1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX VR6 from North America

Summary:

A great car that has reinforced my VW loyalty

Faults:

Rear power window regulators have been replaced twice -first at 75,000 miles, and again at 90,000 miles. The rear passenger side regulator has since gone bad again and I've decided to simply live with the inconvenience.

Antenna gasket rotted away at 90,000 miles.

Replaced clutch at 95,000 miles.

General Comments:

Except for the issue with the rear power window regulators, this car has been a joy to own. It's consistently reliable, provides good gas mileage for a 6 cylinder engine, and looks great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd August, 2004

1997 Volkswagen Passat from North America

Summary:

I feel sorry if you own one

Faults:

Window Regulators have been replaced seven times.

Tires don't wear well and are expensive to replace.

Check engine light comes on monthly with an average cost of 500 to fix what ever is broken.

CD/Radio shorted out at 75,000.

Burns off a lot of oil.

General Comments:

Lots of trunk space.

Fun to drive when it's not broken.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th February, 2004

5th Aug 2004, 16:01

I have a 1997 passat as well. I notice too that my tires wear not well, and my window regulators have also failed several times. I've also had transmission and engine problems. I've come to the conclusion that if yours is a Manual, you won't have as many problems as the automatics do.

11th Sep 2004, 14:40

I have a 97 passat and I have had several problems with it also. The door handles have all had problems and one has been broken since I bought it. The tires ware extremely uneven and I have had my car in 3 separate times because the air conditioner stops working after 20 minutes.

14th Nov 2005, 16:44

Sold these for 7 years from 1998 til present. It really irritates me that VW have tainted their image by putting cheap components into good cars. I worked for a franchised dealership at this tine and am a huge VW fan. My family have driven them for 20 years. Why can't VW make a car that is as reliable as a Toyota??? It really distresses me that they don't seem to care that the people who bought these cars for so long value reliability and VW seem more concerned about profit margins. This was later reinforced when I sold Audi. Whilst not as bad as VW they were pretty shambolic for a prestige manufacturer. Mercedes excluded of course (they couldn't build a car as reliable as a Skoda 105s at the moment!!)

1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX VR6 from North America

Summary:

I feel this car is not only a costly mess to own, but that it is also extremely unsafe

Faults:

Everything has gone wrong with this vehicle. It is currently at the mechanics as I type this.

At 65,000 miles:

The A/C stopped blowing cold air.

The brake light was on continuously.

The check engine light began going on and off daily.

At 75,000 miles the rear breaks began malfunctioning resulting in almost $1000 in repairs.

There are numerous squeaks and rubbing noises coming from the car that the dealer has not been able to fix.

General Comments:

Between 65,000 and 75,000 miles this car has had approx. $6000 worth of repairs.

Not only is the car expensive to own because of the repairs, but it is also a gas guzzler, and simple maintenance items such as oil changes are a production. I feel that the vehicle is the most unsafe and unreliable sedan on the road. After becoming a Volkswagen owner, I don't recommend that anyone buy one.

Also, before purchasing a VW, I recommend that you contact your insurance agent, your rates for collision and comprehensive coverage will go sky high!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th January, 2003

2nd Aug 2011, 01:08

Compared to most other cars of this era, this vehicle actually has quite a good safety rating...

1997 Volkswagen Passat Comfortline 1.9 TDI 110 hp from Belgium

Summary:

Drives great, but loves the garage too much!!

Faults:

A lot! We have only had the car for 3 months and 11000 km, and look what went wrong (keep in mind that we bought the car from a very trustworthy source who never, ever had a problem with it) :

Turbo problems : cost 300 EUX.

Catalyst broke : cost 400 EUX.

Suspension problems : cost? (is being repaired as I write).

General Comments:

If I could be able to forget about the malfunctioning, then I would be obliged to call it a great car! It runs smooth, consumes nothing, has a lot of space and offers a lot of comfort and space. But here is where it all ends. All these troubles (and costs) are making me worried each time I switch on the engine. Every time I am really hoping it will end with the above mentioned troubles, but every time there is another problem ahead!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 23rd July, 2001