2004 Volkswagen Passat and 2000 Volkswagen Jetta?

[Cory]

Ok. I tried asking this earlier. One guy was a smartass and one gave an OK answer.

I am a teenager, boy, turning 16 this weekend. I saved up a thousand dollars, and my mom was VERY generous to say that she'll match the amount I have. My dad and grandparents will give me some birthday money too. (Before anyone else thinks "wow, you're still spoiled" no. I am paying for gas, maybe part of insurance, and maintenance)

I want the safest cars possible. Found a 2000 Jetta, 2.0 for $4000. Bluebooks for $2500. Has 140,000 miles. 2004 Passat, 1.8T, 120,000 miles. Bluebooks arouns $4,000. But none of those cars aren't as reliable as some.

What do you think? If so, list other cheap safe cars. Must do decent on IIHS's tests. www.iihs.org
Btw, I am getting a job and I'm a responsible kid. I have maintained a 4.0 GPA this year as well...

[MrMonteCarloSS]

If you're responsible for maintenance, you should not be looking at high mileage VWs (or any other European made car, for that matter), no matter how safe they are.

Look for any Honda or Toyota that meets your IIHS safety requirements (something you should be capable of searching for, yourself.)

[mel23]

Ok look, if you want more safety then get the Passat, ONLY BECAUSE VW Jetta added 2 more airbags in 2001 so the 2000 only has 4. So if you want 6 get the Passat. Japanese cars only have 2 until mid to late thousands. Not very safe. Too light to drive fast. Hondas are known to tip over because of their weight. Vw cars use the same parts as Audi so if you want it to be reliable you need to pay the extra bucks. Cant be cheap. These are German cars. Cheaper to buy but not to own. As for the engine, 2.0 is known to be most reliable but 1.8t is much faster. I believe it is 180hp, while 2.0 is 115hp. If I were you I'd get the Passat. Jetta is nice too. Its up to u. Glx trim is the best if u could get one. Has some crazy options that most Asian and American cars still dont have. German cars are considered unreliable because they are very hard and complicated to understand and usually gets neglected then turns into a lemon. These cars can be most reliable if you learn how to maintain them right. Good luck.

[Thomas]

Your young here's the nitty gritty .VW- Mercedes - BMW - Volvo-etc.- require qualified tech. specialist for repairs. Suggest stick with ,Toyota Corolla ,Honda Civic.Scion tc. PS, stay away from VW. UNLESS you want headaches.

[JRN123]

The 2000 and up VW JETTA or the PASSAT are very expensive cars to fix - If it brakes down for some sort of reason just be prepared because you will spend alot of $$$$. Ive myself have owned Jetta's 2000 and up with the 1.8t and the 2.0 engines and serioulsy they can cause major headaches. I owned a passat as well it was a 2002 Passat and as soon as i got it started leaking oil. The parts of these cars are expensive and some mechanics wont even get involved in fixing because they are hard to work on. If you end up getting a car like these dont get a VR6. These engine are the most expensives to fix - More expensives then the 4-Cylinder 1.8t or the 2.0. Make sure he has replaced the water pump and timing belt this is very inportant