Depends what age of car you're looking at. The old 1.9 litre 130bhp motor (engine code AWX or AVF in VW Passats up to 2005 / 6) goes very well indeed. However, it's gruff and grumbly when accelerating, although quiet at a cruise. No DPF either in these cars.

The critical thing with the 1.9 and 2.0 PD motors is that they must be serviced with the correct oil, or they lunch their camshafts in short order.

There is a problem with oil pump drives in the 2.0 diesels, but not sure exactly which models.

I'm sure more people will be along to contribute ...

I'm looking into buying an Audi or maybe a VW. Which diesel engines out of the VAG group are best for reliability without being too sluggish? Any advice is greatly appreciated as I'm a newbie to the world of VW

I've heard about how oil pump failure on the 2.0 TDi Audi's can render the engine and turbo useless. Does this affect all 2.0 TDi's or did they fix the problem?

What are the 1.9 TDi engines like? Do they have any common faults as serious as the 2.0 TDi?

Do the VW 2.0TDi engines have the same problem as the Audi's

Many Thanks

Personally i would go for an Audi with a Quattro system which is a personal opinion, but even VW are very good i have a 1999 Passat 1.8 20v non turbo estate with fVWsh and 284,000 miles and counting still all original and engine in good working order.... i cant ask for more than that as i paid £700 for her and if i get another 50k out of her before anything major needs replacing then i think its a worth while buy... thanks

Hello UJU, I have the 1.9TDi PD130 VAG engine with nearly 150K on the clock. Regularly serviced, using fully synthetic oil. Goes like a dream, hardly any oil use between services of about 18K and returns nearly 50mpg overall. They are a bit noisy at idle but cruise beautifully and quietly. They are quite hard to find now and like mine most are at least 5 or 6 years old. Keep looking. Go to family run franchises for Skoda or Seat and you could unearth a gem with the right history. Good luck. Concrete