'96 Passat for $1400?

Post by **Fatmobile** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:28 am

I've never owned a TDI but gotta start messing with them sometime.
I found a '96 Passat for $1400.
It runs,drives, starts well in the cold (reportedly).
Has 200,000+ miles.
Needs a control arm,.. actually after talking to him I think it only needs the rear bushing.
His uncle owned it for 5 years before him.
Does that seem like a reasonable price?

The '96 will fit in a Rabbit right? I mean it has the bolt holes for the passenger side motor mount,... just something I heard but the injection pump probably doesn't mate with the 1.6, p-side motor mount bracket.
Any opinions on how easily it swaps an A2 ('85-'92) Golf?

MPalm · Post by **MPalm** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:55 am

Is it a IZ engine? Those look exactly like a AAZ lump, if that helps

It has a tiny Waste gated turbo.

surfcam · Post by **surfcam** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:42 pm

I'm on the edge of making the TDI plunge as well. A 97 Passat wagon look like a good candidate. One of the things I didn't like was the weight of the car. These are very heavy cars. They are no rabbits. One other thing is the cable shifting. I have quite a few parts for the older type of shifting. I also noticed the brakes and wheel housings are all different. It looks to me we have to make a clean break from all the mk I and II parts regimes. Alot of mkIII's are starting to roll into the self serve wrecks and the mk I are starting to get rare so maybe its time the bite the bullet and start switching over. I really don't like the idea of abs brakes and air bags. I think the add safety comes at a high cost. And in some situations you can stop faster without them. Like when their is snow on the road. If you lock the brakes you can get a build-up in front of each tire and stop faster.

MPalm · Post by **MPalm** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:31 pm

I know what you mean, it took a while for me to make the plunge in to modern computer controlled diesels too

IÂ´ve had mostly dieselpowered cars since -97 and only a few gassers but didnÂ´t get a TDI until last year, and to be honest itÂ´s my fiancÃ©s car, but I really like it!
Runs smoothly and is probably at least as reliable as our beloved mk1 and mk2 was when they first showed up

The Passat B4Â´s are popular here, seems to be a good car but I havenÂ´t owned one myself so I donÂ´t know for sure..

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 4:06 pm

Voice o' B4 experience...
At 1400. GET IT! I can't find one in any condition around here for less than $3000....

The door handles stink, the window regulators stink, don't mention the cup holders.
Everything else is pretty sweet. We've got maybe 250k miles on the clock and she runs cherry. And then some with the StreetToys hybrid turbo from KERMA.... BWA-HAHA! Sorry. lol

It is my folks car, and they get roughly 50mpg out of it, mixed. I get about 46 out of it. I'm not nice. At all. I eat tires for lunch.

The 1Z supposedly has the weakest pistons of the TDI family, but so far I've seen no issues.

I have no complaints about the wastegated turbo. Dirt reliable, no vanes to stick. Just watch for vac/boost leaks and a good N75.

I got a control arm from (competitor's name removed by moderator) when I got forced off the road and bent the crap out of it. You'll need two TTY bolts from your stealership, I got a set of 4 for maybe $10? Not bad.

I love my folks 1Z B4 and love to drive it every chance I get.

Did I mention the 1Z B4 has the best flywheel of the TDI family? Not to mention the clutch rocks. We've never replaced ours, it was used to teach 3 people how to drive stick, and I like to eat tires when I drive. It's time to do it, but only just starting to slip. A VR6 clutch is a good upgrade.

OH! And look for the 5th injector. It's in the downpipe. See if everything is rigged for it to be functional. If it is, chances are the original owner never acted on the dealer TSB to get the injectors and ECU upgraded. Not a real big issue, just the BK ECU is far less tunable. We upgraded ours. It has the black plastic body if that helps. The newer (GQ if I remember?) has an aluminum body.

Post by **Fatmobile** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 2:55 am

I missed this deal.
Probably a good thing; I have too many projects as it is.

My small town is great about letting me have so many cars in my yard,.. but I probably shouldn't push it any farther than 6 Rabbits and 3 A2s.
I should be able to whittle that down some in the next few weeks.

Quantum TD · Post by **Quantum TD** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 3:44 am

Que sera...

It was a good deal though. The 1z/ahu is about the easiest TDI to work on (until you get the O2 sensor code). It looks just like an AAZ, save for the pistons and the electronic IP. I hear alot about M-TDI versions. But if you've got the whole harness, etc, then why not just wire it up (no transponder chip in the cluster)?