Overview & Reviews
GLS model vanishes from radar as Volkswagen prepares for launch of all-new Passat in mid-1997.
- Huge interior with lots of leg room, superb seats, excellent road manners
- 2.8-liter V-6 responds sluggishly when harnessed to automatic transmission
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 43.00-
Miracle MPG with the Passat TDI diesel - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By SchnellAutos - December 27 - 10:00 amMy 1997 Passat TDI has been great. Theres no smoking or tat-tat-tat engine stereotypes. The torque is high, so acceleration is quite good (better than my 87 Saab 9000). The miracle is the gas mileage! The worst Ive had in 5 years is 41 mpg, while the best was 59.7 mpg on the highway in May 2002. Devoted use of synthetic oil and use of Amacos 47 centane diesel fuel has aided mpg. One quibble...the door handles are bad, but otherwise maintenance has been very cheap, and only for expected items (brake pads, scheduled timing belt replacement, etc.). Replacing the original Goodyear tires with Michelins improved performance. Cold weather has been NO problem at all.
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Poor Mans Bimmer - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By Seekrr - September 4 - 10:00 amI bought my Passat on a trade-in and what a difference from the Mazda I drove! Solid, responsive, balanced...yeah, a little underpowered with the auto, but a blast down the hwy. or back roads. Sure it needs fixing more than a Ford and parts arent cheap (not to mention my dealer sucked!), but for pure driving enjoyment, I couldnt have made a better choice!
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Might be the best car Ive owned. - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By Marc-n-Judy - July 11 - 2:00 amPurchased this car from the 1st owner, with 148,000 miles on it. Have driven it daily, with little or no trouble. Might be the best all around car I have ever owned! Waiting for VW to bring the new Passat (or Toureg) to the U.S. with diesel, plan to buy another when they do!
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Disappointed - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By sbgoff - May 27 - 2:00 amCar burned oil at 5 qts per 5000 miles - dealer rebuild engine - never the same. significant electrical problems - electric windows in rear dont work - doors wont open - check engine light on constantly - a lot of cheap plastic parts in interior that broke within 1st year and were not under warranty - Electrical issues aware of by manufacturer but not covered by warranty
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Sporty but unreliable - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By So Cal Passat Driver - September 20 - 10:00 amOur Passat is like a race car; great high-performance fun to drive, but spends a lot of time in the mechanics pit. Since buying ours in 1997 problems we’ve had include: 7 power window repairs; 4 oil leak repairs (still leaks oil); peeling interior door handles (replaced twice, still peeling); side-mirror control failure (twice); heater core failure; alternator failure; air conditioning failure (still doesnt work—real fun in summer!); check engine light regularly comes on (VW dealer will then charge you to fix problem, then the light comes on again as youre driving away-- 6 times so far for us, and the light is on again).
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Best Car I have ever owned - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By Boiler Bob - July 16 - 10:00 amBest car for the money in my opinion. Engine, after 139,000 miles is still strong but is noiser. It has comfort, fuel economy, reliability and style, what more can one ask. Last TDI in the Passat VW brought over and it was not a wise decision. I would buy another after 3 years of driving and is the reason I still have this one. The car is like family. Radio is not in tune to distant station as when new. Power windows and door handles are biggest problems with the car.
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VW Passat TDi - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By sky - April 27 - 4:13 amMy 1997 Volkswagen Passat TDI drives well, and gets great fuel economy (50 at high altitude, 45 @ sealevel). However, this is the worst car I have ever owned in terms of non-drivetrain repairs. the quality of construction and materials are very substandard. I have experienced repeated component failures, and have had to make repeated repairs for same item. Owners of newer ones (2004-2005) have reported identical and worse complaints. this car has very shoddy materials and worksmanship. My 83 Toyota (340k miles) is more reliable than the VW ever was.
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Love my Passat - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By Love my VW - February 17 - 8:13 amI bought my 97 GLX Passat (manual trans.) new and have taken great care of it. I LOVE this car. Ive had few minor issues, and infrequently need service. I call it my Poor Mans BMW, as I liked it MUCH better than the used BMWs I test drove at the time. Its spacious, fun to drive, reliable, and has held up incredibly well. The only consistently poorly built item is the cup holder, of which I went through three before I gave up. Mileage could be better, and it is fairly noisy on the highway. Very spacious, huge trunk space w/ folding rear seats, and the leather has held up quite well. I highly recommend this car, if its been taken care of properly. Im at 120,000 miles and going!
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not too shabby - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By vdubtuna - August 21 - 10:00 amthe auto trans shifts awkward sometimes but overall at good daily driver. powerful but nimble enough to handle city driving. i would reccommend the manual version since i know some people with it with almot no problems.
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Drivetrain to die for! - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
By JimboTheFed - July 2 - 2:00 amYes, it has hardware issues: door latches, power window alignment, ignition keyswitch (recall issued), electrical gremlins... But even with all that, I love this car! But I am an engineer and tinkerer, own the Bentley repair manual, and dont mind pulling the door panel off, either. 179000 miles and climbing 30K+/year. Well grow old together. Drive this car hard and it will NOT ever smoke - the computer craves to be driven!
