2003 Volkswagen Passat

I own a 2003 VW Passat GLS Wagon with 70,000 miles on it which I bought new from a prominent local dealer in NJ. I opted only for the premium Monsoon stereo and automatic transmission; everything else is standard equipment, which is fairly generous.

The standard engine is the 1.8T 4-cylinder turbo which has good power for passing and cruising at highway speed. As is often the case with most turbos, the 1.8T suffers from some turbo lag, particularly from a dead stop. If you have to merge into quick traffic from a stop frequently, test drive this engine to make sure it's appropriate: The lag can be too much for some driving styles. Needless to say, the Passat Wagon with the 1.8T engine is not a sports performance pairing. The turbo lag caveat aside, the car handles excellently in emergency maneuvers and has good passing power at higher speeds. The transmission is smooth and upshifts quickly, increasing the gas mileage.

One benefit of the somewhat underpowered engine is that the gas mileage for a car of this size is typically around 23-26 MPG in mixed city/highway; and this is one heavy car. An additional concern with this engine is that it vibrates the car at idle. My 1992 Accord vibrates less than this much newer car. For some, the vibration will become annoying. Others will quickly get used to it, and won't likely even notice it. At RPMs above 1200 or so, I don't notice the issue. At idle, it's too buzzy for me.

The heavy nature of the car is a mixed bag: The weight helps to soak up bumps and improve wet weather handling, but it also seems to exacerbate the turbo lag off the line. Despite the weight, I have avoided numerous collisions in dense traffic by being able to maneuver away from the trouble, even at high speeds which is a big plus. In addition to good emergency handling, this car has two front airbags, two front seat side airbags and two side curtain airbags plus ABS which works well. Thankfully, I have not had to test the airbags.

Overall, this car is comfortable with a relatively roomy interior and nice fit and finish in the passenger cabin. The gauges are clear and easy to see and the look is understated European elegance. All controls have a solid, quality feel that is better than any other car I've ever owned. The sunroof/moonroof is a great design that is easy to manipulate with a single flick of a dial, a nice feature in this price range. The steering and brakes are above average and everything looks like it was well planned, from the contrasting gauge colors, to the ease of converting the back seats into flat storage space -- it all works and works well.

Now for some negative aspects of my Passat experience: The first and most important negative aspect is mediocre reliability and relatively high maintenance costs. I had heard some negative rumblings about VW before I bought the car. Still, there were loads of positives, so I thought I would try it out. I can honestly say that I have never been more disappointed in a car's reliability than I have with this Passat. When it's running fine, it's a great car. However, when it's not working well, it not only fails, but it also costs a great deal to get it back in working order!

For example, for the first 60,000 miles, I had few warranty repairs or problems, only having to replace the headlights and couple of small engine components. Unfortunately, I had to fix the brakes at 20,000 miles, as they had significant fade and were becoming a danger. So, I went to my friendly dealer who was very pleasant but insisted that I needed to have the pads AND rotors changed. At 20,000 miles. The cost? A mere $1,000 (with oil change). I nearly fell out of my chair. That price is exorbitant for such a fix! I went with it that time, but vowed not to again. But, I did. Still, I really enjoyed the car and thought it was a nice car for my family's needs.

Once my warranty ended at 60,000 miles, however, I subsequently was left with a nonworking car 3 times. I had to be towed all three of them. I had to take time off of work. I had to rent cars because the dealer didn't have any loaners (and didn't seem to much care about me now that I was out of warranty). Another reviewer was correct about certain oddities: Wipers cannot be obtained from car shops, only VW. If they get the parts and install them, it will be at least $60 -- for wipers! Also, the recommended fuel for the 1.8T is premium (91+ octane) which hits me with an additional surcharge over regular unleaded of about $2.50 per fill-up. Over time, that surcharge adds up to a non-trivial amount (NB: You can use other fuel grades, but the performance is decreased, a hit I couldn't take on the already-underpowered engine.)

To quantify the cost issue, over the 3 years I have owned this car, I have spent maybe $2500 in maintenance in years one and two combined (under warranty!). In year three when my warranty expired, I spend another $2,000. That's $4,500 and I'm not including time off of work and car rentals. Once the warranty is up, this car will destroy your budget! Given the original cost of the car and the subsequent maintenance, this car cost me nearly $30,000. That price is far too high for this car, in my opinion.

For those who need lots of storage bins and cup holders, this car is only average at best. The transmission is a nice 5-speed auto shifter with manual shift mode, and the stereo is nice (if not great). Maintenance is expensive and post-warranty repairs are many. If you buy this car, get the extended warranty if you can. If you yourself are a mechanic or you know one well, this car may be fine for you. If you rely on this car only, perhaps consider leasing it for 3 years and then getting a new car. I rely solely on this car for my daily commute to work which means I put on lots of miles. Within 3 years, the car had become quite a burden despite having been maintained religiously at the dealer.

Therefore, this car can be a very nice car for its purposes, but it can also become a financial burden quickly if it's your daily driver on a long work commute. I would warn prospective buyers to check maintenance records carefully and to be sure you don't mind occasional troubles. That said, this is a nice pleasant comfortable car with a great sunroof, nice stereo, and lots of cargo space. It has always seemed safe and has very good, functional ABS and traction control. I cannot honestly give this car a definite YES recommendation, but neither can I give it a clear NO. It's a MAYBE for the right person. For me, it was not ideal, so I have to say I will not purchase another VW until their reliability improves (even though the new model Passat addresses some of my complaints such as storage bins and turbo lag; I still cannot trust that they are sufficiently reliable for a long-commute daily driver).