Used 2003 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
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High Maintenance
Fuller, 07/12/2008
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
I really liked the look of the Passat. It drives well, handles good, and gets pretty good gas mileage (24 on average). The brake system is terrible. I have had to have the rotors and the brakes changed every year and most of my daily drive is highway. You have to go to the dealership for every thing (head light replacements, wiper blades, etc.). I've had to take it to the dealer at least 5 times for recalls. The kicker is the car requires high octane gas. It won't perform well on regular gas.
Love to Drive
Erin, 05/05/2009
2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion AWD 4dr Wagon (4.0L 8cyl 5A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
I Haven't had this car long but I love it. It is very fun to drive. Good fuel economy for a V8. When driving in the mountains I get between 16-18 mpg and on the freeway 22-25 mpg. I live in the foothills and the power is great going up the hills. I bought the car with 64000 miles and the only problem was whoever owned it last didn't have the rear brakes replaced properly and it broke the rear springs. Not a big deal though. I had it fixed and it runs fine now. Car seats fit well in the back and I have more than enough room in the back to fit all the kids stuff (Pop-up crib, stroller ect)for a weekend trip. Great Car and I have no regrets purchasing it.
2003 Volkswagen Passat for sale near you
Showing 3 of 21 listings
- GLS 1.8T SedanMSRP: $4,995297 mi away
- GLX 4Motion SedanMSRP: $3,997305 mi away
- GL SedanMSRP: $4,990313 mi away
See all 21 listings
I Love my VW but there are problems
KimBea, 10/20/2010
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
I love my Volkswagen but there are problems. It's fun to drive, looks good. I love having a station wagon. People often think it's a more expensive car. I did have to get my engine replaced after about 50,000 miles. Fortunately, It was under warranty and I had documents to prove that I had my oil changed properly. YOU MUST PUT SYNTHETIC OIL IN YOUR CAR AND GET IT CHANGED AT 3,000 miles. You have to baby it. I know have to make sure I check my oil and add some. I use a trusted mechanic rather than the dealer. I go to the dealer and buy the part I need (including bulbs) and have my mechanic install it. I save money and time. I'm not sure I would buy another VW, but I love my car.
This car always makes me smile
grammatarz, 10/22/2003
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion AWD 4dr Wagon (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The only unfortunate thing that I have found is that 2003 is the first year that they installed a plug in the back of the manifold. Unfortunately mine blew without warning after 4 months..this may be a chronic problem. Ultimately, the car gave me no warning that all of the oil was blowing out as I was driving. It should have given me a low oil pressure sign or something. It's something to look into.
Impossible to fix
Kenneth, 08/30/2005
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX Fwd 4dr Wagon (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This was a good basic car. However, all of the items meant to make this a luxury car did not work (auto-wipers, auto-AC, etc). I could only get parts at the dealer and only the dealer could work on it. But, even the dealer couldn't fix any of the problems. I sold it with all of the problems that supposedly had been repaired. I did not have a trip to the repair shop cost less than $2,000. From new to sold (including repair costs) I lost approx $30,000 owning this vehicle.