3fiddyZ

I'm in the market for a new car, and i have a friend of a friend selling a 2001 Passat GLX with the 4motion and V6. Has 50L miles, new tires and brakes. What Im unsure of is the reliability factor with this particular VW. I know that a lot of VW's form this era have had problems with start coils and some electronic issues. But i've also heard that the Passat has the best build quality of the VW's and wasn't as prone to most issues. Looking for current or previous owners of this era Passat that could provide some solid information about reliability. Thanks.

rai

I have a 99 Passat V6 FWD aotubox, it's now 7 years old and ~97K miles. While it's not been trouble free, for the most part it has been well put together and still drives almost like new, and has held up well to 7 years of wear and tear.

My problems have been:
- oil leaksx2 (burning smell) something like the manifold (?) fixed under waranty (the 99s had 10/100 powertrain which is nice)
- radiator ($4-500)
- water pump ($4-500)
- EUC computer (?) wouldn't start had to be replaced ($4-500)

beside the above, I've spent like $1200 or maintance not counting tires and brakes

Overall I am happy, but can't say if my car is typical...

3fiddyZ

That warranty came with the 01's as well, but isn't transferable, which is unfortunate. If I could get 2 good years out of this car with little to no extra maintenace issues (already has new tires and brakes) I'd be happy.

aggie

My last car was a Passat GLX (non 4-motion).

The Passat is an excellent car in many ways. I would even classify the GLX as a luxury car, but at a VW price. The difference between this car and the base Audi A4/6 was mostly price. Private resale value was also excellent. My buyer happened to be cross shopping with the A4 (same engine).

My car didn't have a single problem during my few years of ownership, but VW reliability is one of the worst. Consumer Reports puts the '01 Passat as below average, but when I purchased they barely recommended it.

Another problem is the so-so performance from the 2.8 V6. Acceleration is about 9 sec to 60, but super smooth. Most people regard the 1.8T as the better performance engine (with simple upgrades). I also only averaged 18-19 mpg, but with 4-motion you may get less. I get 23 mpg with the S2000 for reference.

The Hoth

I have a 98 passat GLX V6 FWD.

Fixed/replaced under warranty or recalls:

(1) Tie rods
(2) exhaust shield
(3) power steering pump

Supposed to be fixed under warranty but various VW dealership failed to honor the warranty:

(1) Oil leak....I had my friend replaced the cam sprocket and no more oil leak

Out of pocket expense:

Beside all the regular maintainance stuff, I replaced the ignition coil twice due to corrosion.

The car still runs like new. But it is no a Honda.