# Anybody using vw jetta/ passat in u.s. markets



## Wrb06wrx (Sep 20, 2017)

Simple question is anyone using these vehicles? Specifically the 2.5L 5 cylinder... I know they are a little costlier to maintain (i do turn my own wrenches wherever i can) but they are fairly cheap for 5 yrs old with relatively low mileage. Not looking at them specifically for uber but my subaru is at 150k right now and only getting older and im in need of a more family oriented car just curious as i like the look of them and they are affordable and come with leather and moonroof


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## newdriverintown (Sep 20, 2017)

I used a Passat for about a month. It wasn't bad due to it getting better mileage that the current vehicle I have.


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## Wrb06wrx (Sep 20, 2017)

Why did you stop using it?


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

I used a 2015 Passat SEL 1.8T for a year and almost 60k miles of driving . 
It was an awesome car 35mpg average over 40mpg on the highway , huge gas tank so I wasn't going to the gas station as often . 
Also pax loved the space the Passat is the biggest car in it's class and rivals the space of the Audi A8 and BMW 7Series , Back seat had an insane amount of leg room , all the controls for the driver and as easy and as convenient as them come . Truck is also huge 
Loved this car for Ubering , the fact that in some markets it is Select eligible is a plus (however most of them are 2015 or newer so a 2.5L one wouldn't work). This car was also crazy reliable never had to do anything other then oil changes and a tire from a blow out , rode real smooth , tons of compliments people were always shocked that it was a Passat 

I also have a 2015 Jetta with the NA 4cyl 2.slow lol this was a hertz Lyft rental for a couple weeks . Again the Jetta has great space for the pax in the back so me being a bigger guy I never had to hug the steering wheel for rear pax , tons of leg room, big trunk and the same easy to navigate driver cockpit area 

I don't think you can go wrong with either , the 5cyl engine is a tank but it's also really under powered and doesn't get the best gas mileage the 1.8T motor is 100x better 

I use an Audi A4 Avant now as my basic Ubering Car (does select and premier too) and the passat was a much better car for Uber (Audi is more fun to drive but not in the same class of comfort , economical and reliability as the Passat), 2012 Lincoln MKZ HYBRID I just added to my Turo Fleet and can use for every car class on Uber and Lyft isn't as nice as the Passat either and shockingly the Hybrid only gets marginally better Gas Mileage then the Turbocharged Passat and then a 2014 Ford Explorer Limited is my other Ubering car for XL, Plus , Select and Premier (hoping Uber drops the PUC requirements on Black like it's been rumored as it Denver these qualify for Black & SUV) that being said I enjoyed driving the Passat for Uber than the Explorer also 

In short I think the Passat is about as perfect as it gets for Uber in Denver 
-Good FWD drivetrain and solid in the snow
-Tons of room
-Amazing Fuel Economy and Large Fuel Tank less gas station stops
-Good Power for driving in the mountains
-Tons of space 
-Qualifies for Select
-Designed to run on Regular no Premium Required 
-Very Reliable
-Tons of cool safety features, Radar Cruise Control, autonomous breaking, cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, 
-Simple non complicated controls 
-Trunk is insanely large shockingly large actual
-Car has the space of a 7 series but drives like compact (in a good way)
-Very smooth ride

Complaints
-Cabin noise is a little higher than I'd like compared to our other cars (Audi A4, BMW 335, Lincoln MKZ, & Ford Explorer) 
-Requires Synthetic Oil but you can go 10-12k on an oil change 
-Some say it's boring on the outside ( I liked to say that it was classical understated styling)
-Direct Injection will require intake valve cleanings every 60k miles or so ($200-400 a pop @ an Indy shop or you can buy your own walnut blasting kit for a couple hundred) 
-FWD (this is more of a preference thing as I hate FWD , I would have preferred it to have an AWD option or be RWD )


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## Wrb06wrx (Sep 20, 2017)

Thank you very informative response i appreciate it i am looking at vehicles for myself but dont want to buy something too new as i will probably uber in it and dont want to waste the money on a new vehicle to pound it into the ground while im still paying for it... although the warranty is a nice feature of a new car im only a part timer and dont want to kill the warranty in the first 2 years because of mileage then be on the hook for something major would rather buy a 5 or 6 yr old car thats mostly depreciated and i can afford cash


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## Snowblind (Apr 14, 2017)

I highly agree with UberDezNutz , if I had to do this full Time (I don't), the Passat would be my first choice for Uber/Lyft.
Matter of fact, I'd probably get a Diesel if possible. Same for the Jetta, great mileage, very little maintenance.

One VW mostly overlooked is the Tiguan, a small SUV with a lot of Room inside. I just bought one for a Friend, a 2009 Tiguan with 56K on the Odometer, flawless looking and performing, for a mere $7500.00.


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## Wrb06wrx (Sep 20, 2017)

I was just checking them out they are pretty nice but 18mpg around town and they are the 2.0t direct injection which means carbon build up is going to need to be addressed at some point, the other reason im looking at the 2.5L 5 cylinder engines is because ive heard they are very low maintainence and have timing chains vs a belt i was also looking at accords with the 2.4L as they are chain driven and i have experience with the 2.0L k series engine and they are very reliable and good on gas but i want something that stands out a little in a sea of bland sonatas and camrys... no offense to those of you using these cars


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## tryingforthat5star (Mar 12, 2017)

I was a parts guy for VW putting in about 2 years at a dealership with Audi also. In my experience if you want to put all the motors together in a reliable battle the 2.5 is the king then the old 2.0 8V motor. VW I believe started putting the 2.5 in the US Jetta's around 2008 onward but IMO VW didn't seem to get it's other little gremlin's under control till around 2012+ so if I had the option of years I would take a 2012+ but if you find an older one don't hesitate if the price is right. VW's in general even the 2.5 over the years used a lot of plastic to rubber hose coupler's that rot and crack leaking coolant but never really any major dead on the road kind of issues more so you'll get a warning before hand of smell of coolant etc..

Back to the turbo motors I used one for about 3-4 months a 2017 Jetta 1.4 Turbo. very good car super smooth on the highway even with the bare bones
15in steelies. I ran snow tires on it, tackled everything you threw at it even fully loaded up these Pittsburgh hills snow or shine. On the highway it hit 40+ mpg but she was thirsty in the city you could tell that turbo would dump some extra fuel in stop and go city traffic. You know about turbos if you own a WRX hence your screen name there not the most efficient in city traffic.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

I had the 1.8t in my passat and never had a tank that averaged under 30mpg. It was usually around 34mpg mixed driving, a couple of 40mpg+ tanks on road trips. I found the sweet spot was 73mph on the highway
I drove that thing to Chicago twice, KC twice and Vegas once (from Denver) awesome road trip car

My buddies wife has a 2.5 passat 2012 I think and they said they get around 25mpg mixed and low 30s highway. The 2.5 is so much slower than the 1.8t especially in Denver


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## Wrb06wrx (Sep 20, 2017)

Exactly... it was the car i had when i decided to give this thing a try im still a noob yes 6 weeks in, but i learn quickly i drive both i do it p/t in order to subsidize my up coming vehicle purchase didnt wanna buy a vehicle to start u/l but since im in the market anyway why not finish running my old one into the ground and see if this a viable 2nd income since they will let me plus i can use the extra cash to help out with my son

Believe it or not the 2.5 seems to be more popular here


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## WeDreams (Sep 14, 2017)

I used them in the past but I kept having to replace the fuses and the trunk always would rattle.


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