1983 Volkswagen Passat CL review from UK and Ireland
"Ludicrously reliable and cheap to run"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
4 tyres.
1 complete exhaust pipe.
Handbrake needed occasional adjustment.
General comments?
My 1983 CL Hatchback (VW Passats were available as Hatchbacks as well as the usual Saloon and Estate models in the 1980s) was my first car.
It had an automatic choke, manual transmission and very little excess weight.
While the body control was overly soft, the low weight of the saloon made it surprisingly maneuvrable given a good set of tyres (Vreidestein Sporttaks in this case)
Seats were comfortable, dashboard spartan, but clear and it was perfectly usable - the gearbox was easy to use and had a pleasantly firm actions, the steering fine when driving (Not PAS though so parking a bit hard)
It was very fast for an 1800 without fuel injection and revved a long way - reached 30 in 1st and in 5th gear it would hold 110mph easily.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1999 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 petrol 90Bhp Manual |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 117200 miles |
| Most recent distance | 136600 miles |
| Date of Entry | 16th November, 2002 |