Used 2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon Consumer Reviews
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146,000+ Miles, Lots of Fun, but Headaches Too
pjkportland, 07/26/2013
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8T 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I have owned my 2003 1.8T 5A GLS wagon since new and now have over 146k miles. It really is fun to drive and has amazing cargo hauling space. But . . . expensive to maintain and gets only about 21 mpg on premium. Make sure you have a good mechanic. Mine is one of the best, and I still have a funky/random issue - a beep, blinking dash lights, then a power drop, as if the tranny disconnected with the engine. As much as I like driving the car, I think I'm going back to Honda when old blue bites the dust.
The yellow is starting to show
Sandra Bartlett, 10/16/2015
updated 10/21/2016
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
Bought in Feb last year and can't make a yr with it.I have replaced multi things catalytic converter.2 batteries abs battled check engine light for 6 months .Now there's an electrical drain the no one can find. Fed up here.MY UPDATE-UNLOADED this crap vehicle no one ever could figure out what was draining the battery
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- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
This one is a heart breaker...
jahshwa, 07/16/2011
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8T 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
8 of 10 people found this review helpful
What can I say? I've poured money into this little beast, and everything is still breaking. If its not a circuit board, its a vacuum hose or an oxygen sensor... Everything just falls apart on this car, and there seems to be no stopping the decline. I just rebuilt the transmission, replaced two axels, two boots, the A/C circuit board, the windshield washer pump, the windshield... you name it I'm replacing it. It drives great, and I loved it for a while... but this thing is high maintenance & annoying. Not worth the fun drive at all... I've already dumped an extra $6000.00 into this car, and that's what its worth now.... :(
What a car!
youbikim, 10/29/2002
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Frankly speaking, I worried about Jetta's small engine (2.0, only 115 hp). Now, after having it for a month, I am totally satisfied with my Jetta. I think this car is slightly small for a big individual, but its performance is awesome. At only $22000(GLS+leather seats+monsoon sound system), this car has alot of features of luxury cars.
Fun, small wagon
eapj, 01/15/2010
2003 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8T 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
So far, so good with my '03 1.8T manual wagon. I have had other VWs and wanted a small but sporty wagon and I picked this one up certified pre-owned in September 2006 with 34k miles on it. I have had to replace wear and tear items (brakes, etc.) but I have get to have a mechanical problem with it. Sure, it has quirks (sunroof sometimes opens by itself; cupholders are useless but I don't use them anyway; sometimes te rear hatch doesn't like to open). To me, these are minor annoyances that don't impact my love of the car. I plan to run it into the ground since there aren't any fun, small wagons on the market I like (new Jetta too large). So far, so good at 82k miles.