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Used 2003 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
592 reviews

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4.13 out of 5 stars

Pretty Good.

Cali to Mass, 06/13/2008
2003 Volkswagen Passat GL Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

As my first real car, I lived in Orange County and bought it @ 66,000 miles Certified. Two car accidents. One cross country trip from California to Boston. One winter later it has 105,000 miles on it! GULP! But it's fared pretty well. I've had a few minor electrical issues, and an engine leak but after the terrible VW Customer service honored everything it was alright. After putting over 105k miles on a 5 year old car it still coasts the highways SO SMOOOOTHLY. I need brakes done shortly, first time since 66,000 miles. Just got my timing belt done and ready for more. Good Car considering everything Ive done to the poor thing.

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4.63 out of 5 stars

Passat Wagon -- no compromises

dermeister, 08/08/2002
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX Fwd 4dr Wagon (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

With a new baby on the way, I needed just a bit more room than my previous Passat 1.8T sedan. But I didn't want to compromise on performance, overall engineering, looks, or quality. I'm very happy with my '02 Passat Wagon/Variant. It has willing performance, good low-end torque from the V6, very stable handling at low and high speeds, and great room thanks to the practical square wagon design. I chose a the buttery smooth 5-speed manual, but the 5-speed tiptronic is equally nice and pleasing. The wagon back actually adds a considerable amount of room, and also adds more rear headroom than the sedan.

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4 out of 5 stars

Fun but tempermental

tim d, 11/10/2009
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS V6 Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bought this car new in 03. Blue Anthracite with Grey Leather. Very well appointed and good performance. Drove great, had the feeling of a safe and heavy car. Had problems that I would not expect of a fairly new car: Short Brake Life, including warped rotors. Bad Breaklight Switch, $900 alternator replacement, a battery that only the dealer can replace (not good when it goes out on Sat. night). 2 bad CV boots. Oil leaks. Improper alignment burned up 2 new tires. Ridiculous price on 40K and 80K maintenance. When this car was getting near 80K, I sold it on Craigslist and bought a Honda. I could not stomach another trip to the dealer for them to find more stuff wrong.

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2.75 out of 5 stars

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.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Just a Comment

Robert Tuckett-Reddy, 10/22/2008
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I originally leased my 2003 Passat and intended turning it back after the lease was up. The car was such a great car that I decided to purchase it. I have owned this vehicle for 5 years now and have only replaced wear and tear items, like brake pads, and tires. I recently replaced the timing belt which again was a scheduled maintenance item. The car has been a super car to own, reliable, fun to drive, comfortable and a overall feeling of safety. I intend to keep my Passat for another five years and would pass it down to a family member without hesitation.

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