96 TDI Wagon

Hi, not sure if this is the right place for this...

about to travel down to San Diego from sf to buy a 96 Passat tdi wagon. before I commit to this I wanted to run a couple details past the community.

the odometer has a digital readout that reads, but it does not budge. the speedometer needle also doesn't budge during travel. Is it safe to assume that the system is like my rabbit's, where a cable coming from the transmission plugs into the back of the instrument cluster, and works the speedo + odo? if so, is the purchase/replacement of this cable similar the rabbit's?

are there known Passat tdi wagon issues with this particular generation that I should be aware of and on the lookout for? ... perhaps questions I could clear up with the seller over the phone before committing to the trip down the coast


lastly, does anyone know a suitable/reasonable mechanic for old vws in the San Diego/LA area that they trust? im considering doing the timing belt but all my tools are on the east coast.

thanks for your help,

Nicolas