-like your car to make a statement about your personality
-like all the luxuries like pwr window,lock, etc.
-like to speed

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