Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI

I owned this car a while back now however can still write a decent review for it.

This car was Purchased on May 2009 from The Carshop in Northampton.
A 2006 06 Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI S Saloon Manual in Light blue for a price of £6300 with 60,000 miles, 1 Owner (ex-company car) with Full VW Service History.

This car was bought to be a taxi, and it was bog-standard with no optional extras what-so-ever, however like I said we were not bothered by this as it was to be a minicab.

As standard features go, considering the price of what it was when new, its ok, nothing special. You get air-conditioning, front electric windows, cruise control, alloys, however not even an armrest is given with the standard model!

The car is good looking and a feels a lot more modern, nimble and lighter, especially when compared to the previous Passat. This was was a 103 BHP Turbodiesel mated with a 5 speed manual gearbox, and considering that the car was very good and once in 3rd gear could really get a move on!
After a few weeks however, the engine seemed to be shaking the car! Never found out what the problem was or why it did that.

The car was is a comfortable one and can definitely do long journeys with ease, it just eats up the miles. The legroom is not bad at all, and when you see the size of a boot! I for one was shocked when I saw the amount of legroom you could get with a boot that size on a saloon car.

On a run this car can achieve around 55 mpg, and 40-50 mpg in urban areas depending on the situation. Very good I thought.

This car received correct and regular maintenance regardless of cost however it did bug us!
After 1 day of ownership, the handbrake button (yes its a button, not a hand operated one) failed and needed replacing.
At 93000 miles the clutch and flywheel needed replacing, we had the cambelt done with this.
At around 120,000 miles, the gearbox needed replacing.
At 124,000 miles and 18 months service, we had enough and sold it.
All this way through from purchase to now, their has always been an emissions sensor fault which was very common for these cars.
The alloys WILL corrode.
The carpet ripped in many areas.
The bodywork is flimsy and can easily be dented in certain areas.

This was still very good when compared to another companies Passat, which was an 05 model, they still have theirs however to this day continues to give problems.
I personally felt, the previous model was a lot more reliable and better made. This car did feel like a lot was made from plastic.

At the start I loved this car, towards the end I really lost trust in Volkswagen, and we have since replaced it with a 2005 Peugeot 307 1.6 HDI Estate which has done over 260,000 miles, and still going strong with less problems than the Passat.

This car was pitted against hard mini-cab use however, and could be quite good for normal family use.

I reccomend buying one at around 120,000 + miles, and yes I do mean that. The cambelt should have been done at around 90,000 miles, and the clutch and flywheel usually go at around 120,000 miles. Make sure their are no sensor problems on the car. Check it out properly, and most of the depreciation would have gone.
Either that or buy a very low mileage one with a decent previous owner.

I also reccomend servicing it around every 8000 miles if being used a lot like we used this one.
8000 miles, change the oil and air filter.
Next 8000 miles follow Volkswagens normal service schedule.

The parts do not cost the earth, its the labour that kills your wallet.
Servicing from Volkswagen is a reasonable price at servicing from £119.
The tyres and brakes are also at a decent price. Running costs get a thumbs up from me apart from mechanical problems.

Service intervals are usually around every 16,000 miles I found which is quite good.

Underneath this car is supposed to be the same as a Skoda Superb or an Audi A6 TDI, which I could not quite believe as this mechanically proved worse than those two? The car was driven by a 47 year old man with 3 children and a wife, a nice, calm and friendly family man who drove the car as best as possible, not even speeding at all, clean license.

Plus side -
The car is VERY good in winter, when other cabs were slipping and failing to start in winters, I will admit our Passat took all the jobs and maintained normal road speed without slipping MOST of the time!
The customers did appreciate the comfort it offered and the nice smooth drive. It does look like a nice executive car! I would not mind owing one for personal use, especially when they can now get picked up for just over £2500! Very good value for money now.

I reccomend getting the SE model, and not the S, you get more for your money and could a bit more executive.

I do not reccomend The CarShop and reccomend you stick to buying elsewhere.