How reliable is a mid 2000s VW Passat?
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reliability
The question
How reliable is an early to mid 2000s Volkswagen Passat saloon?
Asked by Stephen Cullen ·
Expert answer
Hi Stephen,
At the time, they were very reliable and solidly built, but I’d be slightly wary now, especially if it’s a car with patchy service history. The diesel models develop problems with both the injection system and the air mass sensor, while the 1.6 petrol was underpowered and consequently has to strain to push the car around, leading to excessive wear and tear (especially to the front driveshafts).
The good news is that there aren’t too many fiddly electronic system to go wrong, but check the car over very carefully and if there are too many holes in the service record, walk away.
Answered by Neil Briscoe