How reliable is a mid 2000s VW Passat?

How reliable is an early to mid 2000s Volkswagen Passat saloon?

Stephen Cullen (Roscrea)

May 2013 Filed under: reliability

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Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

 

At the time, they were very reliable and solidly built, but I’d be slightly wary now, especially if it’s a car with patchy service history. The diesel models develop problems with both the injection system and the air mass sensor, while the 1.6 petrol was underpowered and consequently has to strain to push the car around, leading to excessive wear and tear (especially to the front driveshafts).

The good news is that there aren’t too many fiddly electronic system to go wrong, but check the car over very carefully and if there are too many holes in the service record, walk away.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe