Used 2005 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Passat 1.8 GLS
After 1 month of ownership, all is superb. The bad rap that VW has often had has not been the case with me. Great deal, good dealer experience and the car is great to drive. Plenty of room for 4 adults; interior quality is excellent. The "leatherette" is very well done. I love getting in this car every day. It handles wonderfully and is a joy to drive. With a new Passat on the way, the current models are being dealt on, and they are going to have to go pretty far to improve on this model.
Great car
The car is beautiful inside and out. It's extremely comfortable and feels more expensive than it is. The leatherette upholstery will fool anyone into thinking that it is real leather. This car is made for long highway trips. The ride is very plush and quiet, and the seats fit my 6'1" frame very well. My last car was a 4 cyl Accord, and the fuel economy is not as good as I expected. I got 29-30 MPG on an all highway trip versus 36-38 MPG in the Accord. The trip computer also lies about the fuel economy. It shows 1-1 1/2 MPG higher than the true MPG. Too much engine noise enters the passenger compartment & the engine is more coarse in feel and sound than an Accord or Camry 4 cyl.
- GLS 1.8T WagonMSRP: $32,640442 mi away
- GLS 1.8T SedanMSRP: $4,000508 mi away
- GLS TDI Diesel SedanMSRP: $5,995590 mi away
This car awful
I have had this car for only a year and a half and I have had the coils replaced twice ($400.00 each). Then I experienced a crack in the cylinder head which cost me $3,800.00 to fix. My mechanic said that such a crack should not happen to a car that had less than 100,000 miles on it. Furthermore, it shouldn't happen to a car that hasn't overheated (which mine didn't) which basically points to bad materials used in the part itself. Besides the mechanical flubs, the oil changes are very expensive $80, because it has a "turbo". Honestly, there is no point for a turbo in this car since it runs worse than most 4 cylinder sedans without one. I hate my car.
Two New Passats
The Passat TDI has plenty of pep for passing. Averaging 42 mpg to work and back (160 miles). Build quality and stability is as goog as a Mercedes. We liked it so much that we bought a second one. Radio on both cars in AM mode is raspy (seems like it is not on the exact frequency). My secretary's car which is a 2003 Passat has the same raspiness as our cars.
I don't like it.
We bought our Passat new in 2005. Within 3 months plastic pieces began to break. We have stopped having them repaired because the new parts also break. We have had the front tires blow out twice because the car won't hold an alignment. The trunk lid has become so stiff that my wife is not able to open the trunk. Now the car is in the shop with excessive sludge buildup after we used VW for most if not all oil change service. This car has been worse quality than any other car I have ever owned.