Used 2003 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
Used Passat for sale
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Best car I've ever owned
eggheader, 03/22/2015
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
I bought new, now have over 230,000 miles. This is a fun car to drive, especially with the manual. Have not had any major mechanical issues. The paint and interior have held up very well. Only annoyance is that the headlights burn out more often than most, but are easy to replace. Keeping up with preventive maintenance and fixing small problems quickly are essential though! Parts are expensive, and I agree with other reviewers that dealer service departments are terrible- I found a great VW mechanic locally.
Classy Ride
jservin4him, 07/25/2012
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
26 of 30 people found this review helpful
My wife and were looking for something that would be a good fit for our growing family of 3. It seems everywhere we go we needed a stroller and had to get groceries and haul a baby bag. A wagon was the best choice for us. We looked between a Subaru Outback, Mazda Protege5, Kia Spectra5, and the Passat. All of which are increasingly hard to find in good condition without having to sell the farm. We picked the Passat wagon and are very please with the good mileage and smooth power of our 1.8T and Tiptronic. Our is a GLS so it doesn't have everthing but is very comfortable with black leather. The Monsoon audio system sounds great! Great car for us so far.
Lot of Miles
gary McGinn, 07/07/2006
2003 Volkswagen Passat GL Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I do a lot of 'trips'.... me and my dog... Never have had any major issues with my Passat. After reading all this stuff I probably would have been paranoid... yah small stuff...lights, door lock, etc. Only Lexus is bullet proof... but the Passat's ride quality, and fuel economy overrides that. I get an honest 30 mpg when I cruise at 65 / 70 mph. And I am in the market now for '07 model. I really looked around, Edmunds.com and all that and considered a BMW, Audi, even a Lexus SUV, but will probably go with the Passat Wagon.
Avoid the turbo without a thorough inspection
checkengine88, 06/28/2014
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Bought it used from an as is dealer. Trunk only opened with a key and the coolant looked a little funny, but I talked him down and thought I was getting a good deal even after I had to sink some money into it. $1900 later I gave up. The car kept over heating as engine oil was getting into the coolant system. Had the engine oil cooler, water pump, belts and thermostat replaced and it overheated again. I had to call it when they said the next step was to replace the turbo and if that didn't work, the head gaskets. Oh and the electrical module under the seat was faulty causing the trunk problems. Please take it to a dealer for an inspection before you buy it used. Had it for a month
People need to understand their cars better
vw2003b5, 04/14/2013
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS V6 Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5M)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
This is my second VW i got this one very used it had 160K and one thing i can say for sure is you have to make sure all your maintenance is done up to date. These cars are very sensitive to that. I do my repairs my self Synthetic oil MANN filter Premium Gas and good K&N air filter I'm getting close to 30mpg on High way and 25.5 mpg in the city. Dealer is the last place i would go they are rip off specially Valley Motors in Hunt valley MD Changing oil and never touche filter or charging for service they don't do. Help your self and find a good small shop tech that knows VW and go to him he will keep you rolling for my repairs other than oil change I go to Izzy auto service in Reisterstown
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