Used 2003 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
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What will fail next?
FoolMeOnce, 10/30/2005
2003 Volkswagen Passat GL Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
How many electrical problems can one car have? My Passat's history: tail light stuck on, trunk light out, headlight out (times 2), heated seat burned hole through fabric, visor light out (times 2), remote key failure, speaker failure, brake lights nonfunctional, CD player frozen. And one non-electrical problem, a broken glove box latch. All this with only 38,000 miles on the odometer. All items were covered by warranty, but the hassle factor outweighs the fun of driving this car. Nearly every VW owner I talk with has had similar problems. What will fail next? Rather than paying to extend the warranty, I am trading in this lemon for a Honda.
The high cost of love
Nate, 12/07/2009
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I LOVE this car. I HATE what it costs to keep the love affair going. It is a dream to drive. The interior is beautiful. The features are bountiful. My friendly/local/helpful dealer (Maple Hill Auto - Kalamazoo) is sending his kids thru college on me: 3 sets of rear brakes 1 Torque convertor (mis-diagnosed) 1 $3700 re-manufactured transmission 2 boots 3 batteries 5K mile synthetic oil changes 1 tune up 3 headlights 2 tail lamps 6 wipers I'll be having the timing belt and water pump changed in spring; and the 120K tune up in summer. The car still puts a smile on my face. It has all the features (but no compass) that I want. I get 23.4 MPG overall with no oil burning.
2003 Volkswagen Passat for sale near you
Showing 3 of 18 listings
- GLS 1.8T SedanMSRP: $2,263627 mi away
- GLX 4Motion WagonMSRP: $5,999844 mi away
- GLX SedanMSRP: $7,999845 mi away
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Good design, almost flawless exectution
tboneharry, 10/22/2003
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Overall, a wonderful car and highly desirable. Fantastic interior design and execution makes me feel as though I'm driving a much more expensive car. 4Motion system outstanding in poor weather conditions, but adds weight that hampers acceleration. Solidly built and extremely comfortable, with a great compromise between ride and handling characteristics. Overall, a much more appealing design than it's chief competitors in the midsize family sedan category (Accord, Camry), which seem competent but utilitarian in comparison.
2003 VW Passat GLS 1.8T
vw2003passat, 11/30/2011
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
17 of 25 people found this review helpful
I purchased this vehicle new in 2003. It's still with me: 149,500 miles later. I appreciate a car that's made it this far, and is fun to drive, but the VW Passat exacts a price: lots of problems and plenty of expensive maintenance. I've had a bad radio, bad brake light switch, malfunctioning seat heaters, bad airbag light, three replaced CV boots, a bad oil cooler, and the check engine light is on so much I'm surprised the bulb hasn't burned out. Add to this $40 wipers, $70 oil changes, and VW dealerships who are terribly nice while they rattle off a long list of questionable repairs. If you're considering this car or any VW, I highly recommend you stay far, far away.
Would not recommend this vehicle
deck3, 05/21/2012
2003 Volkswagen Passat GL Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
7 of 10 people found this review helpful
My 2003 Passat had 91,000 miles when the engine sludged; a known problem with this engine. This car has been more stress than the $14,000 purchase price. The original sludged engine had to be replaced with a new engine ($3,695), installed and the engine reset ($977 + $252), as well as the cost of a replacement car ($900). Stress and towing not included. VW's CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT regarding the Sludging of its Passat vehicles has been anything but easy. VW had multiple hoops to jump through. The Oil Sludge Settlement Administrator group had told me on more than one occasion that I would be "reimbursed 100% of the above expenses", but I just received a reimbursement check barely large enough to cover the cost of the engine ($3991.98). What a shame. This engine had problems, VW was aware of these problems, and VW was taken to court and made to reimburse those who purchased these problems. This company, Volkswagen, is not a reputable company to deal with based on my dealings with them. Both their product and business handlings have been of poor caliber. I would not recommend doing business with Volkswagen.