2003 Volkswagen Passat

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...

Pros: A reasonably priced German Driving Machine

Cons: The German way of designing a German Driving Machine

The Bottom Line: If you want an average car, there are cheaper options. If you want a family Driving Machine, this is the car for you.

Review: Depending on what you are looking for, the Passat may or may not be your idea of the ideal family car. To illustrate what you are getting into, I will offer a comparison between the Taurus, the Accord, and the Passat. (I traded in an Accord to buy the ...

Pros: Wonderful ride, great handling, great gas mileage, smooth shifting 5 speed

Cons: a little on the pricey side, 1.8t is a little slow off the line.

The Bottom Line: When you are sitting and driving in this car, there is no question that you are riding in a precision built driving machine. I would absolutely recommend this car.

Review: {I've updated below)

This is the first ever car I have purchased new, and frankly, it is wonderful.

I test drove everything on the market. I don't exactly know why, but I fell totally in love with the idea of a station wagon. [a...

Pros: Gas mileage, Smooth Ride, Upscale Appearance, Manual Transmission, & Turbo!

Cons: Velour seat material in base model GL and reclining the front seats.

The Bottom Line: An unexpectedly sporty, reliable, and affordable "family" sedan that can blend in with it's upscale relatives.

Review: I purchased a new '03 Passat GL 1.8T manual transmission as a compromise with my wife -- I wanted a sports car (or the closest thing I could afford), but she wanted a sensible, family vehicle. I was on the fence between the Passat and the new (at the ...

Pros: Engine; Tiptronic transmission; ride and handling; solid, well-built feel; styling

Cons: Limited interior storage space; light colored interior shows all scuffs; tires; stereo

The Bottom Line: Except for tire issues the car has been perfect. It's good looking, has a nice ride, and fuel economy is good (I'm averaging 26). It's a buy.

Review: I've been driving my 2003 Passat for three months now. It's a Colorado Red GLS model with the tiptronic transmission, 4-cylinder engine, Monsoon stereo and winter package. After 4,000 miles here's my two cents on the car:

Pros:

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Pros: German Engineering, German attention to detail and quality. Performance and smooth, refined V6

Cons: Plastic glove box, no trunk release latch on trunk, no rear airvents.

The Bottom Line: There is no car for under $30,000 that compares. I have looked at Honda, Nissan, Volvo, GM, Ford, Subaru, all fell short of this German Touring Sedan "on a budget."

Review:
I went to buy/lease an Audi A4 at the local dealer in Scottsdale, AZ. With in minutes he was talking about a $500 per month with money down etc.... and took a very snotty attitude with me when I questioned the value of the lease. As the car was...

Pros: Nice design, good power, handles awesome,safety features

Cons: none so far

The Bottom Line: For a mid-sized sedan, this is the best quality and most fun to drive

Review: This car is worth every penny! Its outside styling is very attractive. I have the V6 GLX model so i ...

Pros: World Class Design, comfortable, reasonable economy considering weight, AWD well built with great engine.

Cons: Turbo requires care, service issues for oil change interval if your not mechanically inclined.

The Bottom Line: If you are a driver with a growing family seeking a safe economic alternative to the venerable beastly SUV's this AWD car is a must drive.

Review: The VW Passat GLS 4Motion Wagon is a world class designed ergonomically correct very comfortable autobahn cruiser for thousands less than others, sold at reasonable prices. This car, as we soon discovered, can be had for a very reasonable price and has ...

Pros: High quality, many features, a great compact wagon choice

Cons: Needs way to hold shopping bags in cargo area, fuel mileage

The Bottom Line: A very comfortable, luxurious 4 passenger compact wagon offering good performance, fine quality, and adequate cargo space. MPG a concern, hopefully being corrected.

Review: We bought a 2003 Passat GLX Wagon to finally escape from the boredom of minivans, and be able to get 4WD and still carry a reasonable quantity of stuff for lifestyle and hobbies. After looking at the top-of-the-line Subarus, we chose the Passat for...

Pros: design, interior, and fine german engineering :-)

Cons: premium gas

The Bottom Line: Absolutely LOVE it.

Review: We bought this car last year due to expected addition to our family (wanted to upgrade from a 2-door car my husband was driving). Somehow I ended up with this wonderful VW and my hubby (poor guy) is now in my old car. He says that if we had to buy...