I am thinking about getting a VW Passat, but a few of my friends say that it is not a dependable car since I will be keeping this car that I buy for atleast 4 years. But none of these friends really have the car. All the magazines and reviews about it say its a fairly dependable car that has low ownership costs as far as repairs go. But i also read some stuff online from owners about ongoing problems with the electrical system and transmission. Also the VW warranty on it is one of the worst warranties there is. So basically before i get one, i would like to know if this car is worth it from those of you who actually own or have owned one, and will not break down constantly. I am getting the V6 5 speed GLX, and I have driven it a couple of times and love the car. I just dont want to get myself trapped in an endless cycle of visits to the dealership for repairs.
VW is the most undependable car brand over a 5 year span according to Consumer reports. I own a Jetta, and it is the worse car ever made. In less than 60K miles, I've had pretty much everything replaced including the Engine and exhaust and the AC just went out. Do not buy a VW. They are junk. The Passat just happens to be the best that they make, but they are still junk. Some will argue that since the Passat is built in Germany, it is better quality. However, Audi (high end VW) are also built in Germany and they are some of the most unreliable cars made. Go to www.myvwlemon.com and see how happy VW owners are. Here is the predicted reliability rating for family cars for Consumer Reports. Buick Regal Toyota Camry Nissan Maxima Mazda6* Buick Century Honda Accord* Nissan Altima 4-cyl. Saturn L300 4-cyl. Chevrolet Impala Subaru Legacy/Outback 4-cyl. Dodge Intrepid Nissan Altima V6 Pontiac Grand Am Chrysler Sebring Dodge Stratus Volkswagen Passat V6 Ford Taurus Mercury Sable Hyundai XG350 Hyundai Sonata Saturn L300 V6 Oldsmobile Alero Volkswagen Passat 4-cyl. Here are the ratings of five year old cars. Infiniti 24 Lexus 32 Acura 34 Toyota 35 Nissan 46 Subaru 51 Honda 53 Mazda 54 BMW 60 Saturn 62 Lincoln 72 Buick 72 Saab 74 Ford 75 Average model 79 Mercury 82 Cadillac 82 Mercedes-Benz 87 Chrysler 88 Dodge 90 Chevrolet 92 Plymouth 95 Volvo 95 GMC 95 Audi 98 Jeep 99 Pontiac 99 Oldsmobile 108 Volkswagen 138 People will tell you that VW's are fun to drive, which is true except when it is not running.
And if it's anything like my Audi experience, the wait for parts can be extremely long (I needed an A/C hose once, and after several months of waiting, I finally found what I needed in a junk yard. As far as I know, the hose I had on order was never delivered. I never canceled the order, but I did sell the car over that winter, so I quit checking after that). Not that the wait for parts from Nissan is all that much better (and to add to that, I had to replace the battery on my Altima since it sat waiting for parts for so long).
That rating's list (after 5 yrs) put a little smile on my face since I have an infiniti.. Hearing all the rumors about VW would make me worry myself. they look like good cars, but I've heard a lot of complaints.. Could just be people with bad luck...
ive got a 2002 passat glx 4 motion. been driving it for 2+ years now and havnt had a single problem. only have ~23k on it though. ill get back to you in a couple of years.
the big problem with ANY German car is that there is a monopoly on parts, you can only take it to the Euro shop, which in my case growing up with an Audi5000 was "Sal's European Auto." Sal was an Italian man who screwed everyone in town for parts, why? because he could. I drove that car into the ground until there was literally no reverse and my dad left it with Sal one day and we never looked back
Volkswagens are junk, plain and simple. My wife had a Jetta and I got to know the innards of that accursed car well while we dated, as it broke down more times than guests on Oprah. We traded it in after years of unreliability for a Volvo, which has been trouble-free and pleasant. And with twin turbos, it hauls ass for a station wagon, running 13's in the quarter with a few minor modifications.
I've got a 2000 Passat. I'm really happy with it and would buy another in 2 seconds. My wife has a Taurus and I hate driving that boat. Here's what I like about it. Relatively cheap (compared to others in the same class like the Camery) Looks good Excellent turning radius (important for city driving) Nice pickup w/ 4cyl Turbo engine Great tunk w/ fold down rear seats Handles well taking turns Plenty of room for passengers in the back seat (unlike Jettas) In 4 years, I've had three problems with it. 1. One of the door locks was flaky - fixed under warranty 2. Phantum engine light - fixed under warranty 3. Replaced clutch (ouch) But I drive it hard plus during Allison I flooded out the engine compartment and they replaced a bunch of crap. I have a feeling the clutch never was right after that. But now its fixed properly and it works great again. I recently talked to a friend whos kinda in the know about automakers and he said the VWs around 2000 were rushed to market and had bunch of electrical problems or other quirks. I did but it wasn't really a big deal...just an anoyance. So I don't know if they've improved their quality in 2004 now.
I prefer the more respected (by everyone not driving a Nissan) JD Power rankings which puts Lexus exactly where they belong (in the number one slot).
I've had three Volkswagens (Golf, Jetta and GTI) and have never had any problems with them. I have heard of people having electrical problems, though.
Yeah, after long and hard research (due the horror tales about this car by some people). I decided to get this car, with the extended warranty ofcourse. Yeah they could be annoying but man that test drive was fun. Plus i heard all the major problems are with the 1.8t, and the V6 really doesnt have much problems with the engines. So thanks for everyones input. And if you see a bluish-gray passat stalling infront of you, please be patient ill get it out of there before the light turns red again.
I hate German cars, mostly because the reverse is on the wrong side... A tip, dont put your car in reverse and think its in first especially when you are just downshifting, it does a lot of damage, my mechanic let me have it after i did this with his jetta
My Audi made it pretty difficult to go into reverse on accident since you had to push down on the shifter while putting it into reverse. Of course reverse was in the "normal" spot on that car.
pole.. yeah yeah.. number 2 isnt that bad either.. we'll just say that infiniti and lexus are the top two.. I drove a toyota before this vehicle so I like both companies It's interesting that there isn't that much of a dif in ranking between lexus and toyota but there is a bigger dif between infiniti and nissan You dont get quite the same "oh he drives that" as you would if you drove a bmw or mercedes.. but Ill settle for the reliability of infiniti and lexus
