reconbyfire said:
...kickass gas mileage......I put 23000 on it in 6 months ..never an issue...I would by another again in a heartbeat.....
What kind of mileage were you getting? 23K in 6 months
Where did you go? We put about 20K in a year. More than many, but... Would buy again, that is good to hear.
YoSteve said:
that engine has one serveral awards for being one of the best engines out there. tried and true, it's not a "new" engine. it has a good history and is reliable.
I have not read about the awards, yet. Nice to hear that it has a good history. The engine is less of a concern though than the turbo. I have heard those are about $3K to replace
BW said:
We have a 2002 Passat GLS with the 1.8T engine. I'm a fan of that little motor - lots of power at all altitudes, five-valves per cylinder, good fuel economy - but it can be rough idling in Drive during cold mornings. If you choose the Tiptronic like we did, there's a degree of nonlinearity to the drivetrain that you get used to. My initial throttle is greater to compensate for the turbo lag common in even the best turbos. That said, our experience with VW reliability has been exceptional. In fact, the only repair we've needed were for the engine... we went through quite a few ignition coils before the recall. The Passat has nearly 30,000 miles and it's free of rattles.
The 1.8T is a very versatile engine. It's on everything from the Jetta to the TT and A4, and is easy to modify (you can gain 40 horses from just a chip). The main differences is that the Passat/A4 1.8T is mounted lengthwise while the Beetle/Jetta/GTI/TT 1.8T is mounted sideways.
Excellent info. We will probably opt for the 5 spd or 6 spd (Turbo S) manuals. I like reading the words "good fuel economy". $1.60 for regular unleaded here in the DF/W area (I know I shouldn't complain, but...) I have not doubted the reliability of the VW build. The recurring complaint I read and hear is the fact that they just can't comprehend the electrics of their otherwise well built cars.
urban1.8t, thanks for the referral. I have been reading over at vwvortex and at newbeetle.org. Very friendly and informative folks.
TurboCat said:
I have a 1999 Passat with 1.8T turbo and I gotta tell ya, the thing kicks a$$!
...My car went over the 100,000 mile mark about 2 months ago!
I have heard some people complain about VW reliability - but I wonder how well these people maintain the car. Like anything it requires regular maintenance to run well. My Passat has had all scheduled maintenance, never missed an oil change, and runs like a top!
I do agree with the comment about the cold weather and transmission - seems like when it gets below 30 it will do that...
But the engine? Great performance, great gas mileage. I would buy another one (or an Audi) today. :up
TurboCat, congratulations on the 100K mile mark. Honestly, I rarely have judged any of my vehicles until they hit 100K. My feelings are if the car won't go 100K without major repairs then it really wasn't much of a vehicle to begin with.
Luckily we don't get that much cold weather here. I had always thought that when you could feed a turbo cold air it would perform better not worse :nixweiss
Thanks for another confirmation on the engine's reliability and gas mileage.
Zilla, Am I right in assuming that the ’03 models don’t have the coil pack problems? That evidently was a nightmare for those early owners. In the U.S. I read that VW finally recalled all and replaced whether they were failing or not. I doubt that a “chip� would be in my future as I’ve read those will put out a code identifying their presence and can invalidate the warranty. I’m really digging the 6-spd and the Wife loves the styling of the S right now.
She opted for the '03.5 Turbo S. 1.8T, developing 180HP, linked to a 6 speed manual tranny. Really sharp looking and drives like a dream. We need to know the secret handshake 
