Buying Passat 1.8T Advice

[mantamark]

Hi all,

I've been looking for a replacement for my tired & tiny Fiesta 1.25 runabout.

Need something bigger, so been looking at the usual suspects, Vectra, Mondeo.

Now, spotted one of the 20v Turbo's on auto trader & its quite close & he is willing to PX for the fiesta, so its looking good.

I'm doing a max of 8k per year, so figured the TDi wouldnt really offer me anything over the petrol, i get 35-40mpg from the fiesta, and on book the passat should do 30-35 so no real loss.

But, im a Vaux man (i drive the fiesta as a runabout, got my corsa track car in the garage), and i don't have a clue for what to look for on these.

I've tried having a search on the net, but i'm not coming up with anything.

Just wondering main hot spots for these, its a T reg (1999), 114k on the clock, is a SE model & is grey (not that that will make any difference), its up for 950, but i think i could probably get it for 400 & the fiesta.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mark.

[wacko]

Hi Mark
I had a 20v turbo for 6 years it was absolutly brilliant
just check the cam belt has been done (should be due its second one)
Also when you test drive it make sure the turbo kicks in about half way down the rev range
you may have to open the window and turn the stereo off to hear the whistle.
might be worth running your hand over the top of the cover under the engine to make sure no oil leaks

and one last thing - give it loads of stick - they love being thrashed

cheers

Jacko

[Crasher]

Be aware that these engines are extremely prone to sludge build up in the sump which leads to engine and turbo failure. Change the oil and filter every 6K miles and only use top quality fully synthetic oil. Each time the car has had a good run, allow the engine to idle for at least one minute (longer after a really hard thrashing) before shutting down to allow the turbo to “spool and cool”, that is slow down and cool down. This helps reduce the formation of sump sludge.

[toledo999]

I have a 1.8T with just over 79k and a full service history , it is year 2000 , the guys on here know their stuff and i would take their advice seriously , i have had a host of problems and they all seem to be design issues, i have resolved them with the help of this forum with the exception of the oil pump issue which is in hand ,i am sure these are great cars and am looking forward to enjoying mine again , follow the advice and you wont go wrong , good luck:p

[frazzlewazzle]

Ive just purchased a passat estate 1.8 t sport and i can confirm they are very nice cars with good handling and brisk performance.Go for it if the deal is right for you.