500K Mile VW Passat: Is it Really Built to Last? (B5 review) 

These kind of cars are the true climate change heroes. They are so environment friendly because you can drive them hundreds of kilometres without having to fix or scrap them.

Overall a good car. It is popular here in Bulgaria. Because you get a lot of car for the price. But it does have a weak spot. The suspension is somewhat complicated and costly to repair. Could be a problem in countries with bad roads.

I now own this Passat. Saw it and grabbed it. Never missed a beat. If you ever want to do a further review when it’s on higher mileage you’re more than welcome

I have had one of these for years (130 PD estate) and have driven it in four countries, taken it on trains, on ferries, been camping in it, surfing in it and maxed it out on the Autobahn in Germany with three bikes on the back. It has become part of the furniture of my life. It's an unobtrusive car in the best possible way. It throws an invisibility cloak over you, a safety net when the doors thunk shut. The familiar churr of the motor as the red needles rise around the instruments has become something comforting and reliable like the rushing static on an un-tuned TV. Noticed or unnoticed but always there in the background.

Im on my 5th Passat! Best cars VW ever made imo. I had an R reg. 1.9TDi 90 bhp. Took her up to 200,0000 miles before selling and the only thing I had to change was an Air Mass Meter. Michelin tyres returned 105,000 miles on the rear and 55,000 on the fronts. 60mpg all day long. Currently have a B5.5 1.9tdi PD 130 Highline Estate on an 05 plate. Awesome cars.

A Great Car The B5 Passat, because is was Based on the B5 Platform of the MK1 A4 B5 this Passat was very advanced as it had Double Wishbone Front Suspension. These Cars had it all, Proper High Quality Piece of German Engineering. VW at there finest. Proper 90s/Early 2000s Legendary Built Quality, Real Comfort, Reliable and Efficient Engines, Good Interior Space and Proper Weight and Feel from the Controls. The perfect combination of being new enough but also good old school at the same time.

Ive got a 1.8t 4motion with 330,000 km of harsh Canadian duty, when you repair something on it the problem is likely sorted for life. The body of the car was so solid and well sorted, only gets a fraction of the rust of cars half its age. Original powertrain (including the turbo), only the big ZF automatic is starting to protest on downshifts occasionally. Still shifts butter smooth 90% of the time, makes it a real pleasure to drive. New shocks going on soon, I never regret a cent I put into this car!

Getting out a 97 mondeo xantia or laguna into one of these or even a 156 made you appreciate build, damping, shut lines and quality. The interiors were mind blowing for me. It felt and looked so solid and classy.

I have recently bought a b5.5 1.9pd estate, 6sp manual and 4 motion, just turned 130,000 miles (so just run in) and I'm loving it!

I have VW Passat B5.5 2002 131hp AVF engine sedan. Every day driving is like a dream. Very stable car of course you need time to handle it. Economical and realible. Easy to drive from A to point B. And still have a look that most modern cars doesn't have. I love it.

I own passat 99 b5 but in 1.8T and trust me.. it´s exciting to drive. Month ago motor was totally rebuild and some other parts as well... That passat did 260 000km without touch inside of him.

I had a 2003 B5.5 Passat 1.8T Sport 5 speed petrol which I finally moved on ,in 2022,with 250,000 miles.It left me running well and using very little oil,with original turbo,clutch and apart from the flexible joint on the exhaust being replaced,the rest of the system was as it left the factory. Only parts ever renewed were the alternator and as a safety precaution the oil pump. I still see it occasionally on the road even yet. Enjoyed every minute of ownership. A superb reliable car.

Interesting history on those cars, defiantly is a car that fly's under the radar, but is actually a nice looking car

I 1996, VAG decided to try out a common platform for Passat and Audi A4. In order not to turn Audi buyers off, they made an Audi, and then let the buyers, that can live with the VW logo instead of the four rings, have the EXACT same car a little cheaper. And in the end, if you were to resell it, the difference in price would be evened out a bit. SO: It IS an Audi, they're identical in every aspect. Just look at four-link front cotrol arm set-up and the anti rust treatment. Here in Denmark it tops the list of cars with more than 300.000 km by a huge margin. Mine? A 1.6, 215.000 km, one owner before me, had it three years, love it

had a 2001 1.8t wagon manual.. Sold it in 2018 with 350k km regular maintenance and wear and tear.. Very reliable and fuel efficient..

thanks for this video. Today, no one appreciates the quality of vehicles anymore. I'm the owner of a 110 hp afn with 450000 km and the only failure was to replace the alternator at 300000 km. I have not had a single serious malfunction. Put the chip on 275000 km (140 hp) and the car flies. Just a regular small and large service with quality oil

I had a 20 yr old B5 1.9 tdi s. It had 250,000 miles on the clock and was 20 yrs old . Paid £1500 pound for it and it lasted me 10 yrs and 94,000 miles. Best car I ever had.

I drive a 2005 2.0 TDI - The low end torque is like a small locomotive.

Last year I bought my first car, a 2005 B5.5 1.9TDI PD130 wagon. It has no service history, and we reckon it's been clicked twice and has close to 500,000km. I've put around 25,000km on it over my first year. So far, I've replaced the gearbox and the front upper control arms, and I've had a timing belt and water pump done for good measure. At the same time, the heated leather seats are toasty and very comfortable, the back seats have miles of room which I regularly use for stuffing friends in the back, the boot is massive and even bigger with the seats down, mine has a towbar which I've used for everything from bike racks to pulling stuck vehicles and pushing trailers loaded with massive generators around on site. It's just been a fantastic car for the money I've paid. The only reason I'm even remotely considering changing it is because of the Irish tax system. Since the car is older than 2008, I get taxed based on engine size, my 1.9 TDI works out at almost €700 a year. Audi A6 C6 estates are getting cheap now, a 2010 would cost me €4000 to buy, and only around €200 a year to tax as the new system is based off emissions. I still want to get another year or so out of my Passat first though.

I got a 99 B5 2.8l v6 w/315k miles that doesn't look nearly as good. But it's still fun to drive!

Ive got 1998 b5 1.9 tdi lovely car. Now done a genuine (confirmed by mot history and 21 years of main dealer service history) 75,000 miles. Had it just under a year and booked for it's first mot under my ownership next week.

I've got a b6 passat which I love. I dont know if it will last as well as these b5s but the build quality is the best I've had in any car.

Got one of these myself, 2003 version, over 347 000 km so far. I love it, its super reliable, cheap to sustain and comfortable to drive. I got it from my brother and he got it from my mum so the car is in our family since the beginning^^ But yeah, the waterleaks are a thing, I have the same problem with mine😅

I've been running my 2005, B5.5, 2.0 petrol estate highline for many many years now. Can't ever think what would be a good replacement for it to be honest. Apart from the ridiculous amount of oil guzzling, the engine and gearbox seem to be pretty bullet proof. Eventually some bits wear out, sensors and the odd rubber sealing o rings for the coolant unions etc. Unless you replace the door lock motors, you'll end up opening some of the doors with the key or from the inside. Love this car though, can fit an entire dining table with 4 chairs and still have room inside.

I do own Passat b5 3b2(long boy with extra cargo space) and it is just beutiful. It has 1.8 (92 kw, 125hp) engine and it drives well sounds beutiful and it does not look half bad. It has 400k km on clock. My family and I use it as "comercial" vehicle (ie we fill it to the brim with stuff) and still it pulls very nice. I am very happy with it in simple words. German engeniring never dissapoints.

I owned a 98 variant. Traded ir in with 17 yearss and 495 K on the click. Best car I've had.

I had a 1999 in dark green, had from 3 years old and covered 100 .000 miles in it. When I traded it in (2012) had done only 130k and was in perfect order. Much to my shock it was never taxed again and the car supermarket must have scrapped it, God knows why. I wish I had of kept it now.

My wife wants me to sell our 1999 Passat V6 with 217,000 km which we have owned from new. Manual transmission is fun to drive. Really smooth and peppy. No rust ! They really knew how to paint them, and the metal has more heft to it than Japanese cars. I am keeping it! 😂

I had a 1999 one of these in the same colour with about 100k miles on it back in the day. Got rid of it due to a water leak on the passenger footwell which has the ECU under it. A great work horse of a car but the leaks are insane and the placement of the ECU is incredibly strange.

We own a 02 b5.5 1.9TDI, and it has about 330k km . Boy, does it run like butter. We've had very little issues with it. the only issues are that it has very sensitive sensors. bought it for just under 3k, We had a Golf mk3 1.9TD before and we sold it for about 1k€ and funnily enough the person that bought the car, drove it to a mountain and ended up blowing the engine 😅

I drive the 2002 b5.5 130 bhp and I adore it 250.000 on her now and she is flying

I have two B5.5 wagons at the moment. One at 276K and one @ 295k in kilometers.

One of the best cars I've owned

Loving Back-seat JJ....

I"m at 616000km (383000 miles) now; 2001 Passat 1,9Tdi

I think they are great cars, I have a W8 wagon with 113km on it, and the engine runs sweet as. The one thing you notice is the weight of the thing I think 1700+ kg, still it will get up and go without too much fuss. I think that engine makes them quite interesting, and the splashes of fake wood everywhere gives it hint of class. Strangely they aren't valued here, and go for a song, thus I will never sell mine. And yes, they love to leak, to this day I cannot figure from where, but water seems to collect in the right hand back foot well, does anyone know how to stop this from happening. Thanks for the review of I think under appreciated car.

Have an 04 130hp doing 600 miles per week and never misses a beat.. 175k and I would have no worries going for another 175k

I e heard from reputable people that Passat is not a very good auto investment for several .I am sure😅😅 that just like anything else an be said it has negative s, but myself ,I really like my V.W.Passet.Its a. r😅ealy a pleasure And fun to drive

Bulletproof cars!

We have the B5 v reg. We had it from new. It has 248k miles on the clock. We are struggling to get parts now and it is leaking because the front cowl underneath the windscreen is cracked. I don't know how to find a replacement. I'm gutted because I love driving it. Just done Winchester to Aberdeen and back. Also the suspension feels a bit spongy and I don't know what to do about that either. Local garages are simply not interested in keeping it going.

Buddy, I've smoked 530d owners in a 110hp tdi passat like this because of the superior handling. What are you on about?

I replaced my rear bushes and put a sport model anti-roll bar and it cured the body roll

I have 97 passat 118 000km driven

I have an '05 2.0 TDI. 215,000 miles. New turbo, but no tranny work to date. Engine uses NO oil... 👍

Can anyone with the 90hp version tell me what top speed u managed to achieve

There's a few very high mileage examples of this car on the *UK Passats* 'Whats your mileage?' thread!! forum.👍👍

It's the next generation would had the w8 this one only goes up to 2.8

That's a fabulous Volkswagen car

Mr JJ could you please do a review of the MK1 B5 A4 1994 to 2001. Thank You.

Should i drive this car rough or gently? (I'm a owner of b5 1.9 tdi)

I thought my b6 2.0 tdi with 370k was high 😂

The cup holders are actually bad design - you can't drink and smoke in your car the same time :D

Ur wrong this design is killer

I test drove a 1.6 petrol with white interior around 3 years ago, it was pretty heavy and slow but pretty luxurious inside. But in the end i got myself a golf 4 instead.

They made these cars to last. I have a CLK 270 CDI with 400000km amd it is beautiful. I heard 270 cdi can make a million

just got 1 with 70k on

There is no vr6 in the passat b5 placed only the audi v6 with 4motion torsen no haldex

1:56 do you see that adjustment slider on the right? That's up or down, you fool. You can also completely close the vent with that slider. My parents bought a 2003 passat variant in 2005. Urban grey, comfortline package, 1.8t. Back then 140 000kms. I was born in 02 so i grew up with that car. When i turned 19 i bought it from my parents, and used it myself as a daily. Put some coilovers on it, some sick rims,it looked mint. Unfortunately sold it and bought a rwd volvo wagon. Always wanted one. The volvo is now dead after 3000 miles of abuse (it has done over 300k miles), and i just can't bother geting it fixed for next MOT. Oil leaks, rust, non-existing clutch. List goes on. It served me well. Selling it cheap to whoever wants it. So im thinking about buying my old passat back from the peeps i sold it to, as they're looking for another car. I do miss my vw, and it never gave me any major issues. Only problem I had with It was that the AC didn't work :( And the standard issues with the rear brake calipers leaking. But both rear calipers has been redone and restored by my dad/me, so hopefully that'll hold up another 150k miles. These cars are great.

Is it economecal?

Mine has 378000 and i only have to change wipers jk xD

In 1.9 TDi form probably the best vehicle at that age for durability.. ideally with Highline trim

I remember liking the look of these cars at the time. I was a company car driver and comfortable driving position, armrests and cupholders were very important.

My dad had it for 10 years, now it's mine, it's incredibly preserved and I love it a lot.

I for one think it’s one of the best looking cars ever made. Every part is exactly the right size and shape in exactly the right place.

I've had B5 Passats all my life, two wagons that were 1999, 1.8t, and now a 2001 which is also the 1.8t but not a B5.5 as it was the last b5's made. I did have a B5.5 in a manual gearbox. Overall great vehicles

My Passat has 520,000 km (1.9 AFN 110) and has just got back from her latest trip around Germany, did 160 on the Autobahn no problem at all and averaged 4.9l/100km over the whole 3000km trip. It is also my everyday car which I use for everything. Change the oil twice a year that's it. Also only on second clutch from new :) I love it.

I own Passat B5 1998, 1.6 liter, 260000 kilometers and i totally in love with this car.

This was my first car and I still have it. A top of the line 2.8 v6 with leather and a sunroof. Its got over 300k kms on it now, which I thought was a lot, but maybe not! I use it as my bash about car because its so old, but people still think it looks good. I love the driving position too - very comfortable and feels a lot bigger inside than it is. And mine has NEVER let me down.

I have the B5.5 2002 2.0 litre petrol. I've had it for 14 years. It's my favourite Passat shape and is nearly at 100,000 miles, still on the same clutch, exhaust, has no rust and has never let me down or failed an MOT. It's so well engineered! I'm going to miss her when she eventually goes!

I owned a 01 Passat 1.8T, 5 speed manual, owned for a little over 75k miles in a little over 5 years; fantastic car! I regret having parted ways with it so soon. I,ve found myself still comparing cars I have purchased since, to this one… and have realized things don’t always progress for the better…

The Passat was popular with taxi drivers too I remember ('Looks and handling' not being high on their wish list! )😂

I had a mk4 Golf TDI with the 1.9L 90hp engine. I put 400K miles on it before I sold it. That car was insanely reliable - that diesel was bulletproof. Mine wasn't the PD engine, though.The guy I sold it to has put another 50K on it. I have no doubt it'll go for a lot longer assuming it doesn't get wrecked.

My uncle has a V5, he's had it for over 23 years., bought it brand new on a V reg back in 1999 and it's still going strong!

Had a Passat B5 1.8T from 1999, very very capable cars. I did a remap on it and many kilometers on it with no issues and sold it off after it had done well over 300.000 kilometers.

The vents do adjust, they scroll up and down to open and close.

Thanks for doing this! I still have my Passat B5 from 1997, 110bhp TDI. Got it off the old man in 2004. Done 260,000 so far. The Aircon is bust and there's some internal bits falling off and there's a mild leak somewhere but it's been so reliable. I love it.

These are great cars, you can always tell when a car is prized by the TAXI community. I had a 1.8t and a 2.0 TDI. My late fathers B5.5 2.0 TDi is a 2003 and still going strong with minimal maintenance. I also had the later transverse engines Passat which was ok but didnt have that 'hewn from granite' feel of the older cars - I guess the accountants must have stepped in !

I have a Passat 1.9TDI with 460.000 kilometers.The fuelconsumption is 1 to 30 kilometers.I can outrun a BMW in the corner.It doesn’t rust.Almost no technical problematiek.I can drive from Holland almost to Spain on one tank.Not exiting?It dependance in what you are used to.And how spoiled you are.I think It is one of the best cars ever Made.But maybe you are used to drive better cars in England 😄

Great reviewer, well spoken, polite and with good info, great review!

Thanks JJ, some of those drive by shots looked familiar, I quite like the B5 Passat, your right it’s not an interesting car inside or out but they are good solid well built cars and are comfortable too. That mileage is staggering isn’t it? It’s a good recommendation for that engine but also a feather in the hat for the previous owners who’ve obviously looked after, younger passats look like they’ve been driven into the ground at less than half those miles, well done previous owner! Great interesting video once again.👍

I own vw passat b5.5 1.8 turbo 150 hp,307000 km,it's still running very well😊

I had a 1998 1.8T version from 2001 to 2010 and only things that ever went wrong with it were door and window electronics.

I drive my b5 1.6 petrol. It has 350k miles and I am the one owner. The engine has no leaks or oil problems and never had. Also, no body corrosion. Very capable car!

Is this the 1.9pd?

You can adjust the vents lol ,just move the small wheel up and down and you'll do it 😜

We had a W-plate Estate version with the 115 TDI engine. Great car, sold it at 200k miles having done several European long distance trips.

There's a reason taxi drivers loved them and the 1.9 diesel engine

Mine is on a Y plate,2000 I think.Diesel estate.Bought about 5 years ago in immaculate condition with 80,000 on the clock.Cost £1,200.Best car I've ever owned,I'm not used to my cars passing mot's first time.I've put 40k on the clock since and the only money I've had to spend is for warped brake discs last mot,which the mechanic was surprised was failed on as was very slight.

I had the 2003 Passat v6 1.8 turbo and I appreciate your enthusiasm for all these points, however the gas mileage on my Passat was unbelievably atrocious. I’m not sure how different the 1998 version of this generation was though…. But Im surprised to hear you gushing about the gas mileage. I would get about 13 litres per 100km, on a bad day.

Back seat JJ really didn't like that coffee 😂

I own a 2004 Passat 1.9tdi pd100 with 230K kilometres on the clock. I will say that for 500 euros it was a good steal, easy to fix and maintain and the dang fuel consumption is so so good, like 4.5L/100km good!

Im looking at a 2002 vw jetta tdi manual with 209k miles hasnt been completly abused for $1300 probaly needs a transmission should I get it?

Got one of this from my grand father as my first car, also 500k on the clock. I would never buy a VW or a diesel car as an adult, but I love the particular one that I own. But they do need at least some care because I can't even list everything that was shot on the car when I first got it hahaha Also the 1.9 turned out to be a pretty much lego engine to make some funny power

For its time it had good looks and seemed like a well built car

Lot of little problems

i own a 99 passat vr5 with 283.000 kilometers on the clock. She runs like a beauty !

driven a b4 b5 and a b6, b5 is just a class for itself, i would buy it new if i could!

We had a 2000 Passat 1.9 TDI 4 motion estate that my dad bought almost new and it was our famuly car for 12 years and then i had it for 8 years. The best car in the whole world. It took me and my friends and eventualy the wife to countless adventures and i have so much great memories with that car. But when the kids arrived i bought a 2016 passat (in 2020).. The old beater was 20 years old and had almost 450000 km. Never missed a single beat... Good i miss this car

I owned a 2004 Highline 1.9 TDI, in charcoal grey with a black leather interior. I owned it for 7 years and did about 130,000 miles in it. In all that time, apart from obvious things like tyres, brake pads. and the odd suspension bush, it went through one alternator and one power-assisted steering belt. And that was it. I eventually sold it on complete with its original clutch! It was the most reliable car I ever owned by a country mile.

I've got a 2005 black one b5.5 trendline 1.9tdi diesel... It's done 135 thou, still drives like new.. all you have to do is this - change the oil (yearly) & all the filters AND change the belts every 60 thou as ive done since having it from nearly new... it runs like new...best car I've ever had in all my 60 years of driving..