VW NEWBIE - Thinking of buying a 03 Passat 2.0 s

[cpiddy7]

Hey guys, im thinking of changing my Toyota Yaris for a bigger car. I used to own a 2.0 Volvo s40. I changed it for the yaris because while i owned it i spent £500 on it trying to get it to run right. I loved to power the volvo had but disliked the MPG it got. I thought that getting a smaller car, that was cheaper on petrol would make me happier but to be honest i miss the volvo's power. I live on one of the Scottish Outer Hebrides so theres not many cars to choose from. Ive narrowed down my search to either a 1.8 Primera, 1.8 Mondeo Ghia or a 2.0 passat. The passat is in the middle price wise as its slightly older than the Mondeo. Ive driven the Passat and really liked it. Plenty of power, gadgets ect. My only worry is will it be expensve to run petrol wise. Petrol costs £1.13 a litre up ere at the moment and i'll be mainly driving round town. Also, is there any common problems the car might have. Many thanks for taking the time to read this and i look forward to seeing what you guys will reply with, Cheers Chris

[SEATON74]

Hi all,I too am thinking about a 52 plate 2.0S Passat and would welcome any comments on things to watch out for

[cpiddy7]

Has anyone out there got any advise at all? Its seems strange to me that no-one would be willing to reply. If i had asked a question on the Toyota forum Id have had loads answers by now.

[MalcQV]

I have one. On the whole I like today, however tomorrow who knows

About 32mpg on average across the year mixed driving but not too many stop start traffic queues.

Had the car for 16 months. Purchased from a main dealer had it serviced with main dealer about £260.
Had a new water pump as it failed under warranty but had the timing belt done at the same time cost £120.

The CD player ceased to work after the w/p was replaced. Fixed free of charge.

Sprung a leak in the rear foot well. If you have not researched this then there are plenty of threads on here. Cleared leaves and checked battery drain.

Just before Xmas two sensors failed £261.

Sprung a leak again just last week, much much worse this time, front foot well soaked through, luckily it seems my comfort module has survived. Cleared leaves and sealed ducting joint.

You asked

[Baron_Samedi]

MalcQV has highlighted the big problem with B5.5 Passats, but have a read of the forum topics and see if anything else bothers you.

I am on my second Passat now and (touch wood) have had few actual problems to speak of in over 40,000 miles of ownership.

I own a diesel car and I find the rate the car spits out tyres (18k or so) a bit bothersome but the front of the car is heavy!

[SEATON74]

tHANKS VERY MUCH GUYS,MUCH APPRECIATED

[cpiddy7]

Thanks guys for your reply. Its good to know that theres people here willing to help if any problems were to come up. Ive done a little research and know about the leaks. Fingers crossed if i buy one i'll clear the drains before any such problems are likely to happen. I'll keep you guys posted on the progress on buying the car, Cheers Chris.

[MalcQV]

No problem.

The comments I put sound a little negative. There are plenty of positives, like ride, comfort feel etc. I owned a Honda before and do rabbit on about how I liked it. Compared to the Passat it was a little soulless. The Passat has a little character that the Honda never did. Whatever cars you buy enjoy

[cpiddy7]

Hey guys, just to let you know. I'm now the proud owner of a.............................VW Passat. I picked it up today and im already loving it. The only thing im going to have to get used to is having to press the unlock button twice to unlock all of the doors. It was raining when i picked the car up and my girlfriend wasn't impressed standing outside waiting for me to unlock the door for her. Oops!

[MalcQV]

Enjoy the car