Used 2003 Volkswagen Passat Sedan Consumer Reviews
Used Passat for sale
2003 Volkswagen Passat
j wilson, 11/07/2015
2003 Volkswagen Passat GL Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
18 of 23 people found this review helpful
This car is a complete lemon. You fix one thing three things break. Repairs include 2 water pumps, vacuum system failure. Sludge in the motor. Very expensive parts. Turbocharger failure. Antenna broke. Seatbelt buckle broke which is hooked to airbag. Don't buy a Volkswagen. I have paid more in repairs than I paid for the car.
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W8 is Great!
W8 Bob, 02/24/2006
2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (4.0L 8cyl 5A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This is a great car. It has a very solid feel. Mine is a black on black sedan w/sport package and Tiptronic. This is our 3rd Passat. The first 2 were 2000 GLX Tiptronics. It is very enjoyable to drive and has a wonderful motor. I can't believe VW has not found a home for this motor in another VW/Audi vehicle. It has great handling yet a reasonably compliant ride. The transmission is not the best in Drive as it has slow kick- down. Using manual mode solves problem and is lots of fun. It gets good gas mileage considering 8 cylinders and 4000 pounds. Better than my wife's '04 Audi A6 with the 3.0. I know because I drive both cars. It will average 26 to 27 MPG on highway if kept under 65 MPH. I can't get more than 23 to 24 with the Audi under the same conditions.
Eight years later.
dbcooper13, 11/20/2011
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I bought my '03 Passat new. I got it because Edmunds and others loved it. And at the time, everyone and their brother had an Accord or Camry. Eight years later, the transmission's gone. Rather than fix it, my mechanic told me to junk it. I'm not hard on cars. But cleaning out my glove compartment, I found all my receipts from work to the car over the years. Totaled approx. $7,400. The car was fine for 4 years, then turned into an absolute lemon. I would not buy another VW. Ever.
The best headache I've ever had
Alexandria, 04/25/2017
2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (4.0L 8cyl 5A)
8 of 10 people found this review helpful
"C'mon, let me take this headache off of your hands," are the words that convinced me to give up my dream car of 13 years to a new owner 600 miles and 5 months into ownership. Yes, my near mint Passat W8, who earned the nickname, "German drama queen," was a headache but, to be fair, it was the best headache I'd ever had. To put it simply, this high performance machine will create an addict out of you. Everyone should experience a W8 at least once in their lifetime! What is there not to love about a collectible, very rare, and crazy fast exotic 8 cylinder Audi with a Bugatti engine hiding in the semi-luxurious body of a humble B5.5 Passat? To quote the previous owner who endured 10 years of ownership along with a new engine and torque converter after the car spent 1 year in the shop for electrical issues ($20k worth of warranty work), "Enjoy your W8 to the fullest now because when something goes wrong it will make you curse or empty your bank account." I truly enjoyed my W8 to the fullest. It was a fine example of German over-engineering. Something very special. Still, at the end of the day, when a leaking gas tank and dying alternator (among a few other insignificant issues) caused my car to spend more time sitting in my driveway than on the road, my W8 lived up to it's infamous reputation of being unreliable and extremely costly (at least $4,000) to repair with virtually no one who knows how to properly service them. I can't say that I wouldn't recommend the W8 as it is truly a fantastic car. However, only two types of dedicated people should buy it; the filthy rich and the everyday man who has enough mechanical expertise and experience with VW/Audi to bravely repair one of the most complex and wonderful cars known to man. Even then, only proceed with purchase if your W8 has had it's engine, torque converter, and gas tank replaced (if it wasn't replaced under recall, it will wear out later). If you can't afford the repairs or know how to repair this car yourself, perhaps you'd be better off with an Audi A6 4.2L.
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Don't buy it
Michael McKaig, 06/30/2006
2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8T Fwd 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I bought my Passat new in 2003. This car was fine until 30,000 miles then it began falling apart. The interior flooded at 40,000 miles from body leaks requiring an entirely new carpet etc. It was put back together wrong, cracking the windshield with crossed wiring in the dash. It is now in the shop again for the flooding problem at 46,000 miles. Also, it needs an entirely rebuilt brake system at 46,000 miles. German engineering???? Spend your money elsewhere.