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Hi, I know it's been forever since I've been on here but I'm looking for advice if anyone has experience with B3 Passats and couldn't think of a better place to ask for honest and friendly advice. I have a lot of experience with the mk1 and mk2 chassis which I know are very similar to the B3/B4, but I have no experience with the Passat specifically so just want to make sure I know what to look for and what I may be getting into.
I'm actually gonna be looking at a couple cars this week so if anyone really knows their stuff some input on the specific cars I'm looking at would be appreciated. One is a 2.0l 16v FWD sedan with about 130000km and 2 previous owners and the other is a G60 Syncro sedan with about 170000km, has had some recent maintenance, and comes with some spares. The G60 is also considerably cheaper in part due to rough cosmetics whereas the 16v would pretty much max out my budget.
Thank you!
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B3 Passat G60 Syncro-daily
Mk1 Jetta Coupe-project
Mk2 Jetta Trophy-16v-parts
Dodge D-50-beater truck
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,590
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Both engines may cause You some trouble.
The G60 because of the usual G charger problems, the 16v as a whole.
The 136hp 16v, motor code 9A, is known to cause a lot of problems very often, e.g. head gasket failures. 9A is synonymous for kaputt (=defect) in german passat owner circles.
The later 16v engine, code ABF, 150hp, is far better.
The b3 is very much related to the later mk2 golf as is the first gen Seat Toledo - and that one was available with that ABF engine! So a potential parts donor, too.
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Last Edit: Mar 9, 2023 7:02:26 GMT by braaap
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mrbig
Part of things
Semi-professional Procrastinator
Posts: 461
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Fabulous cars the B3. I sorely miss my VR6 wagon.
Of the two, my choice would be the G60, but that obviously depends on how rough the cosmetics are. Body and trim parts (in the UK at least) getting more difficult to come by. The mechanical as braaap says is very closely related to the mk2 golf so that side of it should be easier.
Syncro specific parts can be a challenge to find (I've had a Jetta syncro previously, so have experience of this too) and if at all possible you need to verify that the viscous coupling is working.
Other than the usual buying an old car stuff, budget for a supercharger service, or even a rebuild depending on the service history, and check for rot.
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1969 German Look Beetle - in progress
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Looking at B3 PassatsDez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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They are decent cars, quite solidly built shells, all mk2 running gear so it will be familiar to you.
They all suffer with the same trim related issues. It’s always the same parts that are broken on them- door handles, window winder mechs,, certain switchgear and plastics. It’s always those parts that let a b3 down I find.
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Last Edit: Mar 8, 2023 9:33:34 GMT by Dez
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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,835 
Club RR Member Number: 40
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Looking at B3 Passatsjamesd1972
@jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member 40
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Syncro sounds really interesting - not one we got over here in RHD I think.
Can't be many left in that spec so always going to stand out.
Keep us updated !
James
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Both engines may cause You some trouble. The G60 because of the usual G charger problems, the 16v as a whole. The 136hp 16v, motor code 9E, is known to cause a lot of problems very often, e.g. head gasket failures. 9E is synonymous for kaputt (=defect) in german passat owner circles. The later 16v engine, code ABF, 150hp, is far better. The b3 is very much related to the later mk2 golf as is the first gen Seat Toledo - and that one was available with that ABF engine! So a potential parts donor, too. Thanks! I was not aware the iron 2.0 had that issue, my experience has entirely been with the 1.8. Unfortunately we never got Seats or anything with the ABF in Canada where I am or in the US, something that causes us no small amount of envy. Thanks for the info so far everyone, definitely good to know! |
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Last Edit: Mar 8, 2023 18:12:34 GMT by atevalve
B3 Passat G60 Syncro-daily
Mk1 Jetta Coupe-project
Mk2 Jetta Trophy-16v-parts
Dodge D-50-beater truck
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braaap
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,590
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Ah, sorry, did not notice You're in Canada.
btw: I just noticed a mistake in my post: The engine code for the 16v is 9A, where as the 2.0 8v engine is 2E, the same engine as the golf mk3 gti.
Also maybe of interest to You: there was a time, in the early 2000s possibly, when a lot of G60 engines have been changed to mercedes superchargers using two head gaskets and a custom made metal plate between them to lower the compression.
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Last Edit: Mar 9, 2023 7:01:57 GMT by braaap
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It's okay, I know this is mostly a UK forum so I expected it to be more European model centered advice. Fortunately the only mechanical difference I can find in the Canadian Passats is less available engines and the G60 having a much more aggressive final drive.
It's odd that they lowered the compression when doing that, since the G60 is already at 8.0:1 and there's only a 2mm size difference in the chargers. Good to know about that though since the Eaton M62 those used is super common here and I can get those for about $125 Canadian out of a junkyard very reliably. Might be worth just picking one up so I can still drive it when the G60 needs rebuilding.
Edit: bought it
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Last Edit: Apr 16, 2023 19:04:24 GMT by atevalve
B3 Passat G60 Syncro-daily
Mk1 Jetta Coupe-project
Mk2 Jetta Trophy-16v-parts
Dodge D-50-beater truck
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