[Wuss]

I'm in the market for another car, and a former mk4 Golf 1.8t ( yes golf, 4dr ) owner.

In my budget is a 1998 Passat 1.8t, 5spd. I've done some research, and it seems like this particular car has it's fair share of problems, mostly related to the electrical system.

What should I look out for? And would you recommend purchasing a 1998 Passat, why or why not?

Thanks for your input..

 

[ShrinerMonkey]

How many miles on it? Even withouth knowing I still would not buy a '98 Passat, especially not the a used Turbo.

 

[PassatVariantPunk]

Whats the mileage? Turbo fried? Turbo heat shielding? Oil maintenance records? Tie Rod End recall performed? Run the VIN with VW see if the previous owners took care of these things. Take it for a test drive and push it a little bit, does the turbo spool up, too much lag.. give it a good go round; kick the tires you know.

Sunroof leak? Look under the hood for cracked hoses, oil splattering, etc. All obvious stuff I suppose but it is good to know these things while assisting a leverage tool on the price.

I own a 98 AEB Manual Variant. Paid about 6G for it w/ 85K. Ending up spending 2500 to VW for a new turbo. Owned for almost a year now. The turbo was really the only problem. A lot of items on the car that I fixed/maintenance performed was down through this website. Whether I purchased a replacement passenger vent or installed a turbo guage or performed oil changes to replacing the valve cover gasket; you are in the right place if you are in the B5 Family. :thumbup:

Still love my wagon; just it was the unforeseen that took a hit at me.

Forewarned, forearmed - to be prepared is half the victory.
:b5:

http://www.clubb5.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=72634&highlight=vent+light+bulb

 

[triptronic]

hey, I saw a b5, 121k miles for 6gs. 98.
I was goign to have my friend buy it but...
the first years seem to have some problems..

 

[PassatVariantPunk]

Problems yes. But once more, the GI Joe type quote Forewarned, forearmed - to be prepared is half the victory.

See I bought a car with 30K less miles for that price. Use this "bad year" for the car as a leverage device if you want to pursue it. I agree with saying the car has defect/problems/errors unique than other engine codes however, if you know about them, or planned to mod out those components or plan to just live with some of em cause you just need a point A to point B.. then that factors into your decision making grid of life here.

What other cars might yall recommend than the B5 for this gentleman/lady (keeping apples to apples)?

 

[Wuss]

Ending up spending 2500 to VW for a new turbo.

wow, you can get a k04 kit from awe tuning for 1700. Dealer evil!!

All this talk has got me somewhat scared about buying a 98 passat . I was really looking forward to owning a 1.8t again.

Why would the turbo's be bad? MY mk4 had 60k miles on it and it felt like it was running stronger then ever. Is it because owners aren't letting it cool down after a drive or what?

Ack, it seems like maybe a 98 passat isnt the best choice for a guy :wink: that doesn't have a budget for repairs?

 

[ShrinerMonkey]

If you don't have a budget for repairs, no used car is going to be a safe bet. But I would stick with more reliable brands like Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda if you want to have a much better chance of having a reliable car. Unless you really want a Passat and are willing to deal the high liklihood of expensive repair costs, I would just stay away. As for recomendations that depends on your budget, but I would do lots of research, good place to start is Edmunds.com. You can subscribe to ConsumerReports online for $12 a year and get reviews and reliability info there also.

A turbo could be bad if you don't know what kind of oil was used in it and the oil change intervals. You will want to try to get as much service history on the car as you can.

 

[Mexicant_1.8t]

i have a 98 1.8T and it runs great, it currently has 96k miles on it, i just got a tune up, and it runs smooth as can be, only taken to shop once because my dad is irresponsible and didnt change the timing belt...so then it snapped and i had to get a new head for it since that all got screwed up BUT nevertheless the car runs great, just be sure to check out the turbo, and see if there are any leaks ,but mine runs great and it was used too, we got it with 45k miles, and still runs flawlessly, goodluck with it dude


Gotta love my :b5:

 

[TwoLitreVW]

A local has a 98 for sale.

It's dark green, has about 85K on the clock, and is in pretty good shape. Stock, and well maintained. Full synthetic oil, decent rubber on the wheels, and seems to be pretty solid.

Has a few cosmetic woes (scratch on the hood, some minor chips on the hood), but nothing outside of the normal battle scars one gets from driving a lot of highway.

He's asking $6k for it.

 

[NH VW Junky]

Just bought 2 weeks ago a 98 1.8t 5 speed - 83K- 5,750. VERY CLEAN - all records, all from the dealer. It was a girls car bought right out of college and fully maintained.

Satin silver with black interior. I love it - had a 99 1.8t tip in the past. The 5 speed is much better.

I looked at 10 very bad passats - People are LIARS - be very careful. If you do extensive research here - you can get a great passat. But, be careful if you just buy on looks. Its easy to be burned with a bad or poorly maintained B5.

Also, two weeks in my car was just backed into in my work parking lot. Some people just shouldn't drive. :crazy:

 

[Sharky]

How about go jab yourself in the eye with a fork instead of buying a used VW.

 

[PassatVariantPunk]

New eye replacements are well over 6K I am sure. This might be cheaper oke: <-- Trying to poke your eye out.

I agree with the Hyundai type thing. Heck you can get a brand new Hyundia Elantra for like 9Gs coming with warranty. Check the paper/lots and might get a used one for less? That was the route I was thinking of taking. That or a brand new Ion, which is a little more. In the 11G range.

Glad I got my wagon though. 250K, here I come!

 

[NH VW Junky]

The real question to me is do I drive a "sterile" car? Or, do I drive a car with postive road feedback, great handling, braking and looks?

Its obvious. The VW is not easy to own - But its rewarding. If you love cars - go with the VW. If you love cars that just run and run but don't have too much personality get a Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan.... Etc.

 

[V6er]

The real question to me is do I drive a "sterile" car? Or, do I drive a car with postive road feedback, great handling, braking and looks?

Its obvious. The VW is not easy to own - But its rewarding. If you love cars - go with the VW. If you love cars that just run and run but don't have too much personality get a Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan.... Etc.

Well the VW has the looks but that's about it. Unless of course you 'Change' things a little. But then you are putting more money into it.

 

[jaero]

I bought my '99 used at just under 60k miles. At the moment I love the car, but it has taken a long time to get here, and I firmly believe it is only a matter of time before that feeling goes away again. Read through this thread regarding typical problems with AEB engine Passats...

http://www.clubb5.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=72634&highlight=aeb+owner

As I said I currently love my car, but I would never recommend it to anyone. The cost of maintaining this vehicle has killed all the fun of owning it.

Look elsewhere.

 

[maklioso]

Bought my '98 1.8T Tip last year for $7k w/80k mi off the internet. Thought I had been seriously ripped when it didn't drive like a newer 5spd that I had driven and I thought the turbo was fried, (like a million other '98s), but I recently replaced the vacuum line from the intake to the DV and now I have turbo!!! Y'all shouldn't be VW haters... I have owned Hondas, Nissans, .... even American cars... and now, after about ten years of working on my VWs, I would almost never own anything other than VAG. Don't be fooled by Hyundai/Kia deals. You don't really think they back up that 100k mi warranty, do you? My '86 GTI went for 300k mi and I fully expect my other two VWs to do the same. Check out that car very well, (especially turbo, but really, if the engine is strong, you can get a badass K04 for under $1k anyway). For '98s, expect to put a couple bucks in it to get it up to par with the later years when VW figured out some mistakes, (heat shield, oil routing, etc). Good luck to ya!! :thumbup: