I'm still vascillating about a neighbors '98 1.8t. Love the way it drives and it may be the only way I can get into one of these. They seem to go for alot of money in the SF Bay area of California.

Well maintained, can you get 150k from these cars before they become a complete money sink ? At 75k are they considered ready for the trash heap ?

Thank you in advance !

My personal belief is that, if your funds are limited or you're on a tight budget, a VW may not be your best choice, unless you are willing to do a lot of your own maintenance. VW's are expensive to work on, and some of the common repairs and maintenance can get very expensive, especially at the dealerships. It helps to have a good VW Indy in your area, when you run across maintenance or repairs that you can't do yourself.

Don't misunderstand - we love our Passat. But it is not the cheapest car to maintain. I would not recommend a VW for a single female, for example, unless her boyfriend enjoys working on cars!

 

But it is not the cheapest car to maintain. I would not recommend a VW for a single female, for example, unless her boyfriend enjoys working on cars!

I look for those chicks everyday....:crazy:

 

Don't misunderstand - we love our Passat. But it is not the cheapest car to maintain. I would not recommend a VW for a single female, for example, unless her boyfriend enjoys working on cars!

Lol, who gives a shit if she is a single female? Let me guess, women don't know how to work or cars? I would bet my life that most of the guys on this board, take thier cars to the dealership for maintnance. Son, you need to get a reality check.

 

Ok, so anyway.......

A few peopl ehere have gone up to and a little beyond 200k, so 150k is do-able, provided that the car you're looking at has been maintained spotlessly by the previous owner, and you plan on doing the same. If not, you MIGHT get 150k, but it will be a money pit for sure. If funds are an issue, then find a local VW specialist, or prepare to do much of the basic maintenence yourself. The dealer will get very expensive very fast.

Personally, I have taken the Passat's reliability issues as a chance to learn something about my car and figure out how to do more mechanical work myself, which I am enjoying.

 

I'm still vascillating about a neighbors '98 1.8t. Love the way it drives and it may be the only way I can get into one of these. They seem to go for alot of money in the SF Bay area of California.

Well maintained, can you get 150k from these cars before they become a complete money sink ? At 75k are they considered ready for the trash heap ?

Thank you in advance !

You need to do a lot of searching and reading on this forum. If you are worried about the risk of this car becoming a money sink, find another car. Otherwise, do your homework on the potential problems and see if some have been fixed by the PO on the car. Two major issues are sludge and timing belt failure which can result in significant costly engine damage.

 

How many miles do the B5 1.8t go ?

Answer depends on how much money you have.

 

Lol, who gives a shit if she is a single female? Let me guess, women don't know how to work or cars? I would bet my life that most of the guys on this board, take thier cars to the dealership for maintnance. Son, you need to get a reality check.

That was an example, as clearly stated, and also tongue-in-cheek. Maybe you should reread my post. You're missing the whole point, clown. And if you are calling me son, you have got to be one really old fart.

 

There's a good place called Fred's Garage in Redwood City for VW work. They are very fair and I liked their helpful and knowledgeable service. I suspect that this car at 75K probably needs a Timing Belt service which automatically adds $1000 to do that service which needs to be done around 60-75k miles.

 

These cars have a high potential to be very expensive, especially after the 75k mark. BUT, if you're willing to work on your own car then this forum makes it a reasonable car to own. The ability to diagnose and fix your own car is worth a lot of money to me personally. You can fix just about anything with the help of this forum. The problem is the more money you save on fixing your car the more money you spend on making it faster.

 

im hitting 90k soon and i dont do any of my own maintenance :/

 

dont just look at maintenance, like everyone seems to be saying it can cost alot to maintain and more than some other cars, well those other cars are not going to give you the german driving experience you get in passat, wont give you the safety, and wont give you amazing interior and attention to detail.

any nice expensive car costs alot more to maintain than a honda civic.

the passat is a quality car, i would make sure you keep in mind your buying a german limousine and not just a car.


if i was to make the decision, i would if i knew that the neighbour did not beat the crap out of it during every drive, that he changed his oil and filter with the right ones on time, and that he is aware of general maintence things. I would definetly not buy it from him if he has no knowledge about cars, because then he probably doesnt know half the stuff you should know to protect and maintain your car. Ask him how long he let the turbo cool down and after what kind of drives. if he cant answer it, i would not buy it.

 

These cars have a high potential to be very expensive, especially after the 75k mark. BUT, if you're willing to work on your own car then this forum makes it a reasonable car to own. The ability to diagnose and fix your own car is worth a lot of money to me personally. You can fix just about anything with the help of this forum. The problem is the more money you save on fixing your car the more money you spend on making it faster.

Well said. You either need a decent sized bank account, or be a do it yourselfer. This forum helps immeasurably with the latter. In the year or so I've been a member of Passatworld, it has saved me hundreds of dollars. It has also helped me understand and appreciate both the strengths and weaknesses of this fine car.

I'm personally not into spending money to make the car faster, but fully understand and appreciate those who are. I would have done the same thing 30 years ago. I'm in to longevity and dependability, as I generally keep cars a really long time (10 years or more).

 

Turbo et al: The car has had all maintenance and most oil changes at 5k .... several were less than 5k and one was a bit longer (could be that he lost the reciept.) He has all maintenance records and never skimped. All work was doing by a dealer. He bought new and maintained.

It was driven by his wife and she never used it for anything but fwy commutes and some city driving. Very easy on the car. it's had typical sensor failures and such. But, nothing that has required attention outside of the maintenance cycle so it's not a lemon.

The interior is cloth and plain. That's the only drawback. My Ford rocks all over the Passat on creature comforts - but I have every option offered.

Still, I love the way the Passat drives - really different than the Taurus. After driving the Passat the Taurus doesn't even feel safe.

It needs a TB and Tires so I'd have about $5k into a 1998 1.8 that was current on all maintenance with about 75k miles. Then there is an $800 maintenance at 80k.

I can do work on the car - I've torn apart a many engines and trannies over the years. But, time is in short supply now with three young kids so I prefer to have maintenance done by others. Probably would need to find a good, local, independent to keep costs down.

Seems like $5k to get into a perfectly maintained Passat isn't bad. I need to get a good 35k miles before I'll be able to look at new cars. So, it needs to last a while without totally breaking the bank.

 

definately buy it, If you like it and want to enjoy a great car, and the price isnt half bad either, good luck

 

this site right here is the only reason my car has lasted as long as it has. i have 100,211 miles right now. i do almost all of my own maitenence work, today i just did the vaccuum lines, and thanks to this site, i did it all myself (major PITA!!). i plan to get 150k and then some on my b5

 

At 75k are they considered ready for the trash heap ?

At 75k mi they are condsidered "in need of timing belt service to prevent the engine from destroying itself." I just performed the timing belt service @ 80k mi and the thing drives like new.

P.S. Shooting for 300k mi

 

231,300 miles here on my 2000 1.8t

 

231,300 miles here on my 2000 1.8t

You da man! Do hope you have a relative that owns a gas station, though.:lol:

 

231,300 miles here on my 2000 1.8t

You are my hero!

 

231,300 miles here on my 2000 1.8t

WOW:thumbup:

 

231,300 miles here on my 2000 1.8t

WOW ..... not typicaly I'm sure. One motor, trannie and turbo ?

 

I had about 140K on mine and after the timing belt took a dump on me (around 75K), I hadn't had any non routine issues.
So why is it gonna cost you 5K for a new timing belt and tires?

 

I had about 140K on mine and after the timing belt took a dump on me (around 75K), I hadn't had any non routine issues.
So why is it gonna cost you 5K for a new timing belt and tires?

$3,500 for the car
$ 850 TB/Water Pump
$ 600 Tires
$ 250 Door lock repair

Total to get into the car: $5,200

In 5k miles it needs 80k service and dealer said figureon $850.

So, about $6,000 into the car at 80k

 

$3,500 for the car
$ 850 TB/Water Pump
$ 600 Tires
$ 250 Door lock repair

Total to get into the car: $5,200

In 5k miles it needs 80k service and dealer said figureon $850.

So, about $6,000 into the car at 80k

$850 for 80k serivce! gimmie a break. you already had the timing belt done. what else is big at 80k? oil & filter?

 

$850 for 80k serivce! gimmie a break. you already had the timing belt done. what else is big at 80k? oil & filter?

Dealer price. They give me a verbal list of things that they would do. Perhaps its just being in the SF Bay Area - everything is expensive here.

I may have missed getting the car anyway.

It drives great. But, the talk here makes me very nervous about buying one with 75k ...even though it has been expertly maintained by one owner.