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 Blue Book® Suggested Retail Value  Fuel Economy (city/hwy) 
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Owner
Not the ultimate VW; maybe the next gen is better
by Dukeboy22 on 11/19/2008.
Trim: 1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX, Owned more than 10 years.
1
Pros:
Nice handling, decent acceleration, and a quite good highway feel. The car definitely stays staight on the highway at speeds of 75 mph.
Cons:
CONSTANT EXPENSIVE REPAIRS: Windows, just plain and simple, do not work. Either the motor/regulator is bad, and the track is off. They simply do not close properly, wonderful for bad weather.
2nd, the turn signal by the headlights are falling out. Yes, they do not stay attached to the car.
AC problem. $1,500.
Check Engine Light: Has never turned off. Yes, it has been looked at by VW on numerous occasions.
Transmission: It will stck until you get it 'serviced'. Mind you, the tranny fluid cannot ever be changed. The tranny case has no hole for it.
Overall review:
Nice looking car that drives well, I would NOT recommend anyone ever to get this. The maintenance is just too much for what you pay. We bought this car brand new, off the lot, in 1997, for my father, with the 100k warranty. Outside of the smooth ride, the car just seemed to fall apart after 50k miles. I would not recommend this car.
Review ID: #534209
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Owner
Eh, so-so.
by Eric on 09/01/2006.
Trim: 1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX, Owned 3 years.
Useful?
Pros:
Very roomy. Great accelaration, especially in the highway(at higher speeds). Nice suspension. For having over 160,000 miles, and the fact it I drive it pretty hard, the engine runs exceptionally well. Mechanically, I've never had a real problem with it.
Cons:
Body roll. Horrible reliability(aka-expensive repairs): A/C and defrost system has never worked for more than three consecutive months since I bought the car, and its been "fixed" twice. Headliner recently came off. Horrible cup holders that aren't very useful and break easily. Window modulator had to be replaced. Wheel baring replaced. Water pump replaced(the seal was broken, but might as well have changed it since reaching the water pump involved the engine having to be taken out of the car--its expensive). Loud in the highway.
Overall review:
Aside from those little things that become bothersome (no A/C, things coming off), the car itself is pretty well built. The engine is great, which in the end, is all that really matters. It's really fun to drive, especially if it's 5-speed manual. I love revving down the highway, effortlessly cruising at 120mp/h. However, I wouldn't recommend buying one without expecting some of the commodities to fail on you.
Review ID: #497798
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Owner
High Horse TDI
by Badger402 on 08/13/2005.
Trim: 1997 Volkswagen Passat TDI, Owned 4 years.
Useful?
Pros:
Style, fuel economy, performance, user freindly, and ease of "Fix it yourself and modify".
Cons:
Rear veiw mirror too large for front window.
Overall review:
I really love this car. It is easy to modify with real results in power and economy. Very solid.
Review ID: #476177
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Owner
Think Again
by Jake on 06/14/2004.
Trim: 1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX, Owned 5 years.
Useful?
Pros:
Fun to drive, when its not in the shop.
Cons:
Constantly needs to be fixed. Even simplest parts are expensive and not carried by most stores. I don't know a VW owner who hasn't replaced window regulator at least once. I move periodically and there are not certified VW technicians in many places around the country. Whats worse is trying to get an appointment at the dealerships which are constantly full fixing the defects that you would think VW might want to engineer out of their products.
Overall review:
Car must have been designed to break regularly to keep the VW parts and maintenance divisions profitable. Do not buy if you do not live next door to a dealership, and if you do not have alternate transportation. I have heard problems are not specific to model or year group.
Review ID: #433293
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Owner
Fuel friendly
by Daniel from Ripon, CA on 05/18/2004.
Trim: 1997 Volkswagen Passat TDI, Owned less than 1 year.
Useful?
Pros:
Killer Fuel Economy, nice interior, really a nice car. The diesel is fairly reliable if you can keep it maintained, and its a great family car.
Cons:
VW's build quality is ok. Its just that so many things tend to go wrong. Brakes are ok. kinda slow.
Overall review:
Little things mostly, like the wires between the door and the car, tend to split makeing your windows not work. They Mechnism that rolls the window up stops working. The intake manifold clogs up. There are so many things that tend to go wrong. As long as your on top of them its not that bad, but if you let them build up, you're going to end up with a junker. Its also not that fast, unless you chip it. Then its ok.
The car is a great car right now for me, but with 43 mpg, I cant compain.
Review ID: #429682
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