1993 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.9 turbo diesel from North America

Summary:

A good deal

Faults:

My head gasket went at 300,000 as can be expected for the older diesels that did not have the metal gasket built in at the factory.

My brakes were completely redone from head to toe at 250,000 as can be expected from my hard driving (I drove the car to the limits).

Blower motor had to be replaced at 280,000.

I replaced the fan belt several times and had the air conditioning recharged twice.

General Comments:

An excellent car, built solidly and efficiently, but not for a person on a budget. I could get up to 1,300 km per tank of diesel, but the repairs were equal to that of a BMW or Mercedes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2002

1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX W/VR6 VR6 from North America

Summary:

Lemon, I was ripped off!

Faults:

In all seriousness I have replaced everything but the engine. I bought it brand new.

The nightmare began at approximately 16,000 miles. When it does decide to run it has power. The problem is keeping it running! I now have 48,000 miles on it and it is in the shop as I write this, oh setting me back like $900.00 American!! Unfortunately I cannot afford a car payment now. But I should cause I fork out an average of $500.00 a month!! On this piece-o-crap!

General Comments:

Fast if you could get it to run.

Roomy interior for those days when you like to kick back in your piece-o-crap in your garage!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd May, 2001

1993 Volkswagen Passat CLi 2.0i petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Another great german car large, powerful (120bhp+) and very underrated

Faults:

Ignition module @ 100,000.

One CV joint @ 94,000.

Battery @ 116,500.

General Comments:

Great car, massive, capable of 40mpg on the motorway, but hates towns.

Top speed above 130mph, great handling and apart from belts, tyres, oil changes, coolant changes, battery top ups, and brake pads twice, only the above has cost extra than normal.

The bodywork is also bullet proof, 8 years old and no rust at all.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th January, 2001

1993 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.9 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Class car that does the job efficiently with a minimum of fuss

Faults:

In the 18 months I owned the vehicle it needed a new cambelt, power steering belt, rear shocks, middle exhaust section, fan belt, glow plugs, CV boots.

General Comments:

A very reliable car as you would expect from Volkswagen - this model of the Passat was spacious and very well built; it performed well, and has good road holding and excellent passanger comfort.

However it needs servicing regularly and its appetite for parts left me needing money! Having owned 5 VW's previously I believe this car was probably abused early on in its life.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th July, 2000

1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX VR6 from North America

Faults:

Stub axles (VW handled for free), intermittent engine stalls, motorized lapbelts stopped working (VW fixed for free).

General Comments:

Overall a great vehicle - roomy and powerful. VW unable to solve intermittent engine stalls at 80K miles :-(

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th June, 1999

16th Feb 2001, 05:23

I own a 1993 VW Passat GLX. I had the same problem with intermitent engine stalls for a while, then the car would stall and sometimes restart if I waited a while, but finally I had to have it towed. The dealer could not find the problem, but my husband did. Check your fuses. Under the steering column you have a compartment of fuses. Take special note to fuse number "18", It's a 1" x 1" light gray square fuse. You will have to look about 4 inches up into the compartment to see it. To replace costs $13.00. Good luck! I haven't had any problems since.

4th Aug 2001, 13:30

Hi, I have a 1993 Passat VR6. The car is great, but I have no such problems with it. Instead my and my friend's 1987 GTI had a similar problem. It stalls when you push it around 2500 - 3000 RPM's. Basically the Ignition Control Unit was gone (looks like big chip with plugs on its side). It is located under the hood, in front of the driver's side windshield. It is connected to distributor and controls it.

Well I understand this is not Passat, but after all it is a Volkswagen.

Worth a try.