Posted by Hi/Po My parents had a 92 Passat which didn't have any electrical problems. After 10 years of ownership the problems started. The biggest of which was from the alternator and area. The car also developed vibration issues. But first ten years it was fine. VWs are nice because they have so many little engineering tricks and use quality materials. Reliability can be hit or miss.

We bought ours with over 100k on it, so I didn't think a whole lot of the problems we had. I just thought it was an old pain in the arse car. However, when we bought the brand new Beetle, and it had the SAME problems, and I started finding my VW customers were having the same issues with their Beetles, Jettas, and GTI's, I started doing some research. The engines are tough as nails, but the electrical systems are horrible. This isn't a one or 2 car ordeal, this was about 30 cars LOCALLY that I knew of. I don't care what anyone else says about it, 30 cars locally with the same issues says something, and it isn't good. I don't know of any other brand that had this kind of reputation..

But who knows, maybe they just don't like our cold northern winters...

Posted by Sinister Crayon Yeah, looking at one of those right now. What do you mean by "chip it"? I know the 2.0 is junk, but what about the 2.8?

The 12 and 16 valve 2.8's are garbage. They run super hot and cost afortune to repair. THe 2.8 24 valve is nice but good luck finding one.

The 1.8t has good fuel consumption, good kick and has that nice turbo now. A chip is a computer chip you solder into the ECU in order to change the mapping of it. You will get better acceleration and higher top speeds etc. Also a diverter valve will make a difference. All these modifications are cheap and work quite well.

The 2.0 is a good reliable engine, it just lacks power of any sort, put makes up with lots of torque.

VW's are kinda hit or miss. I had an '88 Jetta with minimal problems, after I put a new tranny in it (5-speed)- it made it to 225k when I finally got rid of it. My wife had a '00 Cabrio which ran pretty good, but had a lot of stupid little problems- constant check engine light, rough first to second shift (auto trans), and a lot of cosmetic issues like peeling interior vinyl, body moldings falling off. Two different VW dealers couldn't diagnose the check engine light, so we just started ignoring it. The rough trans shift was fixed after the throttle body was cleaned.

One of my best friends has an '01 Jetta 1.8T. It has just over 100k on it, and it's in the shop quite a bit with wierd problems. I think he's on his fourth MAF sensor, vacuum lines have dry-rotted and broken twice, a set of wheel bearings, cruise control problems, and a couple other issues.

I love the cars for their fit and finish- I just dunno if I'd buy one again from experience.

Posted by Nismo The 12 and 16 valve 2.8's are garbage. They run super hot and cost afortune to repair. THe 2.8 24 valve is nice but good luck finding one. The 1.8t has good fuel consumption, good kick and has that nice turbo now. A chip is a computer chip you solder into the ECU in order to change the mapping of it. You will get better acceleration and higher top speeds etc. Also a diverter valve will make a difference. All these modifications are cheap and work quite well. The 2.0 is a good reliable engine, it just lacks power of any sort, put makes up with lots of torque.

Yeah, first I have to find a 1.8t for a reasonable price around here.

Posted by Sinister Crayon Yeah, first I have to find a 1.8t for a reasonable price around here.

Which I now have some more time. My timetable has been pushed back to august due to some issues with the DMV and having too many registered vehicles at one time for some stupid reason, but we are dropping a car from the fleet in august so yeah. Gives the VW some more time to depreciate and maybe pick it up for a couple hundred bucks cheaper when the 08 models roll out.

Hello, I've heard the 1.8T is affected by oil sludge problem, FWIW. Careful.