Originally Posted by rocketman4321

Unlike 69gaugeman, I went for the 2001 2.7T, bought used but still under warranty. Low miles (86k) but no real problems with the engine or turbos. I did the timing belt and associated stuff at ~70k because the alternator died and the cam adjuster seals were leaking, and it was both old and "while you were in there", but it had no obvious problems. For me it's a daily driver, I enjoy it but don't beat on it, and the only near-stranding was the alternator failure--and I limped home on a long trip.

All cars have quirks and normal wear items, but there's several things that I think went too quickly in this car: alternator, cam adjuster/valve cover seals, aux coolant pump (may be turbos only have this), oxygen sensor, and yes, the cup holder--which I'd barely used and certainly didn't beat on. And the info display is now failing. But the real weakness is the front end bushings--my original arms didn't make it to 50k, and aftermarket was worse. (This is apparently a weakness on Passats also.) I do my own work for this stuff, so it's "just" parts cost, which tends to be high-ish but parts are easy to get. However, at least on the Turbo, this is a very crowded engine bay and it's not an easy car to work on for many items--see oxygen sensor discussions or note that the alternator swap requires removal of the nose of the car-- aka "service position".

Cons noted, those un-durable control arms give wonderful handling, the car's responsive in throttle and brakes as well when you need it, and the interior is just beautiful and stays that way. The decade-old body style still looks great. And I use the rear seat with tall young adults and have moved kids to college with the big trunk and flip-down seat. (We were fully loaded when the alternator got sick.) So it has delivered the combination of practicality and driving experience that I wanted.

But your question was repairs, and VAG did let weak parts persist in several common areas for some years, and you might want to compare those to other options (e.g., the Volvo 850's infamous spring seats and a/c evaporator to cite another example in my driveway). It's all a tradeoff.

Originally Posted by 2.7Lturbo

im hoping everyone got the sarcasim in my post

Originally Posted by SloopJohnB@mac.com

Naaah...pretty literal bunch here. Or littoral.