Used 2002 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
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An awesome ride
I love my Passat. It's the second Volkswagen that I have owned. It is so comfortable, has excellent handling - it feels really good on turns and while cruising the freeway. The inside is perfect. Everything is within reach. The wood trim is so cool. The car definitely feels German inside and out. Just wish it got better mileage.
excellant car
this car has been our best new car to date .
- GLX SedanMSRP: $7,995231 mi away
- GLXMSRP: $2,495393 mi away
- GLS 1.8T WagonMSRP: $3,500511 mi away
terrible rotors!
Nice looking car alright ride! Had this car for 2 yrs. had to replace the rotors 4 times! Dealer can/could not find no reason why rotors are becoming warped every 5-10,000 mile is rediculous! Had a 95 Passat GLX that was not this hard brakes, if this is new technology I don't want no part of it! Also terrible in snow!
New car seems used
Car came covered in rail rust, orange spots dealer then removed by scratching entire finish. Had broken floor mat clip and fuse box cover.2 wks later- radio died. 3 wks to replace. Rotors were warped-dealer said that can happen as new cars sit in lot! Tire blew Labor DAy 2002, to this day dealer has never called w/tire, tire mfr replaced free when they heard how badly we were treated. Car vibrated over 40, dealer didn't believe us, 3 visits & wasn't fixed. Dash & roof now alternately hum. Zero customer service from VW. Sign me up for that class action suit
Not that great of a car
I am sick of spending so much time in there service department. More powerful engine is needed, To many electrical problems. Better service department is needed. Build the cars with less flaws, So far my car took in water from the engine 4 times, the back brakes went after 4000 miles...the check engine light goes on every other month...and the list keeps going.... Build better cars, and to VW take more pride in your work!!!!!
nice car, but lots of problems
You'll buy it because it looks great, but then never buy another one again because things just keep breaking.
Schweet W8!
The Passat W8 is an excelent buy compared to the 540i and the E430 4matic (which simlarly equipped cost $15,000 to $20,000 more). Although the car is very similar to the GLS, keep in mind that even the GLS is a very good buy as far as fit and finish, general quality, and features go. The W8's fuel economy isn't that bad either, in fact, it's very similar to the original VR6's fuel economy...not too shabby, an 8 with the fuel economy of a 6.
115k and Nervous
All I hear about this car is for the most part contrary to my experience. It's my wife's car, but I am the car buff. She bought CPO and it does have repairs early on that I am not accustomed to, being a Honda/Acura owner - things like control joints, axles, water pump - all went in advance of 100k (Honda's need brakes/tires and nothing else until 100k) and yes these repairs were significantly more expensive when compared to a Japanese car (30-40%), but overall it is a great ride sporty/luxury family sedan. Again, I am nervous because we have dumped some coin into it, so we are about to trade it in, but overall we've had a good experience with the car.
Fun and safe car
The GLX is the most fun you can have in this car class while still having room for adults in the back seat.
Just do it
43,000 miles in 18 months and not a single problem. Very comfortable on long trips, and never had it to the dealer for anything other than an oil change.
Electrical problems galore
In the year and 3 months that I have owned the 2002 Passat wagon, I have encountered numerous electrical problems. First, the entire security system went out after only 7,000 miles. After 9,000 miles the entire rear light assembly stopped working. After 12,000 the front headlight and rear cigarette lighter went out. After 17,000 the other headlight went out. Overall, this is an enjoyable car to drive but the reliability is a real issue. If you don't mind constant trips back to the dealership, buy one. Otherwise, avoid it like the plague.
Lotta car in a small package
We've had this car for 4 years and I'd love to find another just like it! My wife is a home health nurse in the hills with plenty of snow to push. She feels she can go anywhere she wants with the all wheel drive and I'm not sure that she can't. When the weather is questionable, we take the Passat and leave my Sierra 4WD in the garage. Regular maintenance is all we have done with no unexpected cost.
My VW nightmare
Buy a VW and all your nightmares will happen to you. In a matter of 4 months of buying a new 2002 VW GLS I had my Monsoon sterio system not working,inition coils failing(it took 2 weeks to get that fixed) and had to be replaced, fog lights stopped working and had to contend myself with inefficient wipers and defroster. I dont know whats more in store for me. Iam thing of looking to the lemon laws for help.
Still on Honeymoon!
This is my second Passat. My 98 saved my life when I was run off the road into trees. The car was totaled but I walked away without a scratch! I looked at all the new choises out there but could not help coming back to the Passat. It's better than the 98 in so many little ways that just add up to the best bang for the buck. This is only the 2nd car I have owned that I look forward to driving every day and I still glance back at it every time I park it. I now work at Sears automotive as a CSA and see and drive almost every car you can imagine. Nothing even comes close to this cars overall quality/price comparison.
Poor Build Quality
The car has a tight feeling while driving. Around Chicago where the highways are in poor condition, I found the stiff ride very harsh.I was surprised at this as most reviews gave accolades for ride quality. At about 14000 miles the car had an electrical meltdown. It would not start reliably, internal lights would flash, windows did not work, and neither would the radio. The dealer in Appleton WI refused to help me.Since then I have noted a number of squeeks and rattles .Most bumps even small ones are transmitted right to the interior so this is quite annoying. Gas mileage is mediocre. I cannot really recommend the car based on my experience.
Not built any better than other cars.
If you are willing to spend lots of time at the dealership after your purchase for repairs, then this is the car for you. I haven't had the car a year yet and as I speak the car is sitting in my garage undrivable because it barely runs, and the engine malfunction light is flashing. Also, about 6 months after I bought the car, all of the chrome side molding pieces turned an ugly white hazy color. Also, the manual seat adjustments are horrible and hard to use and the console storage is essentially useless. I also have a really nice rattle in the dashboard, a tell tale sign of lousy build quality.
Passat, Excellent Car
The Passat is the most luxurious comfortable car i've ever driven. It handles like a luxury auto, my only complaint is the gas mileage is not impressive
Bad News... my passat sucks.
I've had my Passat for 1 yr and its been to the dealer more times than my old crappy car. Engine light on, engine spudders/shakes, daytime running light went out on me twice. Hmmmm, what else. I lost all power in the car - the power windows/locks didn't work. This is all within the first 5 months I've had it. Then a month ago, the daytime running lights & headlight went out again. Now, its in the shop again because of engine problems. This time its going to stay in the shop for 2-3 weeks to repair the ignition coils (so they say). The most annoying thing is that the car creeks like crazy! My suggestion - pay the extra money and get yourself a BMW!
Excellent Car
I love my passat, not only does it have everything you can imagine or want in a car(everything is standard) it's comfortable, fast and fun to drive not to mention the fact it's practically a luxury car but it doesn't break your bank account, It looks more expensive than it is. The mileage on long trips is very good, I get over 320 miles to a tank usually on long trips. City driving mileage is what is to be expected from a V6 engine when you stop and go in traffic.
Go for it
Purchased a demo w/ 4,500mi. Very please with ride and comfort. Everything very tight. Radio reception leaves something to be desired but with a CD in the Monsoon sound system is great. Also stereo system just did not wrk one day. Took to dealer who pulled plug and replugged. No trouble since. Some areas of "chrome" molding are foggy. Don't know why. Acceleration a little delayed but when it kicks in watch out.
IT'S NOT A BMW OR A BENZ
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.
Keep Looking
I've now owned 2 passats now and what a joke! I fell in love with my first one (2000 model) and I although I loved it, thought I may had just gotten a "bad" car. After consistent repairs, I decided to try another newer version. I got a 2002 and same thing; if one things not messing up, it's another. The car looks good and goes fast, other than that, it offers nothing but a waste of time and money. I am very sad to have to report this!
My dream car!!!
I've wanted this car for a number of years and I can definitely say it was worth the wait. Just like everyone I know who has looked or purchased the car has said, it's simply a fun car to drive. Deceiving with the amt of room througout the car; engine is more powerful than expected; and great interior and exterior style. The leather and luxury packages are a must.
Great family car
With potent V6 and 5 speed tiptronic transmission, it's a great compromise between my wife (hates 5 speed manual) and me. Switching from Subaru Forester, I'm very impressed by this wagon's smooth, quietness and comfort. It has plenty of space in the back seats and good cago space.
Redefines sport touring sedan
This is a great sport touring sedan. It is very nimble and has excellent "street habits". I would strongly recommend to anyone. The AWD system is superb. Tiptronic does the job quite well. If you are looking for a 4 dr sedan to provide "double duty" - family sedan and performance car - then this is it!
Bad Geman engineering
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!!
2002 Passat W8 Wagon
Was looking for a peppy version of the Audi A6 and was intreiged by the look-alike W8. The car rides and feels like an Audi but the W8 has little more zip than the A6. Otherwise, I love the Bells and Whistles that are standard equipment that are in the car.
An absolute steal!
Currently leasing this car at dealer price of 31K. Was used as a demo, but what 2002 W8 wasn't? Beautiful ride, excellent stability, decent power. Absolutley the best car I've ever driven, however I may be biast since I've been a VW owner for 5 years.
A Rabbit in Wolfsburg Clothing
My wife and I own several German vehicles. When it comes to transporting our baby and her gear or assaulting the slopes to snowboard or trekking to the left coast to surf our W8 does it solidly and confidently. And by the way, this thing launches and screams to redline!!!
Oil burner
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...
Sad to give it up
We bought our Passat new and overall loved the car. We traded it in today on a more reliable vehicle. It was hard to part with the car, and we are sad that buying another Passat was not an option due to reliability and maintenance costs. This was a very safe and fun to drive car, but we should have cut our losses at five years. The MIL (check engine light) was on too often and often resulted in a $500+ repair. We did keep up with normal maintenance and full synthetic oil, but it still hurt to make repairs in excess of $1k when the value of the car wasn't much more.
So far, so good
Thougth we were gonna get another Trailblazer, but test drove the Passat because of the Edmunds review. Wow. No comparison. The handling, pickup, and braking are far superior to the 'Blazer. As for room, there is plenty. This is a solid car. We got most of the bells and whistles on ours and are very happy thus far. Careful though, it can be a little too fun to drive as is evidenced by that little citation from a jealous traffic officer!
surprised
i wasn't sure if i liked the feel of the car before i bought i,t having previously driven a saab, but it's really grown on me. it's fun to drive and handles quite well- very very smooth on the freeway and tight on twisty roads. and very quiet. gas mileage in the city isn't so great, even with a light foot. hopefully this might improve with time. (only have 500 miles so far) not much storage space in the front despite the little middle console-my cd's are on the floor.
Best car under $30,000
Blows away the competition in overall performance, value, and fit/ finish. You may pay a bit less for a Toyota or Honda, but they're so boring...they don't have that solid, fun, German feel. It may not be a high-performance sport sedan like a BMW, but you're not gonna find a Bimmer this size for this price.
Great, when it's working
I bought my 2002 Passat wagon used with 23k on it. I was drawn by the styling inside and out, vault- like build quality, and the utility of a wagon. The only negative I saw was the lackluster engine power. Since then, I have replaced the convenience electronics module, turn signal flasher, brake booster pump, steering rack, one catalytic converter, and the other cat is now leaking and needs replaced. The transmission is dodgy, the climate control sometimes cuts out, and the rear window washer doesn't work. The sunroof drain leaks into the rear floor. I've spent about $5000 in repairs in 3 years. When the car is working, it's fabulous. When it's not, which is way too often, it's a disaster.
Buy It!
Best valuse for the money. I compared it to a Volvo s70 Cross Country and the Passat simply blows that Swede away in every category. The s70 drifts all over the place whereas the Passat is glued to the road.
passat
great car for having fun. has lots of power when you are trying to get into another lane. good braking, especially when you are in need of braking suddenly. Even good horse power in automatic. gets to 60 miles per hour in a considerable amount of time.
VW Passat 1.8T Sedan
I bought a Passat 1.8T after the beginning of this year. It ran perfectly for a couple of days, then it staled on me and I had to go change an ignition coil. Now I have problems with my starter, which is very expensive to repair, and problems with my A/C. I love the look of the car, inside and out, but it's exspensive to fix and not that reliable. I have to take it to the dealership every month at least once a month, for some small repair.
Great looks, expensive repairs
I bought this car used with 80,000 miles on it. I felt in love with the design of the car (mine was black), tinted the windows. I got tons of compliments on my car. Drove it for about 6 months, and in anticipation of a long trip decided to check it at the mechanic. His verdict was this: it looks like new, but it's falling apart. Belt, bushings, suspension, brakes etc. The list included about 15 different things. Total cost to repair all that: $2500. After owning the car for 6 months! That's almost 1/2 the value of the car. Not to mention that oil change costs twice as much as on any normal car, runs on premium only and i had 10-12 mpg!
Don't buy one at any price
I own a 2000 Passat. The first year this car was great. Starting in January of 01 the wiper motor went out. Then the check engine light started coming on. In May 01, check engine light comes on. Trunk lid opens on its own. Door locks open and close on their own. Car will start and not start. The gasket that protects the passenger compartment from the outside elements was defective and allowed the water to leak in and ruin the computer etc.. It came that way from the factory in Germany. The car has been in again for a malfunctioning air injector pump, vacuum hoses and mass air flow sensor. If you are thinking about buying one don't.
W8 is worth the money
For anybody pondering the question is the W8 worth the money the simple answer is yes. There is no other car out there that even comes close to the features, size or performance of the W8 for near the price. Some people will say what about the 330xi, sure it is all wheel drive but it is a six cylinder and a smaller car. The A6 is a little larger but also a lot larger in price. Anybody that is looking for a deal on a 8 cylinder German car should definatly at least drive the W8
Great car, lots of costs
I am finally at the end of my lease with my Passat wagon. My car has been in the shop numerous times for various problems; i.e. electrical, engine problems, minor things like bulbs burning out and the brakes needed to be replaced at 25K miles! To add insult to injury, my local VW dealer has ONE certified repairman so many times I had to wait for up to 2 weeks to get my car into the shop. Bottom line is that I took a lot of time researching cars when making my decision and unfortunately VW did not live up to my expectations. This car is expensive all the way around; repairs, gas mileage, etc. Be cautious when purchasing this car.
nice but troubled
beautiful car, unreliable at best. replaced instrument panel 2x, headlight switch 2x, dimmer switch, climatronic, radio didn't work for 1 month, died after sitting for 1 week from bad battery, both headlights burned out at the same time, broken ashtray, bad mpg on 91 octane. great in snow, classy and smart looking, but with serious issues. thought a german- built would be better, but sorely mistaken. plus, dealer bordered on incompetent, took at least 2x to fix any problem, then tried to tell us 3 weeks before loaner car available. nice try, we got an enterprise that same day. after 20+ visits, service advisor acted like it was first problem.
One Big Lemon
One problem after another - 1st, the secondary braking system. Soon after, the stereo just went dead. The dealer blamed a loose connection. Okay, so they fixed it. Next problem, what do you know, the stereo dies again! This time the dealer replaced the stereo. That was a week ago. Today, I had to cancel a hike with our 2 labs; another warning light! "Alternator workshop!" This wonderful news was accompanied by an appalling smell from the engine compartment. Well, looks like another trip to the dealer. I have to admit that the VW service people are a great bunch - I'm sure I'll be getting to know them very well.
Never will i own another VW again!
I bought this car thinking it would be a good way to save on gas and still able to haul my mountain bikes around and travel, was i wrong! To mention some of the problems... Tire went flat then the spare went flat, the glove box handle broke off, the knobs on the stereo came off, the alarm will go off at random times, the serpentine belt broke and fried the motor, gas cap door wouldn't open, the thermostat in cold weather sets off my check engine light, the hatch stopped opening, oh and to top it all off i have to put premium in the car which then makes it just as much much as my old SUV's to fill up. I have had an 88 Landcruiser and it ran better and was more reliable than this car!!!!!!!!!!
Love the car!!/ Leary of the reliability
I love everything about my 2001.5 V6, manual! Its looks, the solid feel, the blue lights, even the rear lights. One of my daytime running lights has burned out after 10 months. Seems waaay too early for that. One concern is that the pillar gets in the way when I'm try to see, change lanes on the front, right side. Drove a Celica for 13 years. I just hope I can come close to this on my Paasat.
My car.
I'm 6'4 tall and this car is perfect for person of my height or even taller. Next time I might go for stranger engine V-6 or W-8, but otherwise no complaints.
One Year Review of 2002 VW Passat
My Passat has run problem free for 11 months and 8600 miles. Ride is smooth and quite on the highway. Highway mileage very good. Averaged 33.8 MPG on a recent 600 mile round trip. Turbo is smooth on the highway a bit of turbo lag in city driving. Overall quality of vehicle is excellent. My only complaint is the comfort of the seats. I previously owned a 1997 Passat GLX with leather seating and those seats fit like a glove. My 2002 has the leather seating option but the seats are not very comfortable on long trips. The seat bottoms seam short and the 2002 lacks one adjustment in seat bottom that was present in the 1997.
A true winner
Everything good you read about the Passat is true, and then some. Fantastic styling, performance, reliability, and service. Buy one!
Luv my Passat!
This is the most comfortable car I've owned yet! I commute between Huntsville, AL and Atlanta, GA twice weekly. My Passat has the tiptronic (it's both an automatic and a stick shift) and it provides a TRULY ENJOYABLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE! I would strongly encourage anyone who's looking for a great car to look at the Passat. It has more room in the back seat than it's luxury equivalent, the Audi A4. It's a great soccer car too!