Used 2004 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
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Great longevity
Lc, 07/30/2015
2004 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
35 of 35 people found this review helpful
I have the 2004 model. After 11 years and a great ( indy VW) mechanic and regular maint. and oil changes, I've had minimal costly repairs. Maybe, I'm in the minority but I'm holding on to it, with just 115,000. My last VW went past 200,000.
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Trad d In the Car 2016- Emissions Tests Problems
nancy wiggins, 11/18/2015
updated 05/25/2017
2004 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4Motion AWD 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
Love the handling& has enough power to make mountain trips a breeze. Replacement parts are too expensive for me. Low height is easy entry & a great feature but front bumper & oil pan (replaced 4 times-speed bumps)are too low. Very costly continuous repair on poor US roads.(NC&SC). Bought it to serve as a company car to haul executives as well as a personal car. Works well on both counts.Got the German made luxury edition and have enjoyed the features. The emissions system is a problem.
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Almost 17 years and still going strong (update)
jsnoWVen, 11/05/2017
updated 11/16/2020
2004 Volkswagen Passat GLX Fwd 4dr Wagon (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
I bought this car new in 2004. Other than a few minor recall items, it has never been back to the dealership; I have an honest, reliable mechanic who has done the maintenance and repairs for me. I have faithfully performed all scheduled maintenance on the car with the exception of the timing belt, which I replaced early on the advice of the mechanic. This car has been 100% dependable, is a joy to drive, and looks good, too. I fully expect to be driving this car well into the future. Update: I have now owned and driven this car for over 15 years. There have been no major problems with the car, just the usual wear-and-tear repairs that come with a daily driver. The mileage has dropped a little in the past few years, but still within the EPA ratings for the car. I bought this car to replace a VW Golf that was 18 years old and had over 200k miles on it. At this time, my husband said I shouldn't expect the Passat Wagon to last as long as the Golf. He has since changed his tune, and we both fully expect this car to exceed the Golf's lifespan with us. Update, 11/2020: With the advent of working from home for the last eight months, the Passat Wagon sits in the garage more than ever. It still starts quickly on the first crank and is a pleasure to drive. During the summer, the compressor for the a/c failed (it was a replacement compressor) and was replaced gratis by the vendor. Other than that, the Passat Wagon has had nothing but oil changes and scheduled maintenance for the last couple of years. The leather seats are worn, and have a few cracks. But this car spent every work day out in the Alabama sun, so that kind of wear is not a surprise.
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Don't believe all the myths about these cars!!!
William, 05/14/2016
2004 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful
I have driven American cars my entire life, and almost bought another one after my accident in a 2006 Chevy Malibu. To the Chevy's credit, it was comfortable and had great gas mileage, but it was definitely not safe enough, and there were compromises in other areas. Some of which included build quality, performance, design, etc. After a lot of research about these car, and my son being a huge German car fan, I decided to test drive this car on the roads I'm accustomed to and in the way I drive. The performance is excellent, and the ride is very capable and tuned for comfort. After looking at about 15 different cars (foreign and domestic), this was definitely the best and safest car for the money. For years I have heard of so many horror stories about these cars, mostly about parts and reliability and things like that. I have had no trouble so far. This car does require some knowledge and willingness to learn, and simple maintenance is easy to do and is relatively cheap (like replacing a cabin air filter in a few minutes with a $12.00 aftermarket part). Only if you go to the dealer for absolutely everything will you see the money piling up. I would recommend doing simple things like that yourself. But really, no major problems whatsoever. Just as reliable as American cars. I was lucky to find this car, as it is a high trim car with the better engine and features. It was a one owner car, and was obviously well taken care of for the 67,000 original miles. My one big complaint about this car is the gas mileage which is about 20-24 in mixed driving. Although it says in the owners manual that you can run it on regular gas (not E85), I use the middle-grade one and my car runs perfectly. Otherwise, it's a great looking, comfortable, and fun car that I hope to enjoy for many miles to come.
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I Still LOVE This Car
thevelvetelvis, 03/31/2012
2004 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2004 passat GLX 4motion slightly used with less than 9,000 miles on it. I lived in North Idaho for 11 years and this little car handled everything the weather threw at it. Now I'm in Florida and I still love my car. I'm At 65,000 miles and It has had no problems at all. Zero. I always do the routine maintenance and It still runs amazingly well. I have always had Japanese cars with their very good repair record but loved the way this little car handled so I bought it, always thinking if it becomes a problem, I'll sell it and move on. When it's time to replace this car I'll get another German car. I just love the way they handle. It's sick, but I do love this car.
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