Used 2005 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
Used Passat for sale
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Luxury Ride, Econobox Mileage
Tomato Pie, 10/10/2005
2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Driving 96 miles each day, I needed to replace my wonderful 1991 Acura Legend that had accumulated 215,000 miles. I wanted to retain the great comfort, safety, and performance of the Acura while improving on the 25 mpg I was getting. Research took me to the TDI Passat, and I got one of the last leftovers for 2005 (cannot get the diesel in the 2006 Passat). I have logged 5,000 miles and I am THRILLED with this car. It is powerful, comfortable, and I am averaging 43 mpg on the highway when I can keep my speed under 65.
TDI Wagon Still Strong
ScottM, 11/19/2010
2005 Volkswagen Passat GL TDI Fwd 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I wrote my last review of my wagon almost 2 years ago. My car now has 55K miles and is better than ever. Since the stock suspension is very wallowy I replaced the shocks & springs @ 50K with H&R springs and Bilstein shocks from the Tire Rack. Wow, feels like driving a brand new A6. A worn CV boot was found and replaced during suspension work. Thats it, no other problems. This car had the Upsolute ECU reflash done to it over two years ago and not a single problem. It adds an extra 30HP and 50ft-lbs torque. This thing pulls like a freight train and gets 38 MPG on long trips. Replaced stock stereo which stinks with a $250 (installed!) Sony from Best Buy. Way better even w/ stock speakers.
Do Not Make the Same Mistake I Did!
SCOTT, 06/12/2010
2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
I purchased my 05 Passat TDI due to an increase in my daily commute and was sold on VW's diesel reputation for reliability and economy. After several warranty items were addressed(power window switches, bulbs, door seals, ext. brightwork, antenna, MAF and turbo sensor, battery) I wasn't too confident in the car. Despite my constant engine maintenance(oil change 8000 km with correct oil)the camshaft failed at 122km.($2400 repair) At 131km the oil pump chain tensioner failed.($1200 repair) All parts replaced with VW orig parts, not upgraded or any defects corrected. VW Cda had no interest in answering my calls, letters or questions. Now my fuel economy has dropped to mid 20's for some reason.
Passat
Napp, 09/28/2006
2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Fwd 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
The Passat diesel has two great qualities and one big poor one. The gas mileage is fantastic, 38 mpg town and 45 mpg or better highway. The performance is fantastic, it feels like a higher end car, more than what you pay for it. The seats are comfortable. However, the interior stinks! The finish on the handles, and all over, flaked in the first month of use. The interior is not just plastic but cheap plastic and things fall apart without much use. Without power seats the hand cranck brings down the appeal of this high perfomance car. The interior easily marks up and cannot be wiped down. The service has been very good, but there's not much they can do to fix the flaking.
Wouldn't buy it again
Otho DuBois, 10/25/2017
2005 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4Motion AWD 4dr Sedan (2.8L 6cyl 5A)
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
For starters, I did not want to buy this car, but I was heavily pressured into by my parents for my car. I've owned it almost 2 years to the date and bought it for pretty cheap with about 105,000. I properly put oil in the car regularly and service it myself. Since I've owned it I've had to replace all the vacuum hose as it broke apart, the timing belt, 2 rotors, radiator fan, a number of hoses, gas cap, and now the motor (head gasket blew). I don't think i've driven it more than 7 consecutive months without something major going wrong. The first thing happened about 7 months after I had the car, I believe it was something along the lines of I was getting terrible mileage, the car was overheating when it wasn't moving, and I was losing a lot of oil. We fixed everything, a few months later the car stopped working while I was turning, the steering locked, and it was smoking, scarier than hell. We fixed that, which turned out to be a lot of stuff, the car had also run out of oil (I had put oil in it just a week before) and it gave me no warning whats so ever. We finally get everything done again, and a few months later i'm driving and the front bumper just decides to fall off, no warning, no sagging, I didn't hit anything, it just fell off while I was going about 60 mph. I replace the bumper and the bolts for it. About a month later everything is going ok and bam, blows a head gasket out of no where. Now i'm replacing the motor. All of this in just 20,000 miles. I'm now going to drive the car for about a month when i'm done fixing it and then i'm going to sell it. Im done with it. Also the parts are expensive.
- Safety
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- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
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