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-
Great car, expensive to maintain - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By JG - November 30 - 8:06 amI have read many Passat reviews prior to and after I bought my 99 Passat V6 w/5spd manual tranny. I loved the car when I bought it and still do. Having said that, I will agree with others that they are expensive to maintain. Lots of fixes last 3yrs. I have 130k mi on mine now and am ready to purchase again. I would love to move up to a 2007-2008 4Motion Passat but hesitate only because of the fixes Ive had to perform in the last three years. Will they happen again? Is the newly redesigned vehicle more reliable and the engine a better design that will need fewer fixes from 90k and up? I still love the design of the Passats, I would just love to have awd traction and an auto tranny
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Glad I Listened To My Wife... - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By OregonDan - November 5 - 10:00 amOne of few times Ill admit my wife made the right choice...the other marrying me. Weighed it against the Accord & Camry, but wife fell in love with the cars interior & exterior. I personally enjoy the option of either shifting or leaving it in automatic shifter mode (VW Triptronic thingy)... especially on Daddy & Daughter day & I have to reach back while driving. The Passat get surprisingly good mileage for how I drive, usually "above" the speed limit. No problems whatsoever with the car. Also appreciate the built-in back shading for our child and helps keep the car cooler here in Central CA. Its nice having a car you feel good about getting in to
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Steer Clear of VW - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By discovery06 - November 2 - 2:00 amI regret even leasing this car. I leased it when vw only included a standard 2-year warranty, and I ended up absorbing over $3,500 in repair costs in my final year of driving it. Based on the numerous mechanical and electrical problems this car had, its no wonder you can get a 4-year plan for all ov vws current models. This car was an absolute nightmare so was the dealers service department. Although, under warranty, the automatic transimmison had to be replaced twice in 2-years! To its credit, it looks good, and feels great on the highway, but all that glitters isnt gold. This was my second and last Passat and vw for that matter. Good ridance!
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Need quality control - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By VW owner - September 20 - 7:53 pmI have owned this car for more than 6 years, never has any major work done on it. The only dealer repairs that I had made was a leaky crank shaft boot, and a couple of recalls. The ride still solid and sound. I have only paid for new brakes and 4 new tires at 60,000 miles, and scheduled maintencance. But the little stuff like the dash board back light, the hood release latch (cost $200 to replace), a broken mirror control switch ($70), were coughed out from my own pocket. Also the car had a few glitches during the warranty period, i.e. air bag sensor, trunk lock. I guess they should use better quality parts at the plant. But other than these, I still like my car.
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Great car! - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By federico28 - August 26 - 4:33 pmbought my car in 2012 with 164k today it has 195k I went from Los Angeles to New York and came back again to L.A without any problem. When I bought the car I replaced the main things to avoid future big problems, I replaced timing belt water pump and a few other little things. After that I only replaced a few small things nothing major until today I had to replace the clutch which lasted more than I expected since I bought the car knowing that the clutch was at only 20%. For the price the year, this car was worth every penny, I use synthetic oil and this car never quit on me or let me down. I believe the key in this car if you bought it used is how the previous owner toked care of the car
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looks good but poor quality - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By Henrylin - July 29 - 10:00 ammy passat has had numerous parts and quality problems (>10) since ive owned it
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So far, so great! - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By KathrynB - July 16 - 2:00 amI bought this car with 45,000 miles on it, wanting to bring to Greece a car roomy for family & dogs, compact for tiny streets, European-looking to not stand out, with German handling but no German price, clean underside for unpaved roads, great gas mileage and handling, excellent high-speed performance. Thats exactly what I got. It handles Athens packed traffic (open the sunroof, turn up Sting, let it loaf along), very rough dirt roads, & 100 mph highways with equal grace. It can beat the BMWs and Alfas through curves using only the automatic (although it has the no-clutch manual, too) It also parks easily on the sidewalk! Fine, fine car!
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Nice Car. Needs a better engine - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By BPL - May 29 - 2:00 amThis is a nice chassis and excellent interior. The oil leaking underpowered 1.8T is the weak point. Ive known the original owner since she purchased it brand new. She took excellent care of it and kept up on regular services yet at 60000 miles it is leaking oil like the exxon valdez from almost every gasket and seal. I would expect better from a company like VW/Audi.
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satisfied customer - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By lead foot - May 28 - 10:00 amWhat a pleasure to drive! Aside from a few minor interior design flaws as mentioned by other Edmunds reviewers (cup holders, power jack, lack of stereo controls on steering wheel, and lack of lighting on the stereo control panel), we have been very pleased with our recently purchased Passat. We have an appreciation for power and pick up, having sold an Accord LX manual. Love the triptronics!! Compared the V6 to a Volve S70, and there is no comparison. A great buy!
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Performance hiding under - 1999 Volkswagen Passat
By Sigmakos - May 24 - 2:00 amGotta love this car with great performance and control. Had very little issues. Im an Engineering and do teh services myself. Except the huge issues like power-steering or tie-rods and struts/shocks. I know that the repairs are high at dealership, i dont recommend to go there often. Just using the dealership for scheduled service and engine diagnostics and head to my garage or mechanic for anything outside of that.
