1990 Volkswagen Passat CL 1.8 petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Underrated car
Faults:
Thermostat stuck, radiator leaked, battery failed, engine had a rough acceleration at one point traced to a faulty throttle valve. Oil pump failed in its last year with me - it was heading to the scrap yard by then however so I did not bother fixing.
Inside some switches stopped working, and the rear windows jammed one winter and did not open again. Sunroof leaked, but it was aftermarket and not fitted correctly.
The rest was the maintenance expected of age and mileage - brakes, timing belt, oil changes, etc.
General Comments:
The 88 - 93 Passat (B3) is one of the most underrated cars ever. In the UK during the 1990's it was a popular enough sight, though most of the cars in this class were the Ford Sierra or Vauxhall Cavaliers.
My Passat was bright red, rear spoiler and I added alloy wheels. Very smart looking car. Inside I loved the interior, very German - functional, logically laid out. Grey/black seats, very comfortable. CL was a basic model and did not have much. Wind up windows. Nothing fancy. GL or even better GT models are much better equipped.
To drive the gear change felt satisfying, brakes were good and the car handled well for its time. The 1.8 petrol engine had good enough acceleration and averaged around 38 mpg - stunning for a larger car in the early 1990's.
It was a slightly better car than my mid 80s BMW 3 series I had before. The Passat was also unfortunately a little expensive to maintain and I don't think they were as reliable as people made them out to be. Still, 15 years and 160K miles before it gave up was good going, plus I bought used and suspect the first owner did not look after it well, so overall it was a good car for me and I feel underrated compared to rivals at the time.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th August, 2022
7th Jun 2023, 11:54
Given how average the Sierra and Cavalier were, I am surprised this car was not more popular also. The Passat was not much more expensive and this one came from a time when VW were genuinely reliable cars and a cut above the rest. The Golf was in particular a favorite, the roads were full of them in the early 1990's in the UK.
Father had a 1990 Passat 1.8 CL, then later on I had a 1992 2.0 GL, both did in excess of 150,000 miles with no major problems. Friend had a later and very rare 2.8 VR6 model from 1993, he had some expensive problems but that particular model was a much more expensive and complex car, and it was not looked after correctly.