1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX from North America - Comments

I bought the car for $4,800 US in California, several thousand below kelly blue book value. It needed a heater core ($600) A/C switch ($200) and misc expenses ($200) when I bought it. Two months after I bought it the power moonroof broke ($350) which is a common problem. Next the water pump went out ($300).

The engine leaks almost a quart of oil per week, which isn't uncommon. The anti theft radio reset itself several times.

Passenger side door does not close correctly. The latest is the automatic transmission completly failing, at a cost of $2000-$4000.

Skip VW unless you love paying for repair$. Mechanics with big wallets, not drivers wanted! Seats are annoying to adjust and not enough headroom for a six-footer. A fun drive but as expensive as a BMW to maintain. This was my first and last German car. I am selling it and buying Japanese.

Lbdiver@hotmail.com.

Why did you even consider buying a German car if you could not afford its maintenance? ALL GERMAN cars are expensive to buy, keep, and fix.

I sympathize with the original poster. And, as a Passat owner, recognize the cost of repairs as noted by the responder. However, there is a flaw in that logic. A so-called high quality car should not spend a measurable portion of its life in a shop. I have owned Porsches (still do). There is an active and large owners group out there and we keep our maintenance costs low that way. But, as a follow-up, I will add this. (1) There is no reason a Passat fuel pump should retail for $350.20. They are no different in principle or quality to other fuel pumps. Anyone who believes they are is fooling themselves. (2) All manufacturers are driven by the bottom line. German cars are second only to Brits in lousy electronics and cheap switches for which they still charge the big buck. VW, BMW, Audi have all built models that were sheer unadulturated crap.

That being said, there is NO GOOD REASON that a German car should cost more to maintain than any other car.

I have recently purchased a used 93 Volkswagon Passat and am ready to give the car away. From the second week (went on vacation the first one) we had it we experienced starting problems. Can't seem to find anyone who knows how to fix this problem. It will start fine for a couple of days, then leave you stranded the next. Our great buy at $2,500.00 is now leaning more toward 5k.

The trick to successsful maintenance with these cars is to find yourself a mechanic that doesn't pretend to know what he is doing. I own two (2). Bought the first one 8yrs ago. Has been handed down the family (Kids) 3 times. The repairs have not been overly expensive because they were properly diagnosed. Most garage mechanics are simply assembly line workers with no real diagnostic skills, or they are just preying on your ignorance. Buy yourself a manual and coach your mechanic.

I am so tired of people labeling German cars as "expensive to own" in general. My BMW has been much less expensive to keep than my first two cars; a Chevrolet and a Mercury. Those two cars would eat one alive when it came time to fix something whereas my BMW has been very reasonable. It does not break as often and the parts are more readily available, in other words, CHEAP. I also average 28 MPG. Just because VW can't get it right does not mean that all German cars are a pain to live with. I wanted a VW so bad until I had my BMW for about a month and realized what a bullet I dodged.

In response to the VW Passat starting problems.

I had the same problem. It was the ignition switch. Replace it yourself if you can or do as I did (unfortunately) and have the dealer do it for about $260. It's a $30 part!