1997 Volkswagen Passat

Let me being by saying I am a 19 year old car fanatic. My parents bought this car used from a friend back in February 2004. It had 80,000 miles on it. It now has 102,000 miles on it (most of which were driven by me after I got my license in September 2004). When brand new, the VW Passat sold for about $20k, with a 6 cylinder. This engine is basically an inline V6. At 2.8 liters, it pumped out 172 horsepower and 173 ft-lbs of torque, both impressive numbers even my today's standards.

There are goods and bads to this car. I will start with the bads. In my opinion, the bad news first makes the good news sound better.

The bads: Almost immediately after my parents bought this car used, it started having problems. Keep in mind that the previous owner hadn't taken proper care of it, so it is possible that that may have caused the malfunctions I will be discussing. It started with the heater core and an oil leak. The heater core pretty much disintegrated into the compartment. Pretty expensive repair. The oil leak was a bad one. We had to add 2-3 quarts every time we wanted to drive the car. Finally, we took it to the mechanic. It was a minor part that had gone bad. Phew! My parents put some serious rubber on this car, because let's face it, most modern VWs rock in the handling department. In 2005, my mom had an accident in a Costco parking lot, leaving the front bumper and radiator in busted condition. The radiator began leaking, and we didn't have time or money to fix it, so there it sat in the garage for about a year with occasional startups. I was forced to drive to school with it in that condition (how embarrassing huh?) We finally fixed it at the end of 2006. DOOR HANDLES. They don't last in this car. NO GLOVEBOX Last fall, I discovered that when braking and in drive, the car would have a violent jolt when down-shifting from 2nd to 1st. We took it to Aamco, and sure enough, the transmission was nearing the end of its life. We opted to have it rebuilt (possibly one of the dumbest decisions ever) for.. get this... $2300!!! What were we thinking?! My parents vowed that was the last major repair they would do for this car. So far, I have had 3,000 trouble free miles, except for the occasional strange disappearance of coolant (mechanic says there's no leak, so I just keep refilling the reservoir). Hopefully another 10,000 miles with regular oil changes an then I'll buy a prius. or honda fit.

The good: this thing handles better than half of the sedans out there. I've driven friends' and cousins' camrys, accords, legends, maximas, tauruses, and lexus (lexi?). The only "sport sedans" it can't beat are probably the 3 series, audis (which are pretty much vws), and the mazda 6. I've taken right turns at 40 with nary a squeal from the tires. This car remains, for the most part, flat in the corners and transfers excellent road feel to the steering wheel. Acceleration for a 12 year old car with an outdated/funky 4 sp auto transmission isn't horrible (0-60 in about 9 seconds). With the manual however, this would be a very good family (almost sport) sedan. At 95, it feels like you're going 60. I have no doubt that with 12 years and over 100,000 miles on the clock, that this car can still be pushed to its 130 mph governor limited speed limit. It was built for the freakin' AUTOBAHN, for crying out loud. From the outside, it looks like a very compact car. At 180 inches long, it is only 5 inches longer than the 2008 honda civic). Tipping the scales at 3,000 pounds (no driver, no gas) it's not as light as a compact car (2300-2700 lbs), but it's no porker either compared to today's 3500 lb accords and camrys. It is a nice compromise between compact and full size. Inside, the cabin is pretty well thought out. The front seats are a little short on thigh support, but makes up for that with lumbar support and reasonably grippy seats. The sunroof isn't huge, but it's nice to look out of on dark, starry nights when you have your special guy sitting in the passenger seat (Yes, I've done this numerous times). The rear seats can seat 3 people comfortably granted they aren't obese or taller than 6'2". Rear leg room is good for a car this size. Manufacturer specs say it has 99 cubic feet in side and a 14 cubic foot trunk (pretty big in other words). all windows are one touch down (nice feature if you're like me and are too lazy to hold the button for longer than 1 second). A few of my favorite design aspects of this care are: 1. the rims (BBS, 8 spoke, alloys) 2. the convenient keyholes (from both front doors, you can open and close the windows and sunroof depending on which way you turn the key... VERY nice feature if you forget to close windows/sunroof like me) 3. the fog lights. brighter than normal headlights but not as blinding as high beams. good compromise between the two, plus it looks cool

In conclusion, this car is very enjoyable to drive, but very UNenjoyable to take to the mechanic. If you're handy and know how to work on strangely designed vws, this may be the car for you. It was pretty advanced for a family sedan back in it's day. Also, it is a pretty unique/rare car. I only see one every 3-4 weeks or so. That also means parts aren't as available as comparable parts on a camry or accord, but for that you get a tempermental german vehicle that will make you smile the way a bread 'n butter sedan can't and won't. This car wants to please you, but also wants to be pampered. On a final two notes, the safety ratings for this car are 4/5 stars. Comes with dual front airbags, abs, and traction control. Gas mileage is decent for a car this age and size. I consistently average about 16-17 mpg city and, depending on how fast i'm going or how many people are in the car, about 26 highway (i've seen 29 when alone and going 60). With an 18.5 gallon fuel tank, there is a potential of over 450 miles! that's enough for a one way trip from SF to LA, and then some (maybe out to WeHo).

hope you enjoyed this review. I sure did enjoy writing it :)