I bought my 99 wth 35,000 miles. Look at it like any other used car. Good idea to have an independent mechanic look at it. With the belly pan you might not be able to see if leaking any oil or other fluids. Run the carfax and see if it has any wierd things in its past. Good luck

 

Well, most of the '98s and '99s have no problems with coil packs (unlike many of the newer 1.8Ts) so that's one thing to feel good about. As for areas to check, the control arms are probably the biggest thing. If they go bad, they'll cause squeaking and thunking in the front end, to my knowledge.

I think that is probably the biggest thing. If it's got more than 60k miles on it, make sure that the timing belt and tensioner have been replaced. Check that everything feels good when you test drive it. TRY EVERYTHING. Cupholders, vents, doors, hatch or trunk, folding seats, windows, locks, sunroof. If it's any sort of mechanism, make sure it works. Make sure that the gearshift, clutch, steering, and brakes feel normal, with no major hitches, clunks, thunks, snags, pops... if it feels kinda weird, then it's probably not right.

I say all of these things not because the Passat is known for lots of problems, but because anything can happen with a pre-owned car. I've got a broken vent in my '99... I've never heard of them going bad or breaking easily, so I'm assuming the previous owner (who also apparently tried to remove a dealer emblem with a screwdriver, judging by the scraped off sections of clearcoat) just smashed it somehow. Whenever buying used, remember: People do the stupidest things to cars. Run a CarFax on the car (you can probably find somebody who's got a subscription and can run one for you for free) to see if it's had any major problems.

With all of that said, I will offer my personal opinion to say that my Passat has been all but trouble-free, and I've certainly enjoyed driving it everyday. Good luck with your purchase! :thumbup:

 

A particular weak point of those year Passats was the front suspension, the control arms (very pricey repair). Also various electrical problems seem to be common to most VW's, but those are imposible to spot until the part fails. I would consider getting some kind of warranty to protect yourself just in case if it doesn't cost too much. But as far as the engine goes, the 1.8T seems to be a pretty solid and proven powerplant, it is all of the other stuff under the hood you have to worry about.

 

What about in regards to transmissions? I would prefer a 5 speed but if the right tiptronic comes around i may take it. Were there any issues witht the tiptronic as i believe it was the first year?

 

I'm pretty sure that the trannys are pretty reliable, I haven't heard of anyone having problems with them.

 

I think the tip in the passat has been used in the audi for a few more years. Warranty Warranty Warranty.

 

Only things I have had to deal with on my 99 V6 (purchased used)

A/C Died
#2 injector went bad
Vacuum lines were in terrible shape (known problem) Replaced with SVH

 

I'd lean towards a 99. I have a 98 and have and just about every widespread problem. Most of these are issues with the 99 as well though... Just make sure you check these things out.

1. Turbo died @ ~50K miles - wastegate failure
2. Sunroof broke. It would cost $1200 to fix/replace.
3. Control Arm bushing failure ~$400 to fix.
4. Glove box latch broken. Now my glove box is permanently locked shut. Would cost over $200 to fix.
5. Belly pan fell off. Around 50 rivets later I was able to piece it back together. Would cost over $100 to replace.

Believe it or not, I still love the car. After spending around 4 hours trying to fix the sunroof this weekend, I actually made it worse. I was seriously considering selling and buying a '99 GLS or possibly Variant. Then my wife explained that a broken sunroof is not a reason to buy another car.

 

I have a '98 w/ 78K miles and no major problems to report. The last time it saw the dealer was at the 20K free oil change. :lol:

 

i have also hearda couple issues of that year have an issue with the MAF sensor?..what ever the that thing is on top the airfilter that later models dont have.

 

I'd lean towards a 99. I have a 98 and have and just about every widespread problem. Most of these are issues with the 99 as well though... Just make sure you check these things out.

1. Turbo died @ ~50K miles - wastegate failure
2. Sunroof broke. It would cost $1200 to fix/replace.
3. Control Arm bushing failure ~$400 to fix.
4. Glove box latch broken. Now my glove box is permanently locked shut. Would cost over $200 to fix.
5. Belly pan fell off. Around 50 rivets later I was able to piece it back together. Would cost over $100 to replace.

Believe it or not, I still love the car. After spending around 4 hours trying to fix the sunroof this weekend, I actually made it worse. I was seriously considering selling and buying a '99 GLS or possibly Variant. Then my wife explained that a broken sunroof is not a reason to buy another car.

Not for nothing but I had a 99 and had to sell it because it had all these problems and ALOT more like, Interior lights not working... windows worked when they wanted to.... and on and on. When I bought the car, it was brand new with less than 300 miles on it
I contribute half of the problems to the particular dealership I brought the car to, stuff like the sunroof being broken 4 times in 2 years because of the incompetent mechanics, broken trim parts in the car after being serviced, belly pan fell off on 3 different occasions after going for an oil change... stuff like that.

I know that doesn't answer your question but I saw lemon in the title and had to vent.

All in all, I would buy another passat because I love the car, (especially now that I drive a Acura TL I see how much I miss a car with soul)
It just sucks that im just not willing to deal with VW themselves, I don't have to many nice things to say about VW, VWOA or the dealer I went to

 

I bought a '99 about a year ago. I DID NOT buy it from a VW dealer, so it was not VW certified. Here are some of the problems I had:

- NO RECEPTION on the radio. The entire antenna wire from the antenna to the head unit had to be replaced for $300. This problem is very prevalent with Passats.

- Trunk light does not work. (still not fixed, not a priority, I just threw a flashlight in the trunk.

- Intermittent exhaust odor in the cabin (unable to diagnose yet, have a mechanic looking at it today)

Other than that, normal wear and tear. I LOVE THIS CAR!

 

I have a '98 w/ 78K miles and no major problems to report. The last time it saw the dealer was at the 20K free oil change. :lol:

To powerslide23 - We don't like your kind around here! :wink: :lol:

I would lean towards a '99 because some of the problems on the '98s got fixed by then, though my '99 1.8T is no proof of that! I have had a few problems, but none were really bad and most were fixed under warranty. As far as the test drive, be sure to check ALL of the power accessories (or at least all of those you plan on using), including the side mirror defrosters (these don't shut off automatically and tend to burn out if left on).

 

Had '99 1.8T for over a year. Replaced:

1. Front & rear brake pads @ 39K
2. One of the vaccuum hoses: $70 in diagnostics, 0 in parts.
3. Headlight bulb.
4. 40K service (pollen filter, etc)

Does not work:

1. Trunk light has a mind of its own - works occasionally, probably a short.
2. Keyless entry has the same problem, but works more often than does not
3. Belly pan is gone
4. Climate control light just went out
5. One of fan lights has a loose connection - works occasionally

No major problems so far. I've been happy with my ride.

 

Alex S.

I would replace your belly pan, I heard bad things can happen to your engine compartment with that missing. :nervous: