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 1 through 10 of 202.00-
Never again! - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By 0osarahhh - April 18 - 9:34 amIve had this car for about 5 months and already cannot afford the up keep! I paid $4000 for it, and have put about $2000 into it now. First I had to replace front brake hoses, right and left control arms, then the thermostat went, now I have oil leaking and a major electrical system problem. Never again will I buy another Volkswagen.
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The Real Passat - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By Fishboy - February 2 - 10:00 amOwned 4.5 years. Drivers door hinge came unscrewed. Car leaks oil very bad. Vacuum lines on car keep breaking due to poor quality. Recall after recall after recall. Change battery and car memory dies. $90 charge from VW to reprogram. Cant even change the battery, that is sick. Emission light keeps coming on. Was only recently able to get book to repair car. Turn on flashers with headlights on burns up flasher switch. Another "common" VW problem. VW seems to arrogant to deal with. Will never own another Water cooled VW again. I have owned an aircooled VW my entire driving career (14 years) and will stick with aircooled.
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service sucks!!!! - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By uggghhhhh!!!!!!! - October 14 - 10:00 amDont buy this car unless you already have a good mechanic. vw dealership service sucks. Car has some flimsy features that malfunctioned less than a year of ownership. the other reviews were probably written by vw salesmen. the car is okay but there is no support from vw or dealerships after ownership...service really, really sucks!!
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Fun Car to Drive, But... - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By PKF Passat - May 21 - 10:00 amAfter being a two-time Honda owner, I decided to take a chance with the much better-equipped VW Passat. I bought my 99 Passat GLS V6 in 2002 under the certified program, which came with a supplemental 2-year/24,000 mile warranty. The car is easily the most fun I have ever driven. The V6 is peppy, and the features are great. Unfortunately, the quality has been nothing short of a complete disaster. In just over a year, Ive replaced the rear brakes and rotors twice, the entire front suspension, radiator, all of the interior dash lighting, and the list goes on...while the the warranty still exists now, Im dreading owning this car without one.
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Dont waste your time or money - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By unhappy vw owner - October 6 - 10:46 pmIf she didnt wreck my Civic I wouldnt be on here. Parts are outrageous, car has hardly any power looking for new engine now after for months ownership cheap interior, loose steering, radio has bad reception. Seat recliners are bad, nothing good about this car but the sunroof. Turbo is extremely weak. So dont try to talk youre dad into it because its definitely not worth the hassle first hand. Bad idea.
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A real shame - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By emdubs - September 20 - 10:00 pmMy 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.
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Whats so hard about building a good car - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By Never Again - April 29 - 9:33 amToo many plastic parts that break well before their time - the toggle-switch for the outside remote mirrors, four window regulators (2 on one window, and the 5th is currently broken) so the window falls into the door, timing-belt at less than 50K miles because the hydraulic tensioner failed (and the repairs were rejected by the class-action suit!), a rear seatbelt jammed, and the two front turn-light assemblies fell off the car (at different times) because theyre not mounted with screws - theyre held-in by spring clips. I bought the car for my wife for safety, but Id be afraid the airbags wouldnt work when you need them most!
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fun to drive, no fun to repair - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By Dakud - January 15 - 10:00 amThis car can break your heart. It has great style and drives very well, but the amount of time and money you will spend in the repair shop will leave you wishing you had reconsidered your choice.
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99 passat dont buy a used one!!! - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By nay92 - January 11 - 8:55 pmsoooo i purchased this car with a little over 160,000 on it from ..this is the worst car by far to buy. only way i would ever buy this car again is it its complelty NEW..matienance on this car is soooooo high its crazy. i bought it for $3,250 and put more money into this car then what i bought it for...replaced both catalytic convertors ..o2 sensors.. coil packs...motor mounts..new tires...etc..it was misfiring its just ridiouls when they say everything thing that looks good isnt they are not lying!! just dont buy a used one dont even waste your money...the man that worked on my car said dont ever buy a foreign car over 100,000 miles because you will have to get everything replaced !!
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Worst car EVER! - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By SLC71 - June 30 - 5:46 pmBUYER BEWARE! Almost everything has broken (mult. times) on this car ($8K in 6 y - not incl. maint). Mechanics say they see this all the time w/ Passats & VERY spendy to fix! *CRAZY low clearance - 3 belly boots & 2 oil pans *Window motors - repaired/replaced chronically *Doors/locks w/ chronic problems (cylinders, housings, mech., elect., etc.) *Faulty factory sunroof leads to flooding & since electrical is in the floor behind driver, this shorts out the comf. cxl module. *Turn lights have poor quality plastic causing lights to fall out (has happened 3x on each side) *Misc. crap in & out breaks and falls off (latches, dials, etc.) *Mechanic refers to it as "The Dutchman & The Dike"
