USED Volkswagen Passat Saloon (99 - 05)

My car

I have a 2004 1.9TDI Highline 130.

It has the leather interior and heated front seats I find the car very good to drive. It has stacks of low down pull. Dodging around town I seem to get a constant 47mpg and on a run recently i managed to get 58 mpg. It's a good solid car which also has that feel safe factor.

I would definately consider another one when it is time to change.

My car

I purchased car two weeks ago. It's a solid car, which you would expect from a VW, and holds the road beautifuly - and it's not bad on the diesel.

My car

This is selection for my company lease car. Inside it a lovely car; the pedals are comfortably off-centre; the stereo is good and the seats are comfortable. Now I do commute to work (nine miles over the Peak District) and trips back to the London area (200+ miles motorway). The car is good on both and the four-wheel drive gives me an advantage when the weather is a bit snowy. The performance is adequate but not as good as other cars around 200bhp that I have driven. The only cloud is that the car treats oil as fuel, consuming seven litres in the first 5000 miles. VW is clear that this is within manufacturer's tolerances but it is not within mine. VW appears to be reluctant to look at the problem and it has taken a good deal of pressure from the lease company. The low running costs mark is due to the oil and the petrol consumption. The recommended oil costs £10 /litre. Generally, the car is great.

My car

My Passat is now 18 months old, and still feeling solid.

I expected the diesel (130PS) to need more frequent servicing than it does - first variable service came up at 18k, it's done 15k since then and the car's not hassling me about the next one yet.

A very comfortable car for motorway cruising, and surprisingly nimble getting off the mark in town.

It is not at its happiest on windy B-roads (feels nose-heavy) but it does OK, and the traction control has proved very useful in helping avoid people who come round bends on the wrong side of the road...

I would recommend it to people who do long motorway journeys.

I drive a fairly long commute (50 miles) - half on the A1(M) and half on minor A roads and, in spite of the traffic near London in the mornings, I am averaging 52mpg overall. My best run to-date was 58mpg.

Minor niggles: 1) the stereo is not only fiddly but buggy - occasionally it just does random things, like not let you cancel the RDS traffic report, or saying things like 'tape error' for no apparent reason. 2) I had a very loud resonant vibration at 1500rpm from under the bonnet, which proved to be badly fitting air ducting. It's currently silenced with some foam packaging and gaffer tape until the car next wants a service.

Apart from that the car seems well-sorted and comfortable so am hoping to keep it a few years yet. I have not much experience of service from dealers yet.