1990 Volkswagen Passat | Retro Review

[@Stressless2023]

The reclining backseats shocked me. Never saw that in any non-luxury sedan.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

My Honda Fit has them. 😀

[@nokintendo9132]

@SuchANiceGirl22 Once you own a vw you'll see a whole new world of luxury.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

@@Stressless2023 Mine do.

[@MrKormmodity]

86 Galant had them, know this courtesy of these retro videos lol.

[@vinzclortho7766]

I believe the mid to late 80s Honda Civic hatchback had them. The Merkur Scorpio did as well. its not a new idea, and you would have to do more research to find out who had them first.

[@joaoteixeira822]

I love how clean the design of this passat is. It still looks cool!

[@jamesbyrne9312]

Agreed I think the styling was way ahead of its time

[@divineoracle4809]

It definitely looks like something that would have came out in the 2000s! Definitely ahead of it's time. Classy, and classic. It aged well. 30+ years old now!

[@mattb9748]

Looks a little dated to me but was very handsome for the time and doesn't look as old as it is.

[@scott8919]

2019: Cell phone holders. 1990: Newspaper holders. (1:45)

[@buggs9950]

Citroen 1995; Wine bottle holders, yes really.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

👋🤣👍lmfao!

[@hertzair1186]

Scott : what’s a newspaper?

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

@@anibalbabilonia1867 Very nice and beautiful the VW Passat, fantastic car

[@robsrandomness7824]

I really liked the strange look of those when they came out. Especially the wagon model. In bright red. Who woulda' guessed VW would still be selling a Passat 30 years later?

[@schlomoubermann]

My father got a 1992 bright red wagon in 1994. This car looked very modern and exotic at that time. But it had 1.8 90 HP engine and wasn't really a good car by me. I liked Opel Omega 2.0 a lot more.

[@theKevronHarris]

Me too.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

They had already been selling a Passat outside the US since 1972 (we knew it as the Dasher for the B1 generation and the Quantum for the B2 generation).

[@hardcorehardo]

Me

[@johnnymichael1804]

Barely. The Passat is on borrowed time. At least in America

[@Ty4ons]

I loved the no grill aero front some early 90s cars had. It's pretty refreshing now with car makers putting in bigger and bigger grills that are mostly just plastic cladding. It's sadly hard to implement today with fronts needing to be so tall for safety that you can't really implement a sleek, low front end with an engine underneath.

[@Ty4ons]

@@appalachiahiker853 True, I guess I have it more as 90s in my mind since the cliche for 80s is boxy while most of early 90s were more rounded with aero features and having no grille was almost commonplace.

[@evanganske9240]

Oldsmobile did the minimal to no grille, too, with the Alero, Intrigue, Aurora, Silhouette, and Bravada.. I really liked them, too. Have you seen a Lexus front end? 🤮

[@punchy207]

@@evanganske9240 yeah it makes me sick

[@pienaskibire3276]

Still own Passat B3 1990, 1.6 diesel wagon, engine have never had any major repair, just had to change glow plugs a few times and that's pretty much it. Still runs better then some of the new vehicles we have today.

[@M4ExKalashnikov]

Driving my 1989 1.8 model every day without any major prroblems.... clocked some 400.000 kms and running as smooth as it did 20 yrs ago when we bought it

[@nickmotsarsky4382]

I don't think you could pay me enough to put up with the misery of daily driving a diesel VW from 1990. The noise, the smoke, the vibration, the absence of any power..

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

@@nickmotsarsky4382 y u r putting up with a very old diesel engine then??? Just buy something new and get rid of the old noisy diesel.

[@antrace92]

​@@nickmotsarsky4382 what do you mean? Is that engine too little for the variant?

[@theKevronHarris]

I love these retro reviews! My dad used to have a light chocolate beige 1988 Jetta Carat with automatic trAnsmission and the crank-operated sunroof option as his first car back in 1998 since I was about 4 years old. Thank you for posting this wonderful retro review.😊

[@whelkboy]

Dude pushing the buttons is like when my kid sits in the front.

[@wingeater]

I miss my ‘93 GLX. Great looking car and the sound from the VR6 was awesome.

[@900108Chale]

Having owned a 1994 Passat GL VR6, 2.8l 193 hp. I can say it is the car I miss the most by far! The last of the trustworthy VWs ... For me that VR6 2.8l engine is the best VW ever made. I owned a 1994 Z28 at the same time, BUT the VR6 caught my heart by far! Being a canyon carving addict, guess which was the one I used to do the Mulholland Drive with? Long drives? Shopping? Trips to Cisco, skiing, Tijuana or Vegas? All were done in the Passat VR6. The Z28 was an eye catcher but so much less usable and much less of a racer... Actually I was kinda glad to get rid of the Z28. Spartan efficient German engineering before ALL German cars lost their way in so many ways.

[@soundseeker63]

VAG design in the late 80s' - Clean and conservative, nothing unnecessary. VAG design now - We must make the grille as large as possible and cover everything in fake chrome! :-D

[@soundseeker63]

@3 name changes allowed every 90 days. Yeah I realise its an industry trend, though nobody has jumped onto the bandwagon more than VAG...I mean just look at the current Audi range and VWs new Arteon. They look almost like caricature cars from the front.

[@williamgson4055]

@@soundseeker63 Funny thing is that VW is still clean and conservative, especially when compared to their stupid looking Japanese or Korean counterparts.

[@super_slav91]

VW is still conservative compared to the rest of the market, especially with Skoda, which is nice, I hate over the top designs, looking at you Mazda and Honda.

[@MaestroTJS]

@@super_slav91 MAZDAS are over-the-top?! Have you looked at Nissans or Toyotas or some Hyundais lately? I'm not even an SUV guy and I have to say that the CX3/5/9 all look pretty damn good when compared to practically all their competitors.

[@super_slav91]

@@MaestroTJSThey are all ugly but Mazdas and Hondas design languages are especially bad, sad that even the Koreans are making better looking cars, the i30n for example, and as far as SUV's Skoda have nice designs, the Skoda Karoq and Skoda Kodiaq both look elegant and conservative, both are part of the VW group, the new tiguan looks good too.

[@noelaguirre7104]

Mine was a 97 turbo diesel, good memories with that car it had 300K miles on the odo when it left us due to a head-on accident. Even with 300K miles, the insurance gave me $8500 payout. According to them, those cars are made for the long haul.

[@tymac3306]

Beautiful....ahead of its time,...I am 41 and am on my 6th Vw,....love em. Now have a 2018 Golf R

[@Doobie1975]

I wish they tested the 5 speed manual instead of the automatic.

[@tylerschwartz4327]

Doobie1975 yeah but they could only test what volkswagen sent them 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@compu85]

That 096 automatic was really a bummer.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

VW probably gave out automatic press cars hoping that would connect more with the Taurus/Accord/Camry audience who weren't necessarily performance oriented. But I had the 01M (successor to the 096) automatic in the first car I owned (a '97 Passat which was the next generation) and when mated to the first-gen VR6 it was quite the party pooper. The engine just wanted you to have fun and the gearbox would just step in and say "Hey guys, I have an upshift for you. You don't want it? Too bad, here ya go. But I'm gonna take my time handing it over so you lose even more revs."

[@compu85]

@@de-fault_de-fault 2x. The gears are really too close together, with too tall of a final drive. A friends 00 VR6 Jetta Automatic would do over 60 in 2nd gear! Having a shorter 1 and 2, and taller 3 and 4 would have made the car much more sporty feeling. Add to that the "smooth" ie, mushy, shifts and it really dulls the car.

[@MrCarguy2]

VW didn't really want to do an automatic transaxle for the Passat, just hear the tin sounding metallic clicks when he shifts through the gears, very anti Volkswagen

[@williieloman1549]

I bought one new in 1990. We owned it for 10 years and 200,000 miles. I loved this car and it remains one of my favorite VWs. Like the excellent Fox, these two helped to define the brand.

[@XenooS7]

Am here because I saw this car this morning in front of my house. Its beauty can't be described, it was the first time I see an old passat, and I loved it, I kept looking at it like if it was some brand new supercar. It looked very clean from either the inside and the outside, I can't describe it as I said earlier, it was the first thing my eyes saw after opening my door.

[@jamesbyrne9312]

A classic timeless design for sure

[@peter455sd]

You gotta stay away from drugs kid

[@Tigerfire75]

They really like to charge you for options. They also like to have everything as an option.

[@shizzy_Snorlax]

That brake sound was troubling for me. Outside of that it's amazing how far we came when it comes to standard equipment. ABS was an option along with cruise control and even air conditioning. Now they are all standard in cars sold here unless you are getting an exotic race car or a special purpose car, not a family sedan.

[@pb601]

Love the retro Vee Dubya reviews.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Vee dubyu.

[@tjallaballa]

Such a cool car imo

[@goclunker]

My parents had one of these in a 2.0L 16V auto. It was fairly robust, not too slow, very comfortable, ok looking but rusted like MAD. Learned to drive in it, it drove very well. Oh yes, the front spoiler was super easy to damage/rip off. Ours has the sport wheels, no sunroof and no auto seatbelts. Was a 91

[@COYGunners]

There’s something about this design I absolutely love, I’d be happy with a manual one.

[@theKevronHarris]

2:58 "Don't Ask My Neighbor" by The Emotions 💘

[@crownr0yalonice]

Kevron Harris how did you catch that so fast?!!!???

[@theKevronHarris]

@@crownr0yalonice I heard that line, "...if they don't thinking". Not sure if that's correct words but I had a good memory. 101.3 The Big DM Columbia SOuth Carolina plays this song from time to time.

[@junali94]

@@theKevronHarris my brother had a 1996 deville and he used to wash his car with that radio station playing inside.

[@theKevronHarris]

@@junali94 Hearing a snippet from a nice singing group like the Emotions playing on the stereo in a review gets posted on Valentine's day makes me happy.😊 70s, 80s, and 90s music are way better than today's garbage that the current generation don't give a damn on the Glory days of music.

[@theKevronHarris]

@@junali94 My mom would play that station from time to time in her 2017 Ford Edge Titanium EcoBoost 😂

[@nokintendo9132]

I've had a Mk3 Jetta, Mk4 Golf 1.8T, and now a TDI Passat. All it took was for my first car to be American.

[@williieloman1549]

Bought one new in 1990. Kept it 10 years and logged 200,000 miles. LOVED it, fantastic car.

[@the66volks]

I own a 1990 Passat wagon awesome video!!!

[@MariuszChwedoruk]

Me too :-).

[@kluwe801]

I own a 93 VR6 B3!

[@floon999]

Had a bright red ‘90 5-speed. We loved it, in spite of all its problems. Timing belt tensioner was faulty, caused the belt to seize and bend a few valves at 12,000 miles; could never get the wheels aligned correctly, multiple failed fuel pumps, then it just would not run right due to an electrical gremlin that the dealer couldn’t fix even after keeping it a week. But when running, it was a delight to drive.

[@SonOfTamriel]

These are really popular in the local VW tuner scene, VR6 mostly, but some 1.8T swaps and 1.9TDI as well.

[@scottladewig508]

I worked at a ve wrecking yard and always admired the vr6 Passat with all it's luxuries. Great sound system and leather interior.

[@MixerVM]

Looks like VW were taking some exterior styling inspiration from the Ford Taurus. Or was it the other way around? Those reclining rear seats are nice though.

[@robsrandomness7824]

Taurus came out 5 years earlier.

[@jegges6341]

Yeah i noticed it too. Passat is like european Ford Taurus lol.

[@jayburris6252]

Well, they both have 4 doors.... I don’t see any similarities

[@Ty4ons]

It's probably more inspired by the Euro spec Ford Sierra

[@justas525]

Well both The Passat and Taurus were styled in the early to mid 80's and it was kind of a fashion thing to streamline cars. And Passat was styled after Auto 2000 concept car which was made in 81.

[@user-bi7iz7mz9s]

695 for sunroof this car now cost around 300 eur

[@justas525]

Yep. Especially in Eastern Europe they are nearly everywere. I own one too.

[@Francisco-j1e]

in good condition costs more, but beaten up you really can get for dirt cheap

[@IanDunbar1]

Unfortunately you almost can't find them anywhere in the United States these days. A really good five speed example goes for around $5,000 to $6,000.

[@JohnJohn-hd3qu]

@@justas525 In the United States of 'Merica it's near impossible to find one for sale without going on a Volkswagen fan or owners club website.

[@landyachtfan79]

Hold on to your Hasenpfeffer , & slap in a Kraftwerk cassette, because it's time to get your Fahrvergnugen on!!!!!!! You guys have REALLY been CRANKING on the Retro Reviews lately, NOT that there's anything AT ALL wrong with that!!!!!

[@lordvolvo9801]

Kraftwerk!!!

[@Esdeath_0001]

German techno!

[@zachswy]

A friend's parents bought one of these new, and it was pretty awesome. Same beige color and everything. I can almost smell it in this review.

[@DrBeat-zs9eb]

I grew up with that car. Loved it.

[@bilalahmed2123]

Lucky

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

Had my dad's hand-me-down 94 Passat GLX VR6, 5-speed manual in high school. It was an outstanding car and the VR6 exhaust note is legendary. That is, while it was running. This era of VW/Audi was plagued with electrical issues, and living in hot, wet Houston...I was lucky if I went 6 months between the mechanic. AC went bye-bye less than 2 years after new. Could not keep up with our humid summers. It's as if the Germans had no idea the AC would be asked to operate in actual hot climates.

[@johnr4298]

It’s a shame that this generation of the Passat didn’t sell well in the US. These are cool cars.

[@justas525]

I'm proud to say that i own a 91 Passat sedan GL spec with 8 valve 2.0 engine and with automatic. I'll have to agree with nearly everything you've said. I'd thought that there is something wrong with my transmision. But after seeing this roadtest everything is clear. I love my Passat it has never let me down. It allways starts, it is very comfortable, interior has lots of space, and it has huge trunk.

[@jtkent28]

I had that EXACT Passat. Great looking and performing car but was riddled with electrical problems after a while.

[@a.person7825]

My sister had a ‘91 Passat Wagon in red. Cutest little thing. It was like Old Yeller. You didn’t want to do it, but you knew it needed to be taken out back and shot.

[@darrenwilson4172]

I bought a 92 brand new 5 speed in that Same color loved it . Wish they had kept that body style and just changed a few things the wing and group wasn't bad

[@Porsche996driver]

These were great for the time - my buddy in Denver had a wagon with a 5-speed! It would have been much better if it could’ve had a VR6 - which they did a couple years later iirc. I’ve had like 10 VWs from Bugs to GTIs and from wagons to Westfalia - they’ve all been great! 👌🏼

[@timdodd3897]

I had a '90 , then a '91. I miss them. So comfy w/ great mileage. The trans wiring? Not so much.

[@LaytonKnightt]

Was that the check engine light at 2:48?

[@albear972]

I doubt it. If it was it would be on the dashboard. Maybe someone who had/has one of these can tell us.

[@Bubblun1]

Volkswagen added a second one in case the primary one burnt out from being on permanently.

[@andy42x]

@@Bubblun1 lol

[@buoyant69]

Looked like a seatbelt light.

[@teomanmetehan7469]

In Europe these cars didn't have check engine lights. That's why they added the check engine lights for the Northern American market at this place.

[@storck08]

Learned to drive in that generation of Passat (euro spec), so they will always appear kind of special to me. My father had two of these in the late 90s. The first one was the same color as in the video, 90 HP 1.9 TDI engine and no luxury features at all (it didn't even have a rev counter). The second one had 2.0 gasoline with 115 hp and much better equipment (AC, electric front windows). It was a decent car, incredibly spacious inside and with huge fuel tank.

[@Porsche996driver]

The wagon with VR6 was a real Panzer. Unstoppable in any weather.

[@immature1990]

The Passat has came a long way my moms best friend had one when it first came out and she drove it for 3 years then switched to a Jetta that she loved and still has till this day

[@thsarethbreaks]

Love that rear wheel lift in the cone test. I had a golf that would do that

[@runoflife87]

Better then some modern cars.

[@justas525]

Much much better i have to say. You can tell from far away that it is a B3 generation Passat. You couldn't mistake for anything else

[@georgesnyder5337]

then what - what happens next?

[@alexcintas8792]

Not...

[@jefferysmith3930]

I briefly had a 93 GLX VR6 5 speed. It would flat move! I never realized the back seat had all of those adjustments. I don’t think anyone ever sat in the back of mine. Still love the styling

[@dylanmesser3957]

Please upload the review for the 1998 Passat! It was my first car and your review was one of the reasons why I bought it.

[@davidaubin3902]

2:27 John: THE POWER WINDOW SWITCHES. BEING MOUNTED FLAT AGAINST THE DOOR, MAKES THEM HARD TO SEE, UNCOMFORTABLE TO REACH, AND EASY FOR YOUR LEG TO TRIGGER ACCIDENTALLY! LOL

[@djkenny1202]

I have the same engine in my 92 GTI 16v. It’s a Screamer. Great all around motor. But it’s a stick on a lighter car.

[@quentinwooten30]

Sounds like a school bus trying to stop

[@jGRite]

Except the school bus looks better.

[@DehnusNorder]

@@jGRiteDo we need to get the book of "Big American Cars from the 80's and 90's" again? Hmmmm !? (10 points for the one who knows what i'm referencing :)).

[@bilalahmed2123]

Common issues with German cars, brake squeal.

[@Aman-fv5if]

@@DehnusNorder Whats wrong with eighties and nineties American cars?They look fine to me.

[@wandalllither2452]

@@bilalahmed2123 U prolly mean german cars brakes, alot, old ones nowhere to be found. LMFAO oik oik, maybe grumpy diesel from 80 were ok...

[@dwilson2126]

I miss my 1994 Passat GLX!

[@landyachtfan79]

This Passat is finished in the same Bordeaux Red that my 1991 Vanagon Carat was.

[@adrianniemiec8669]

Very nice car indeed. My friend owned one in the late 90s , but if I were to chooseI would go with the Accord.

[@mrw4724]

Volkswagens are great car. I never was left disappointed.

[@goclunker]

The front splitter on my mom's Passat GL was always broken off lol

[@mof04]

Can you upload 1981 vw rabbit diesel pickup

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

Had a 94 Passat GLX with the VR6 and 5 speed manual. It was sensational....when it decided to actually work.

[@rixille]

All those buttons have a very nice responsive feel to them.

[@mervinprone]

Oh god, 1990 and still with the oriental

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

Who is the guy at 02:20 who always does the interior tests on these early 1990's reviews?

[@arthurweasley8885]

This is a great looking family muggle vehicle! Where can i buy one and does it have technical problems when i'll give the vehicle the ability to fly?

[@kgbeezr75]

Wasn't a particularly high point for VW quality, but I sure miss cars that had individual personality. You knew it was a Passat from a mile away, but now a Passat could be anything...totally forgettable.

[@BestMillimeter18]

To be fair, from the rear it could be mistaken for another VW or Audi product from the time period.

[@kgbeezr75]

@@BestMillimeter18 Definitely, but not much else.

[@MaestroTJS]

Especially the latest Passat, which looks something like a 2006-2013 Impala.

[@jaunteraudi817]

@@MaestroTJS Yes, it is so funny that cars in now days ar so simlar, allmoust the same exterior. For example week ago in a car park i saw a hyundai, that looked the same as BMW 7 series latest model, and the same as lexus, same as KIA, same as mercedes, same as skoda suberb, same as audi and vw , they all are the same, and from a distance you cant even tell a difference. Same with latest SUVs KIA,Opel, Audi, VW, Chevrolet, Nissan, Ford, except toyota freak CHR.....but rest of them - all the same.

[@MaestroTJS]

@@jaunteraudi817 What bothers me even more is that the cars are so similar to drive now. Back in the day, there was some real distinction between brands--no one would mistake a Cadillac for a BMW on the road! But now? They're all pretty similar within the same class.

[@TheVintageApplianceEmporium]

I've always loved this version of Passat. It's the car's face; it's just so.... 80s!

[@draganpasalic8106]

Still have car like this, sedan, 1988, 1.8GT, manual, 107bhp, no AC, no ABS, no electric window lifters, no heated seats, not check engine light, but reclining rear seats ;), same front seats as in video, electr. sunroof, all disc brakes...and few small problems due to 31 years life :D

[@buggs9950]

Did you get the 150bhp ABF version of that motor in America? That with a manual box is really very good.

[@armandsauciuc]

ABF never made it to America 2.0 9A And 2.8 VR6 AAA

[@jmorris023]

I would have thought VW would have been crushing it in 1990. The Jetta and GTI were the best ever. The Corrado was about to come out.

[@1fnfigi]

My mom had one of these I loved riding in it.

[@SmallADVentures1973]

We had a blue '90 GL in the upper mid 90's (with every part that Nuespeed had for that 2.0L and some suspension parts), we liked it lots, until our neighbor's wife totaled it for us :(

[@gapaworks]

☹️

[@davisflyer]

My dad owned one just like this, except it had manual windows and a 5 speed manual. I remember it being fun to drive and very comfortable. First gear was too short though on the manual and like the review states, the engine was quite loud. Also, as you could see in the video, the switches and stalks felt very cheap. Overall it was a reliable car until it developed an electrical problem that drained the battery every day and nobody could figure out why, so he got rid of it.

[@macdaniel6029]

Great car, better than any car today.

[@bilalahmed2123]

This car was beautiful. Wish I got to own one of these !

[@buoyant69]

If I went back in time, I'd buy a Honda Accord or Mitsubishi Galant instead. Or maybe I'd pony up for an Acura Legend - with a stick shift. Man, I'd love to see a Retro Review for an early 90s Legend. Loved those early 90s Japanese sedans (and they were all available with manual transmissions)...

[@ManMak6]

buoyant69 wow here is something I haven’t heard of forever... Acura Legend! Awesome cars! Was my dream when I was in middle school!

[@armandsauciuc]

@@ManMak6 In other markets was still a Honda Legend They rebage it Acura for the North America market so they can charge more money

[@mcalebeb]

I feel like I have never seen one of these 😱 Where have I been!? Sport program , & that slalom 👀😍.

[@loutenant9480]

Mine is 1993, it have about 200k miles on it, still running.

[@robsrandomness7824]

VW never could compete w/ those 'Oriental cross-breeds'. LOL

[@crownr0yalonice]

Rob's Randomness oooofffff. So cringe in 2019!

[@chriscornelius2518]

He will never be able to host the Oscars. Ha ha ha

[@marchtenth7869]

@@chriscornelius2518 lol

[@Wojciech940]

It`s odd to see this car having the original 3`411 miles on the gauges. Right now, in Poland, this model is beyond the beater categories, neglected, rusted, with thousands upon thousands miles on the clock (and still going pretty strong, amazingly)

[@Twinkle-top]

I wish interiors still looked like that.

[@hellkitty1014]

Reclining rear-seats? In a Passat!? Pretty advanced for a midsize of that day.

[@aidaaliten8817]

I actually still see these sometimes here in Lithuania

[@chuckhpnwx]

The later cars with the VR6 and a 5 speed were really nice. The only thing I didn't like about them was how cheap they felt and sounded when you would open and close the doors.

[@Popk1ller]

With VR6 or G-60 this was a good sleeper :)

[@br9801]

This was my favorite version.

[@liamoconn]

I've never seen one of these in my entire life.

[@93sundance]

Bring back the Hit/Miss format. Really its ok to find some faults no car is perfect.

[@metop33]

What’s worse the front end design or the sound of those brakes?? 😣

[@bobratu9029]

I love the front end.

[@MrCarguy2]

The sound of the shifter when he goes through the gears by large margin

[@TheComp_Troller]

Haha! I remember those old VW Fahrvergnugen commercials! They were pretty ridiculous!

[@Ithinkiwill66]

At first glance, when the Passat was rolling down the roadway,.the front end really made me think of it looking like a Taurus😳😳

[@garrymiller8031]

I have the exact one only 91 only 200,thousand n still running fine. Options include leather heated seat n sport mode .everything still working n yes they are a Money Pit but works for me

[@ItsIdaho]

Surprised to see a car that is still widely used in Europe but probably a rarity in the us now.

[@KingCast65]

Actually the Dasher was a Passat. But anyway I love the Gen1 modern Passat with no pretentious grille. So cool. I had a bunch of GTi/GLI 8V and 16V cars. You need a stick in that Passat.

[@davidconde1521]

Wow!!! Adjustable rear seats!!!

[@carlosgoncalves2809]

Grande carro. Eu adoro esse carro

[@WSNO]

Cool stuff yo! V-dubya Passat!

[@TheComp_Troller]

The Passat was the largest car that VW sold back then? Didn’t know that!

[@HowardDaduk]

I remember asking the old man to consider a Passat in his search for a '90 midsize back in the day..ended up with a '90 Taurus. I have to say, I'm not seeing where the Passat was $3-5K better than the Taurus. I'd imagine the repair bills were no bueno for these back in the day before NAFTA either, with Bavarian parts not being readily available on this side of the Atlantic.

[@williamegler8771]

Faux Craig Singhaus Volkswagen's corporate headquarters are located in Wolfsburg which is in Saxony not Bavaria.

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

This is a VW, a taurus is a Ford. Do you need any other justification for that 3k? I still have mine and it drives wonderfully and the engine is still smooth for today's standards. I can't say the same for same here European Ford's and I would bet that the Taurus isn't any better.

[@HowardDaduk]

@@TickleFingers Really? People are collecting 1990 Passats? Strange world..

[@Porsche996driver]

The handling for sure! Taurus were great, like half European with the V6 it seemed. But the Passat was pretty compact and efficient engineering.

[@goclunker]

Well clearly you've never owned or driven both. We had a 89 Taurus and a 91 Passat. Lightyears apart.

[@dkmorris713]

John didn't know how correct he was. Volkswagen should have led with the midsized family car, the jetta and the golf were automatic wins that would have just bolstered passat sales

[@jamesbyrne9312]

Brilliant car.