right im looking at having one of these for my next car, the tdi as i do a lot of miles and the other reason that they seem to be great value for money compared to the bora/golf. I've seen many tdi sport models go for around 2500 fully loaded. Whats the top spec/engine to go for? Are there any common faults with these cars? and what is everyones opinion on them?
for anyone that doesn't know thats the 1998'ish-2005 boot lids being stiff to open, drivers seat belts slow to retract, other than that have all the normal used car items
At that sort of price range you are only really looking at the B5 from 97-00 (later ones being B5.5). That will limit you to the 90bhp or 110bhp. I've had a 110 for 2 1/2 years and can heartily recommend it. I've got the SE version which has climate control and other little bits - I'm not sure what extras the Sport came with. I regularly get 45mpg whether town or motorway driving. I've had no problems with it whatsoever (apart from a f**kwit VW mechanic adding the wrong coolant). Cam belt is a pain in the bottom "front of the car off" job so make sure it's been done. Another thing I can recommend is the Van Aaken Smartbox - I bought one 3 weeks ago - which bumps up the power to 135bhp but more importantly gives you about 500 revs in each gear. You can actually feel boost! Edited by: mr.brown
yeah the ones ive been looking at are the 110 diesels. you got any pics of yours? the sport is the next up from the se with sport seats and steering wheel i think
http://www.roccomafia.co.uk/images/Passat4.jpg is the only pic I've got online - it's 1.5Mb. I know the Sport came with lowered suspension and as you said the leather wheel - not sure if the centre armrest or climate was standard. There was a factory recall last year for the front suspension - 5 minute check to see if some bushes or other are knackered. Oh and they kill front tyres very quickly - less than 10k the way I drive Edited by: mr.brown
they acually brought the models into this country in 1996 The main fault with the passat and indeed the audi A4 A6 is that the front suspension wears the bushes quite quickly, so listen out for squeeks and clonks
yes they came with the leather 3 spoke steering wheel, lowered suspension,climate contol,sport seats, front armrest and aluminium trim here's some pics of mine
do u know how much they r lowered by andy? and what is the handliong like in these cars? it will be the sport i will be getting btw. did yours come with leather as standard?
there lowered by around 15mm that's all, handling is ok but replacing with uprated dampers makes all the difference. Mine came with the standard sport seats but I replaced them with the leather heated seats you can see in the pic
Hi, I have 2004 Passat B5.5 1.9 tdi 100HP ( 74 Kw ) engine. It is a very reliable car apart from a niggling problem that shows up as an intermittent low boost problem from the turbo which switches the Turbo off, switching the ignition key to the left by one notch and then straight backl on again brings the turbo straight back on again. the car has done 119,000 miles now and I bought it in 2007 with 61,000 on and it still goes like stink!. It has only had to have a new radiator due to a leak and apparently this is a very common thing, any repair to the front end of the engine such as the timing belt or altenator pulley requires that the lock carrier or front end of the car has to be moved to the service position and will add about 70 quid to your bill. The boot lid was very stiff and eventually sheared the hinge, replaced with one from the scrapyard, so keep the hinges oiled with a spray lube. It usually returns about 38- 40 mpg around town and hits 50- 52 mpg on a long run. so overall it is a good car. Malcolm
