1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX from North America - Comments

A/c never worked

starter replaced $430

ignition replaced $250

passenger door won't shut right

driver wiper arm $53

rear speakers one day stopped working

seat belts go back and forth after turning off car

got exhaust fixed $650

car stalled a couple times

couldn't open car with key (5 times)

roof material is coming off.

I am 18 years old and purchased this car for $1200 and thought it would be great---only had 84,000 miles----i couldn't be more wrong...

Don't get me wrong its fun to drive on the highway, but the pick up is slow, too loud at startup. I feel like this car is a waste of my time, I can't wait to get a new car. I mean even oil changes are a hassel, they couldn't find the filter. I also went to the VW dealer and they wanted $375 for a tranmission flush and fill----WTF???

I am sooooo done with this car! DO NOT BUY!!! ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS!!!

Um...I think a lot of your problems come from the fact that you bought a $1200 car. At that price, more than likely the car was not well maintained. I believe you just got stuck with someone else's problem. I have a Jetta built on the same platform and the two cars have a lot of the same parts. I'm at 137,000 miles and still running like the day it came off the dealer lot. It has only quit running on me once.. then I just got a new battery!

I agree!!! This car sucks big time. I mean why do you think most Passat need the tranny to be rebuild or even the ones's on classified ad say" Rebuild transmission"?? Because the "German engineers" got it all wrong.

I just got rid of my 1993 Passat VR6 with 98,000 miles because the transmission sipped water from the cooling system, and to repair the thing was more than the value of the car. Believe it or not, I've had it since it had 50,000 miles as a (second owner) and has been nightmare. I have never abused this car... It was always going to the shop. I even made friends with most guys at the car shops. MY ADVICE IS!!! IF YOU ARE NOT A MECHANIC, PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS CAR.

"I bought the car and my life is a wreck. I can't even get the thing to stay running a full work week. I read the reviews that say it's fun to drive and all that good stuff, great handling and so forth. I think it handles like a tank. Never mind the fact that I've dumped all my savings into this heap, the overall fact is it's a poor, poor car. Good luck even changing your oil. Please, anyone that has any interest in this car, just walk away. That or just go to your bank, withdraw about 5-6 grand and flush it down the toilet. Both situations are the equal."

I just bought a 93 Passat VR6. I don't know what you guys are talking about. Besides the automatic transmission in these things suck, but that jsut means TIME TO LEARN TO DRIVE A stick. There are no tranny problems with a standard in these cars, and that's how cars should be driven anyways. I know why most of you have problems, its because you see a V6 engine and decide to bag drag it everywhere and then when it finally breaks cry that you don't know what went wrong. Treat the car like it should be treated and it will last a full lifetime. German engineered cars are the best in the world. They didn't get it all wrong.

I have had my 93 VW Passat GLX VR6 for three years, from 112,000 to now 143,000 miles. I have replaced the water pump and serpentine belt ($500), ignition coil ($450), upper radiator hose ($190 just for the hose), Rear shocks ($320 in a buy one get one at Sears), left front half axle ($125), left front cv joint ($100), needs tranny flush and fill ($350), all four door handles barely work, rear defrost doesn't work, it burns oil, leaks radiator fluid at a rate of 1 gallon per month, exhaust is rotten except for the headers and muffler, etc. The car just doesn't age well. There are many other care that have the same number of miles or more and don't have near the number of problems as this one does. It is expensive to fix and parts are hard to find. I would never buy another VW.

Hello, Yesterday was October 3rd and I went to see a 93 Passat GLS VR6. iT HAD ONLY 99,000 KILOMETRES ON it. The guy just put a brand new exhaust and a bunch off other parts on it. It needs a new Windshield and a front left ball joint. That's about it. He want 1500$ canadian dollars for it, but after reading some of these reviews, I'm starting to change my mind.

I just bought a 1993 Passat VR6; it only has 133,000 km's on it... 3 days after getting it, it started to backfire and miss, then went away for the evening, next day started it up, idled awesome, and as soon as I pressed the gas, it started banging and popping like crazy.. so left it for the evening, tried to start it again, but this time wouldn't start at all..~!~

Took the distributor cap off; it was all oily and gummed up.. cleaned it up, still didn't start.. got my buddy to turn it over while I looked to see if the rotor turned at all and didn't!! The whole shaft where the rotor sits on could be pulled out by hand.. now I got the distributor out and don't know what kind of pieces are missing to find them?? Anybody have a diagram I could use?? And anybody had this problem before'??

This was my first car. By the time I got it, a lot was wrong with it and even more stuff went wrong while I had it, but I still fell in love with it. It's the kind of car that everything breaks, but it can still run forever.

A lot of my parts were jimmy-rigged but it always started. It did have transmission issues and accelerated poorly and shifted really rough. The car is a tank in that it was ridiculously heavy for a car in its class, but it still maintained a sportiness.

This is the kind of car that is great for a first car as long as you jimmy-rig it. Don't pour too much money into it, you may regret it, because it's so quirky. But you will come to love the quirks.

The car does drive beautifully on the highway, and it takes curves so well. Oil changes are kind of fun once you get the ridiculous wrench to do it yourself. It should also be noted that the car was designed to be manual. That's part of the reason why people with automatics have so much trouble with the tranny, it wasn't until it hit the states that they had to start making a larger number of automatics.

I loved this car, it was a pleasure to have, but this car is not for adults anymore. Great first car.

I've owned this car for 4 years now, and it had 115'000 km's on it when I bought it. I have since put 100,000 km's on it and considering the amount of time I've owned it and the km's I have put on it, I am very pleased with its performance. I have owned many domestic cars and every one of them have ended up in the scrap yard after a lot of money spent on repairs and only a short period of time. If you take care of these cars, much like any other car, it will last you a long time. Regular maintenance is required on any vehicle you own. After owning this car, I wouldn't buy any other vehicle but Volkswagen.

I'd be willing to put money that most of the people who don't like this car have it in automatic, and if I still did I would agree with them. Get one in stick, do your regular maintenance and she will never steer you wrong.

Also the VR6 tends to leak or burn oil, no matter what you do after 100k, but considering this engine can take temps up to 290F without breaking, it's worth a little more oil.

I own a Passat VR6 and I have owned it for 3 years after buying it used. I have had virtually no problems with the car since buying it, the most money I have spent on it was a $2500 complete paint job.

I was advised when I first purchased this vehicle that it was intended for the European market, and as such many of the things we do to maintain our cars here in North America just wouldn't cut it. Replacing oil with full synthetic, only using premium gas and premium fluids are what will keep your car running well for a long long time.

I drive this car hard. Typically running on the highway at 130-140km/h even on long trips. It runs amazing. Don't be cheap maintain your car well and it will pay you back.

Bought a '93 VR6 with the 5 speed... 215000 km on it, and it runs great! Shifting is crisp and it will do 90 km in 2nd without redlining! I have tested it for top end, and gotten up to 210 before I lost my nerve. The car looks good, interior good, but someone tried to install an aftermarket stereo deck in it and screwed up the wiring harness, now I have to try to find a shop that can fix that.

I will be watching the oil consumption carefully, but then, I toasted three Hyundai engines because of oil problems (2 Pony's, 1 Sonata), so I hope I've learned my lessons.

I like the ride, the price was good, fuel economy is good (roughly 800+ km per 70 litre tank) and it looks great. What more can you ask for from a 15 year old car?