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Used 2003 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
574 reviews

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4 out of 5 stars

Hate It!

HMS, 08/03/2008
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I wanted a Jetta for about 10 years and finally purchased one in 2003. I did this despite all the bad reviews and advice of others. I'm sorry to say that the car has been nothing but problems. Not only did I have to take it in numerous times to get it repaired under warranty, since the warranty's expired, I have sunk thousands into this car. I owned a used car that was 14 years old and only had to get a major repair done once. You name the part, it's been repaired in the Jetta: catalytic converter, cv joint, air conditioning, windows, radio, seat, armrest, swaybush, etc. I will never buy a VW again. They will try and say "this year's model is better" but it's not. Don't do it.

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4 out of 5 stars

VW Stinks

McKenzie, 08/16/2006
2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg Edition 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lemon Alert! This car is a great, fast, sexy model, but its mechanical reliability is horrible. VW has a serious problem with premature clutch blowouts at less than 50,000 miles. $2,000 later I have to sell the car because of a problem they say is my fault. As an experianced manual driver, this is more than an insult. This is a sham. VW of America is a racket! At 47,000 miles a clutch should not blow out! Every mechanic I spoke to has told me that even if I was a cluch rider, this should not have happened. This is not an isolated incident. Google "vw clutch failure" and you will get thousands of reports from VW owners for the same premature blowout. This is the last VW I will ever own...

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4.88 out of 5 stars

i love this car

Derek Peters, 08/26/2003
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I have had this car for almost a year and i love it. Its a great fun car and i would buy another one in a heart beat......If anyone is looking to buy one get it. I was worried about performance out of a 2.0 but it has great torque I love it!!!!!!

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3.63 out of 5 stars

Too Many Problems

Tigerroux, 01/17/2003
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I haven't been too pleased with the many various problems I've had with this car. Brand new, the biggest problem being a replacement of transmission, rotors, broken rear view mirror,a security system problem, and sticking drink holder mechanism. These were all fixed by a very good dealership, but all of this happened before the car had 5,000 miles on it. It doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling on the reliability of what might happen next. The other thing I'm not too happy with is the gas mileage. I think VW could do better.

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2.63 out of 5 stars

Dont buy unless you love your mechanic!

H8MYVW, 02/23/2009
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 3 people found this review helpful

I bought this car certified pre-owned. I have had two prior VWs. I knew parts were pricey, but since I've owned this car, it's been in for a variety of non-maintenance work! The catalytic converter was recalled and VW refused to fix it unless I paid $200 for a diagnostic test. The window brackets failed and the window fell into my door ($300) plus labor. The supposed great Monsoon stereo/CD player fails to work at times. The blinker stalk clicks at random. There is a constant squeaking when I drive over bumps that no mechanic can find the source of. My seat heat also just burned through the leather seats! And this is off the top of my head... just think long and hard before you buy!

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