Used 2003 Volkswagen Passat Wagon Consumer Reviews
OIL SLUDGE AT 120K! READ THE FORUMS
Sure I took a risk buying this car used at 119,500 miles, but all the reviews online were pretty good for this car. 400 miles later I started having oil pressure lights and engine lights come on and when I googled the symptoms, I got all kinds of bad news about the car. Oil sludge is a problem and if it's not fixed fast, the engine will need replacing. I'm not even sure if there really is a fix for this problem. If you have this car, get it checked right away. These reviews make it look like a good car, but be careful and read the forums to see what will really happen if you purchase/own this car. 2002 also has this problem
Classy Ride
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.
Great Car Except... 2 Things Drive me Crazy
I'm writing this review because I just got backed into. And if the blasted horn were to work when the car is turned off it would not have happened. What I want to ask you Mr. Hans Designor is why must the hatch lock everytime it is closed? How is this a safety feature? And how in the world is it safe to be unable to use a horn when your car is turned off? A paranoid hypocondriac grandmother could not design a more annoying electric locking system.
Looking for something reliable? AVOID AT ALL COST
We bought our 2003 Passat GLS 1.8T wagon with a little over 70k miles on it, which I guess is high mileage for a VW. If you're a real enthusiast or VERY handy with a wrench, then by all means get one of these. Otherwise, be advised to stay the hell away from these pieces of cr*p. Every year is thousands of $$$ to keep it on the road. The car has a complicated and involved service procedure, so anything under the hood will be expensive to replace. Two shops quoted me $500 just for the valve cover gasket, and most of that was labor. German engineering = myth.
Love to Drive
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.