Used 1998 Volkswagen Passat Sedan Consumer Reviews
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German Engineering = Crap!
CapitalismGoneWild, 06/13/2009
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
Purchased a 1998 1.8T passat with a blown engine for $1000 and I rebuilt the engine over the summer. There is a lot of chatter about oil sludge destroying these engines, this is completely false! Oil comes through a metal tube around the back of the engine over the catalytic converter, exhaust manifold and through the turbo charger. Non-synthetic oil cokes (forms hard particles called turbo-turds)inside all of these components. Eventually enough of this coked oil breaks free, clogs the oil sump screen and oil starvation occurs. This is what causes the vast majority of 1.8T engines to fail. Either VW engineers are complete idiots or this is an engine designed to fail.
This Passat treated me well
boyce, 07/01/2008
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
My next car will be a plug in, but in the meanwhile I have few complaints about my manual 98 Passat, or the dealership. Bought new, used only in CA, and still a pleasure to drive. Mileage 25-27 mpg. Things do occasionally go wrong, but mostly they are under warranty. I added up my unexpected repairs over the past 10 years, and found they came to less than $5,000, or $500 per year. New alternator, 2 new batteries, new brakes, a gasket or two, minor suspension repairs, etc., but none of the spine-chilling disasters you can read about elsewhere on this blog. I'm lucky! I plan to keep it until that new plug-in (or 60 mpg diesel) shows up at the dealer. (My other car is a 2004 Prius).
98 Passat --nice while it lasted
pdhorn, 02/20/2009
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
8 of 10 people found this review helpful
Car still drives and handles well but costly electrical problems have developed, forcing me to donate it on the market after 142,000 miles. Sunroof and door locks mysteriously stopped working--costly to repair.
After All, a Nice Car
bogdancea1, 12/04/2006
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought mine used with 84,000 miles on it. It now is 115,000 miles. It has been a fun to drive experience. Its handling and brakes are excellent. The engine is strong and the transmission's fine. It will be a dream car, but has electronic flaws. It seems that the computer is haunted. The check engine light is annoying. It took three visits to fix it, and still no result. After three weeks, it went off by itself. Now it is coming on just from time to time, for no more than five minutes. The sunroof contact bad. Cruise control dead. The only big problem was one with the power engine module which cost $600 to fix. But the way this car handles the curves is impressive. The turbo lag is not very bad if you know how to deal with. Now the CV joints are bad, but is not car's fault. I like to press gas pedal too much in the curves. I'll buy another one in a heartbeat.
Worst Vehicle Ever
BrokenHearted, 12/19/2005
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
First 20,000 miles in my 1998 Volkswagen Passat went fine. Then, the door locks broke, now twice, the cassette broke, the engine light comes on when ever it wants to, the moonroof opens by itself, cruise control works 10% of the time, and I needed a new serpetine belt which cost over $500 because the whole front end has to be removed. Also, the ABS brake system doesn't work, the light is on and the dealer quoted $2,100 to fix it. Finally my car had an oil pump failure and I had to replace the engine and turbo for $7,000. The dealer won't work on cars with over 100,000 miles and the Bosch dealer says all of these problems are common. I can't afford this piece of junk, and don't know how I will ever get rid it.
Love My Car!
Need for Speed, 05/04/2006
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS V6 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought this car new and have loved every minute of driving since I purchased it. I had a problem with a stick going through the radiator that was expensive to fix. Also, the cruise control just died but that is the only other problem I've had. I drive in a "spirited" fashion and the car has always had the energy to respond. I get 28.9 mpg and use regular gas. Based in my experience with this car, I'd buy 5 more. It is such fun to drive -- and has more than enough room for me. It is a versatile car since the split rear seats fold down. I've amazed people with what I've been able to fit in the back. I also do regular maintenance when called for; even my mechanics love to drive my car.
1.8T]
Dredoggs, 01/16/2004
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Passat is a very nice car if you treat it right. Everyone at school comments on my car, and my boss wants to steal it!
Still in Love with '98 Passat
B5Passat, 01/30/2007
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I purchased this car new and it has been a fantastic. It has a great ride and handling and the engine seems to only get better with age. Mine has the original clutch and exhaust system at 109,000 miles. It has had no problems or major repairs. All of my service has been performed at dealerships. This car is very reliable, comfortable on long drives, and handles and performs well while delivering excellent fuel economy. I fear I may never want to get rid of this car, and may not as I don't want to risk getting an inferior replacement. The exterior looks brand new despite never being garaged.
Long-Time VW Owner Disgusted!
RKW, 08/25/2006
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I am ready to junk my 1998 VW Passat and am mad at VW's poor reliability and pathetic customer service. I bought my first new VW in 1971 and still have a 1979 VW Campmobile that I bought new. Because of my total dissatisfaction with VW customer service I will never buy another VW and recommend that you don't either. I bought my Passat new and have 90,000 miles on it. I love to drive the car and the economy and performance are great. However, I've had all the fit and finish problems, electrical problems, etc. Over a year ago VW had a recall on lower control arms, which I had checked by a dealer in 12/05. In 6/06 noises lead to a $2,500 estimate from VW for the control arms. VW customer service says sorry. I am gone forever!
Lovely, but troubled
leahk, 07/28/2008
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Turbo 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This car handled like a dream. It had great pick-up, suspension and was a blast to drive. The honeymoon, however, was short lived. It shortly became a money pit! I was only the second owner and bought it with 17,000 miles on it. The turbo quit at 70,000 miles and required $2000 to fix it in 2003. Then, the spark plug broke and fell into the piston shortly thereafter. That was another small fortune to fix. Then the cruise control worked only once in while. The transmission started cutting up and I sold it.
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