Overview & Reviews

After promising the availability of all-wheel drive this year, Volkswagen, in a last-minute product change, has cancelled the Synchro all-wheel-drive option on all Passats for 1999 and will not be offering the GLS wagon with a V6 engine.

• Tight structure, fun-to-drive, comfortable seats, nice sound system, artful design, an Audi at Volkswagen prices.

• Excessive squat and dive when accelerating and braking.

User Reviews:

Showing 61 through 70 of 202.00

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  This is a Real Mans Car - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By tommy - May 13 - 12:00 am

  I just bought my 1999 Passat three days ago, and it has well over 100,000 miles on it. I bought it from the original owner who kept the car as clean as a show room model car. I have a 2.8 litre V6 30 valve engine with a rare 5-speed transmission. I also have heated front seats, heated side mirrors, leather, sunroof, rear window shade, and every option I believe you can get. The 5-speed transmission is well worth the time, as I like 4 door performance sedans, the Maxima was another choice that I was considering, but when it comes to build quality and ride, i think the Passat took it hands down. On the highway the car is nearly flawless, hearing nothing but the sound of your own voice saying how happy you are to own this machine. I will buy another Passat.

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  Great car, however... - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Lupo - May 9 - 10:00 am

  This car is awesome to look at and drive. It trully is a pleasure to hear the "thump" of the heavy door and trunk. The engine is trully remarkable, however did have some serious problems. I had 3 recalls, oil service where the dealer neglected to add oil, and spent about CDN $3000 in repairs. Too bad it is not the company car where one just gets to drive it and not pay for reparis...

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  Never another VW - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Earl - April 6 - 12:36 am

  This has been my worst vehicle I have owned,first Wagon sold in Oklahoma nothing but mechanical problems. Electronic sensors contnue to go out which are expensive to replace, 82000 had timing belt replaced plus other repairs, $1200.00 now all cylinders misfiring, another electronic sensor,$800.00 plus. The timing chain behind cam loose and chewed up plastic shield making shrill sound when running, cost to replace $1100 plus. If I had taken it back to dealer would be much more. If I can sell it after repaired for what it is costing me to repair it will be gone and replaced with an American made car. If you have more money than you need by a VW it will soon be gone.

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  passat gls v6 sedan - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By my hands are clean o - March 12 - 4:03 pm

  I ask myself why Volkswagens ads say "drivers wanted?" If your whole family is totally anal and carful with the cometics, you think youll never drive or live anywhere near deep snow and you have a a ton of extra money to throw away on outrageous repair costs then go for it! When your seat heater is on beneath the leather, the torque of the v6 is pulling back into the seats, you and your kid have two mountain bikes inside the fold down cargo space in your sedan and the monsoon is blasting, the negatives are tempurarily forgoten. Still this car has been more of a headache then it was worth.

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  disappointment, had to sell - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Last VW forever - January 20 - 10:00 am

  check engine light @ 36K miles (new coils $700) and again @ 50K miles (both occurred two days after a 300 mile trip) Both instances took two visits to the dealer to fix. What a pain. I cant rely on it for trips greater than 30 miles.

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  great car - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By crowdlr - December 31 - 10:00 am

  Very good performance, safety and looks great! The cup holder is the only drawback, but it does work.

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  So disappointed with my 99 Passat - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Clare Grief - December 2 - 2:00 am

  I bought my VW Passat new in 1999. It has been back to the dealer regularly ever since. Engine fan, engine temperature sensor, interior and exterior body moldings, major oil leaks, oil coolant leak and finally last month, the spark control module failed leaving me stranded on the side of the road. These repairs have cost me over $3,500. This is by far the most unreliable car I have ever owned and it has only done 34K miles.

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  Old Enough to Vote, and Still My Favorite - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Kathryn - October 27 - 10:15 pm

  After 13 years and 130,000 challenging miles, this is still my favorite car so far. Love the positive, detailed road feel, the steady handling, the get-up-and-go turbo, the seriously reliable FWD - keep the nose pointed in the direction you want to go and youll get there, whatever the road surface or none. Excellent on tight, rough, winding Greek mountain roads as well as vast super highways at 90 mph. Very easy to learn exactly how long and wide it is, and parallel park on the first try with only millimeters to spare. Also, as a wagon, it can carry a phenomenal amount of Stuff and still have room for a dog and a child, with no change in handling. Some lesser items have been a problem: the rear window motors ate themselves up years ago and, since I rarely carry more than one passenger, I havent felt the need to replace them. The sun roof has a mind of its own. Rarely, the transmission can be clunky when downshifting, but usually only once at low rpms, with weeks between; it has done this all its life. I rated reliability low not because of the car, but because of dealership repair and maintenance support. Be discerning; the nearest dealer did such a number on my car that Id send it to the crusher before I took it back there. Luckily a new one opened fairly nearby (this is Texas, so 40 miles is fairly nearby) and their service is superb. If you need to use a non-dealer, find a VW-trained mechanic. It really does matter. I have no intention of replacing this car, and dont mind at all paying more than its current market value every few years for routine maintenance and age- and wear-related work (new headlights, vacuum hoses, suspension rebuilds - I do not believe in slowing down for corners). Parts can be expensive, but do not/not try to save by buying after-market cheap parts. It wants and needs OEM. The car has fairly low mileage because I also own a BMW 330 ci convertible, but the VW is my go-to car for any horse-feed hauling, transporting dogs to vets, Costco runs, or iffy weather of any sort: rain, snow, wind.

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  99 Volkswagon Passat - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By Colleen Piacentine - September 22 - 1:56 am

  We have had a lot of problems with our 99 Passat. The timing belt went at 80,000 miles, causing $4,000 in damage to the engine. This car is very expensive to maintain. I can only put in 93 gas in it due to turbo engine. I will not buy another Volkswagon again due to the high maintaince costs.

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  A real shame - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
  By emdubs - September 20 - 10:00 pm

  My wife and I loved the car early on, but we really should have looked harder. I have replaced the distributor coil pack (failed on the freeway), timing belt, control arms, tie rod ends, clutch, ABS control module. VW is terrible when it comes to customer service and avoiding recalls. A quick search for ABS module will return a lengthy list of horror stories. When it works, it is a great car. The interior is efficient and comfortable (although it shakes and rattles something terrible on rough roads), and all of the extra trunk capacity is great. Especially when coupled with the fuel economy. But, in the end, it just isnt worth it.