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Used 2002 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
466 reviews

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2.25 out of 5 stars

Never Owning a VW Again!

luckymeblp, 12/04/2008
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I bought the car new in 2002 and now am at 82,000. Have had issues with headlights constantly burning out, leaks in the carpet causing mold, the sand colored cloth interior dirties easily and is impossible to clean. The rubber coating on things peel, the tint peeled the first year, things break off all over the place, the sunroof opens randomly on its own and nearly all of the dash has shorted out at one point. It is incredibly expensive to have anything repaired or replaced (which happens quite often). Also, having it repaired at the dealer is astronomically pricey, so just prepare to pay a lot for anything to be fixed... and mechanics hate to see you come in b/c its difficult to fix.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Great to drive, expensive to repair

Renee, 08/30/2009
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Still love to drive the car, but frequent problems now at 7 years. Motor mounts, catalytic converter, CV, top of engine leaking oil despite 2 repairs - list goes on. Also weird electric issues throughout life of car - display showing avg mpg started malfunctioning after a year, 2 yrs ago sunroof started opening/closing on its own, etc. Even the hood open hydraulic died (no prop stick on a VW) - an $80 repair. No way will this car make it to 10 years and my next car won't be a VW based on this one's reliability. Bought new w/ regular maintenance - all done at a VW dealership.

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2.63 out of 5 stars

Bad Geman engineering

Phil Jon, 12/04/2002
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I bought my Passat GLS 4cyl Auto in Aug02.The 3rd day the "premium" sterio "Monsoon" stopped working.Got that fixed.In the 3rd month car started vibrating uncontrollably.The dealer said the ignition coil has to be replaced & there is a backlog of orders for the ignition coil.Time to get me a replacement??Anywhere between 2 weeks to 5 months.And the dealer located in NY said they couldnt give me a loaner car.So I had to call the VW.10 min. of haggling over the phone got me a rental car.Now I drive an Alero and my 25,000$ VW is still with the dealer.More problem fuel.VW suggests octane rating,92 & above.Dealers suggests octane rating of 87!!

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2.5 out of 5 stars

Oil burner

ldanks, 02/21/2002
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I fell in love with the awesome look and style of this car. (Fatal Mistake). From the day I drove off from the dealership, I've grown to dislike this vehicle. Above 45 mph it shook, and vibrated. After 970 miles it burned 1 quart of oil. The dealership advised me that was within the proper range of oil consumption. I was told that it comsumes oil rather than burns oil..go figure. I have a Nissan Sentra with 210,000 miles and has never burned a drop of oil. Needless to say this is my last VW product. It is a beautiful car, but the beauty in this car is truly only skin deep. I leave it in the garage and drive my nissan, saves on oil. Hope to unload the Passat soon...

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3.88 out of 5 stars

IT'S NOT A BMW OR A BENZ

glaxowelc, 12/06/2002
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Passat is a wonderful car and despite the review's title, I do like mine. In my opinion, it falls far short of either the BMW or the Benz in most categories but, it doesn't cost over $45,000 either. This more than makes up for any of the car's shortfalls. German engineering at a bargain price.

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