Used 2008 Volkswagen GTI Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Great performance. Poor reliabilty
David Lynch, 06/24/2016
2008 Volkswagen GTI 4dr Hatchback w/Prod. End 05/08 (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)
18 of 24 people found this review helpful
This car has phenomenal performance, but man does it have things go wrong with it. A few things you should know of you buy this car. You're going to replace the coil packs on this car every 30-40K miles and when the first one goes, replace them all. In fact, carry a spare in your car at all times along with a code reader. When you get a misfire, read the code, find out which cylinder it is and replace it yourself. Here is a list of all the things I've had to replace since I bought the car with 21K miles on it (it has 54K now): 4 coil packs, 4 spark plugs, 1 thermostat, 1 vacuum pump, 1 intake line, 1 headlight bulb and both headlight auto-leveling motors. I haven't even had to replace the brakes yet... Think about that. All in, I've spent about $4,000 in repairs on this car. No one should go through this many repairs for a car that has less than 55K miles. In the last 9 months I've spent half of those dollars on repairs for parts that just brake. I love this car, but if/when I get another, I'm leasing it. I'll never buy a Volkswagen again. A real shame too, because the fun factor is a 10. Reliability factor is a 3.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Best Car I've owned
Dan, 04/01/2010
2008 Volkswagen GTI 4dr Hatchback w/Prod. End 05/08 (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I give this car 2 thumbs up for being the most fun and comfortable car I've owned..I've owned 2 dozen or more. Even with reliability issues, it is still worth having if under warranty. I've owned it a month now...bought it used with 16k miles. It has FSI engine which i learned is the older version, but still very good, though. Great handling, comfortable ride even with 18" wheels. Gas mileage is awesome 26- 30mpg mixed mostly highway commuting. Premium gas is a must if you want good gas mileage. First tank from dealer got 26mpg with regular then after that I got close to 30mpg with premium. VW combines fun and practicality all in one package. Back seat is rather large, too.
Still happy with my GTI
Eric, 04/18/2010
2008 Volkswagen GTI 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Leased it two years ago this month. Now has almost 25K on it. The only problem so far was a fuel sending unit which kept indicating car was out of fuel. Dealer fixed it and no further problems. Car drives great, I average 27-28 MPG in a commute that is equal parts highway and city driving. I have owned MANY MANY VWs over the years, and some have been very problematic. Not this one. I plan to buy it at the end of the lease due to its reliability, economy and performance. Once it's mine I will chip it and replace the OEM wheels & tires to improve the performance ever more.
Bought it yesterday
bbramely, 04/15/2008
2008 Volkswagen GTI 2dr Hatchback w/Prod. End 05/08 (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I have been researching cars for about 7 months. I was looking at this, an accord coupe, a g6 gt, and mini cooper s, and so on. I knew that whatever car I got into I would be happy with and I feel content with my lease. I am about to graduate from college and got a great job, so this is my first car in my name. Big experience for me. I am such a car guy so I put a lot of time into this and found that rating for rating, pound for pound, dollar for dollar, i made the right choice.
A Fun, Solid, Useful Little Package
PASNBYU, 09/07/2010
2008 Volkswagen GTI 4dr Hatchback w/Prod. End 05/08 (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I'm coming up on my 3 yr ann. with my GTI and have only very few / minor complaints (see below) to go with my many miles of spirited driving. Even though torque steer is non-existent, I've decided I just don't like FWD cars - the balance is just not there, especially at turn-in. Luckily for VW (and me!), from what I've read, my wants / needs are all met with the 2012 GTI-R / Golf-R / R20.
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