I'm thinking about getting a 2000-2002 Jetta or Passat with the 1.8 Turbo engine. I've always loved VW's engineering but lately I've been hearing bad things about their ELECTRICAL systems.
Please email me directly and let me know if you are enjoying your Jetta or Passat, or wish you never had it. Much appreciated.
Thanks-
Andy
The Passat's are the most trouble free out of all the VW's, especially from
2000 and up. Many of you know I work for a dealer, so what did I buy... 99 GLX Passat with a 2year extended Toyota Extra Care Warranty! Yep, Toyota.
Can't say that the Passat has had any electrical problems. There was the coil issue that has been resolved though.
What I would watch out for is lack of service performed on the car. I don't know what it is about turbo Passat owners, but if there is some one who will skip oil changes, it will be the turbo Passat owners. I'm pretty good at swapping out those turbos because of this. So if there are no oil changing records, you may want to keep looking.
Window regulators on the Jetta WILL fail and cost about $300 each to fix at the dealership. VW will pay the repair bill since there is a recall going on. All 4 windows will fall into the doors eventually during the lifetime of the car since the plastic regulators are used on all 4 windows.
MAF, mass airflow sensor will go between 30k to 60k miles on 1.8t. So plan to spend around $300 to replace it yourself.
The clutch doesn't last for more than 50k miles for some people. The clucth setup is kind of weak for 1.8t, I think.
We have a 2002 1.8T Tip Passat GLS and our daughter has a 2003 1.8T Tip Jetta GLS. In my opinion, the Passat is a nicer car than the Jetta. It's heavier, more "solid," rides better, and just overall seems like a more "expensive" car. IMO, it is well worth the extra $3000 or so.
Bill
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