Used 2002 Volkswagen Passat Sedan Consumer Reviews
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Great Car
asl157, 04/09/2006
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
In almost 80,000 miles of driving, I can honestly say this has been a great car. My dealership has been outstanding. Except for the two recalls that were handled promptly, all other service visits were for wear and tear items like normal light bulbs burn out, vacuum hoses need to be replaced, etc. I'm not trying to be a VW apologist, but in my opinion a lot of the things that people complain about in this forum are maintenance issues, not reliability issues. Regarding the turbo/oil system issues, I have had no oil problems with this car, but I have used synthetic since I purchased this car. I think this should have been standard with a turbo engine, anyway.
I hope you are a mechanic
DJW, 02/24/2009
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
V-6, 5 speed. Gets great gas mileage - 26 in town, and 33 hwy. Leather interior still looks new. However, when things go south, they go quickly. Keep an eye on CV boots over 60k. At 70k, the whole top of the engine started leaking, and after 2 re-do's of the valve cover seals, they still leak. Shocks shot at 30k. Headlights go every 10K until I disabled the DRL's. Electronics in driver's door shot. Coating on interior peels. Sunroof is possessed. But - I won't sell it because the new Passat looks Japanese, nothing this good looking gets mileage like this, I still get comments on how unique and cool it is, so overall - if you are a mechanic - you can't go wrong!
2002 Volkswagen Passat for sale near you
3 of 14 listings
- GLX 4Motion SedanMSRP: $5,500225 mi away
- GLS 1.8T SedanMSRP: $4,500377 mi away
- GLS 1.8T WagonMSRP: $3,999477 mi away
See all 14 listings
Skin deep beauty
Kait, 02/12/2021
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I’m a college student and this was my first car. Bought it used with 92k miles on it. HUGE MISTAKE. Ive put about 20k miles on it over the last 2-3 years and I’ve had major problems with this car from the head gasket to the thermostat to the coolant to the water pump etc... thing broke down like once a month. no joke! I would NEVER suggest anyone to buy this car unless you’re good at working with them. Also hard to find a VW mechanic too. My radiator cracked and at this point I’m done putting money into it and getting a new car. I will never buy a VW again!
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Best VW I've Owned Yet
Empty _M, 12/14/2016
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought the car new and have driven it for 16 years (150,000 miles) with no major and only a few minor repairs required. It's fun to drive, even though it is a medium sized sedan. I bought the 5-speed standard transmission because I love to actually drive a car and it was noticeably guttier than the automatic. It is powerful, even with the 1.8-liter engine, but then it is turbocharged. The turbo is smooth and has a pleasant whine of power. I can go as fast as I want driving up canyon freeways near my home, watching many "more powerful" cars falling back. The gear box is really hefty and positive; ditto the clutch (original clutch still operates perfectly). It is economical. I always get 28 to 33 miles per gallon and have gotten 36 miles per gallon on long trips. I don't use the cruise control much, but it does operate very smoothly, with no lag. The Monsoon sound system is great. I added a 6-disk changer. I drove a 2016 Passat and I'd take my 2002 over it any day. They seem to have turned the car into a Chevy Malibu. My car feels much more solid and drives more like a European car.
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Excellent Quattro a.k.a 4-Motion AWD
Paul M, 05/09/2002
2002 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought dealer’s demo 2001.5 Passat GLX 4Motion last month. The Quattro a.k.a 4-Motion AWD system provides amazing stability to the car. During cats-and-dogs downpour the car behaved as it was on dry pavement. In addition, the richly appointed interior and upscale looking exterior plus excellent crash ratings make this car a pretty good buy. On the down side, the engine needs low- end torque. You don’t get much acceleration before the tach reaches about 3000. Also, I wish instead of that bucket-size ashtray on the back of center consol, it had CD storage. Apparently, Germans smoke a lot more at the back seat...