2003 Volkswagen Passat

Pros: Must be some reason I still have it, looking to trade it in soon!

Cons: Expensive maintenance, lower quality then my last two VWs, dealership was unconcerned with my experiance

The Bottom Line: I owned a Jetta and a Fox now I'd say avoid VW, 2003 Passet towed to dealer 3 times, two fuel pumps then the ignition switch. Expensive maintenance.

Review: This was my 3rd VW, first one bought new. I was extremely pleased with my Jetta and Fox, great gas mileage, minimual repairs mostly maintenance, nice ride. I put a lot of miles on my cars and thought this was a step up, what a mistake. This car was...

Pros: The Passat is roomy, has great visibility, and is fun to drive.

Cons: Poor wiper design, and lack of storage are the only negatives I've noticed.

Review: Having just purchased a pre-owned 2003 Passat Wagon GLS 1.8T, I've been very impressed overall with the simple, sleek, and solidly built vehicle. I must say, however, that what struck me as a stylish detail at first, the new-fangled all-rubber wiper...

Pros: Steady on the road, nice exterior design

Cons: See review

The Bottom Line: do not venture into buying this car. The dealers and volkswagen canada offer a disastrous service

Review: I have bought this vehicle mostly because it's designation as the family car of the year in 2003.Since then, only problems. One day the car won't start although it was parked in a heated garage, i wonder what would have happened if I would have been...

Pros: Tight handling, good braking, that German feel.

Cons: CONSTANT Emissions issues, poorly designed glove box door, flaky electrical system

Review: It's a tight car with good handling, decent mileage (we get up to 32 on the highway on longer trips) and good fit and finish both inside and out. But the Achilles heal of this car is the high incidence of O2 sensor failures and other emissions...

Pros: looks, interior, features, feels solid

Cons: reliability, difficult to service, dealing with VW, brakes, wiper fluid odor, visibility

The Bottom Line: for this amount of money there are much better choices

Review: 50+ days later...my Passat was never fixed. After the BBB helped me out VW has repurchased my vehicle, returning to me the price of the car and all taxes and fees, less 21 cents per mile. It has been in the shop for about 80 days total this year and...

Pros: excellent gas mileage (27-36 mpg), drives nice and handles great

Cons: expensive repairs, horrible reliability, dealerships are difficult and awfull to work with,

Review: I bought my Passat used with 40k on it from a local VW dealership in may of 2007 after trading my ford in, thinkin VW would be a much better car, WRONG. One thing that I must say is that atleast it came with a warranty because if it wern't for that,...

Pros: Handles nice, Looks nice, easier on gas than a SUV

Cons: Low to the ground, mechanical gremlins, cheaply made.

Review: We bought are 2003 GLS station wagon new. The car rides great and handles nicely, however mechanically it is not refined. We went thru two recalls on the engine ignition system and were still not sold they fixed the nasty problem of it only running...

Pros: Sporty, safe, good interior design.

Cons: Numerous visits for warranty fixes and recalls. VW isn't what it used to be.

The Bottom Line: Skip VWs. You can get a much better value buying an equivalent model from other manufacturers.

Review: I grew up spending many summers riding cross-country in a '77 VW Pop-Top Camper. It was bliss! It was a major factor in my choosing to get a 2003 Passat GLS Wagon for my growing family. The nostalgia of put-putting in camper is where my good...

Pros: Drives nice when working. Looks good. Feels like a safe car.

Cons: Too many problems to be worth it.

Review: This car looks great, but it SO not worth the problems. We bought it brand new. It is the 5-speed, 1.8T with winter package.

--It's had 2 recalls: the FUEL PUMP and a HEAT ELEMENT in the seats.
--It's left us stranded more than one...

Pros: Sweet Engine, Solid Ride, Looks Cool

Cons: Price, Interior Space

The Bottom Line: The W8 is worth the money if you really love Volkswagens. If you want others to know you can afford a $40k car, this isn't the one for you.

Review: If ever there was an American success story, Volkswagen has got to be it. They ve come a long way from what I like to call the dark days of the Dasher. If you don t remember VW s early transition in American from odd, old world import to...