2001 Volkswagen Passat Sport 1.9 TDi from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Decent car, but ruined by some expensive faults
Faults:
Turbo (expensive).
EGR valve.
Clutch.
Plus all the usual maintenance and wear and tear parts replaced.
General Comments:
I had this Passat a long time, it was a durable and great performing car. Good looking and nice to drive. My car was blue, much better color than the usual silver ones you seen about.
1.9 TDi was a common engine that was reliable enough if looked after. Pulls very strong with 130 bhp, and did 50 mpg. Watch for the turbo failing however, this is an expensive replacement.
The car's interior was nice and comfortable, I had no complaints. Not as refined as it should have been however, my previous 1999 Ford Focus was actually quieter on the move.
So all in all a decent car, but just had some expensive repairs; I drove it carefully and looked after it and it lasted 20 years, cannot say fairer than that.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 11th September, 2023
12th Apr 2023, 12:38
Could you confirm the 70k miles are correct? I owned this same model (a 1999), my father got it from new and gave it to me when it had about 130k miles. Fortunately he did use the car on mostly long distance drives so there will be less wear compared to a car that will be driven mostly inside the city. Yes, being an European car you will have to replace many engine 'sensors', window regulators, a few mechanical things around the engine, suspension components and so on. If I don't look at the expenses, I must say this has been one of the better designed cars I had. Everything was so well designed inside and out. Excellent cabin, excellent handling, suspension and engine. My complaints were the low sitting position - outdated by today's standards, the clumsy handling inside the city - but excellent handling on the road, the weak 1.8T again inside the city (very poor torque at low speeds) but excellent for passing on the road. In other words: an excellent car for long highway trips. The newer Passats are really only a shadow of these 2000 models.