Used 2008 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
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VW Passat 4 Motion
Great vehicle for family and fun, powerful V6 with 4 motion traction. Make me anxious for the snow to fall. Nice interior, handles great, a bit large for my taste but I have a family so must compromise a bit.
fast and smooth
Never had a VW before. Very happy so far. Unexpected power from this VR6. Very fast off the line, great cornering and smooth when cruising at highway speeds. Love the sport styled "old school" seats- extremely comfortable and roomy and I'm 6'2". Excellent quality, fit & finish, great dash and overall cabin design. Lots of storage too.
- Lux WagonMSRP: $5,49714 mi away
- Lux WagonMSRP: $4,60099 mi away
- Turbo SedanMSRP: $5,999182 mi away
Oil Burner
I have driven this car 10,000 miles now. Changed the oil at 5,000 miles. At 9,200 miles the Stop Engine light comes on while driving. Check the stick and the engine was bone dry. Check engine light never came on. Brought to dealer and told it is normal to burn a quart every 1k miles. Dealer will not admit to engine problem. Now doing "oil consumption study". At 10,100 miles has burned another quart of synthetic oil. What kind of company is VW if it will not fix problems when presented with one. I feel totally ripped off having bought this lemon.
So far a good value for me
I bought this car used at a dealer.7/2015 I live at 7000' above sea level and occasionally drive to 5400' (New Mexico) This is important to understand reference to performance. The 4 cylinder Turbo accelerates nicely at this altitude. It accelerates close to or better that my 2006 Toyota 4runner V8. I wanted to change the shifter handle for esthetic reasons and ended up damaging a small piece of plastic and ended up with a $1100 repair bill the replace the entire shifter module which had to remove from the bottom of the vehicle. The makers obviously was not intending this to be removed, so be careful if you want to change out the leather shift handle. I really like the way the windows operate. Typical German engineering, all the windows come up/down with one touch instead of just the driver door. There is a full size spare tire. The cruise control works great, one button push is all that is needed. And accelerates good. I bought it at 76,000 and now has 86,000 miles(1/2016). I think the ride could be smoother. I wonder if different tires would help. I think VW has always been a poor man's Audi. It doesn't feel as solid as or as smooth on the road as smooth as A4s I have owned.
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120K mile update
160k update: car hit by dump truck, totalled, will be missed - they just don't make'm like this anymore. 150k Mile Review: Daughter has abused this for the past 50K+ miles. Have had a chance to drive it recently and was reminded of how smooth, quiet, solid and effortlessly this car drives. A world apart from current Passats. I would buy it all over again. 50k mile review: Have driven VW for decades and this one is no different when it comes to small things needing repair, mostly under warranty. Engine strong, gas mileage consistently exceeds EPA. With Good Year Assurance Comfort tires ride is quiet and smooth though not as sharp as stock. Fully loaded and air-condition running can easily achieve 32-34 mpg at 75mph+. Also fully loaded car doesn't seem to bog down due to turbo torque even going up hills. My daughter now drives the car after my son put miles on it but every time I get back in and drive it I smile. Wish they still sold a wagon in the US. 120K update: still runs great but annual $2,000+ maintenance over the past two years has reduced my Great rating on maintenance to poor. Still is an excellent fun driving car. Everything still works.
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