Faults:

Timing belt, water pump, oil changes, all the maintenance required it got what it needed. Last time it had a service there was major work to the suspension and brakes. Interior and exterior is looking a little rougher now, but it is nearly 20 years old.

General Comments:

The car looks great in dark blue metallic - very common colour for this generation Passat, looks very nice. 1.9 TDi with the better 130 horse power version. The SE model is the one to have in this colour combination and spec.

Engine still pulls strong while averaging 50 - 55 mpg.

The car is fun to drive for its age, and still feels modern enough to keep in 2022.

Interior is comfortable as expected.

VW dealers have a cold reception for older cars, so as people always recommend, it is best to find a friendly local garage for MOT's and servicing. Most mechanics have a good knowledge of these cars now and can help with common faults.

Had it nearly 10 years and want to keep it another 10 years, it is that good. But at nearly 20 years old I doubt it will last, but it has been an excellent car.

Faults:

Needed a new thermostat.

Previous owner changed one injector. Before that the history is unknown.

General Comments:

Great car, fantastic power in the 130 engine; wouldn't choose anything less.

650 miles to a full tank, averaging 55 on the motorway, and more if you're careful.

Extremely reliable, must service regularly with the correct oil.

Will last forever. A friend has one with 320,000 that's still going strong.

Was told not to buy high mileage, but I trusted my instinct on this one, and it turned out to be a great car.

Faults:

Ignition coil.

Throttle body.

ABS sensor.

Water leak into passenger foot well, causing ECU fault.

CD changer fault.

Dash lights went out.

Headlight internals dropped out, causing the light to aim at the floor.

Driver's heated seat packed up.

General Comments:

By far the most unreliable, under powered, dull handling car I have ever owned. It was never purchased to be a sports car, but it should have been a fairly quickish, reliable family bus.

The V5 engine is well under powered for such a heavy vehicle. This is made worse by the fact you cannot carry any speed through the corners. Over taking is a long drawn out affair, normally requiring dropping down two cogs to make this barge of car start to move.

If Volkswagen had managed to install a well sorted reliable lump into this car, as well as sorting out the suspension, it would be a lovely place to be; the seats are comfortable, and on the top models like the V5, there are plenty of creature comforts.

However Volkswagen didn't, and after many reliability issues, costly repairs and the nagging thought that for the performance I should have bought the diesel version, the car has gone.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

Seems like a good buy, cheap enough to run.

Only thing I could complain about is the lack of air con, seems nearly every modern car has it, why don't Volkswagen put it even in their lower spec cars??