above plus strong lens headlights, stylish exterior,Monsoon sound, tight tolerances between surfaces make this a "poor man's BMW". Acceleration on the 5 speed is amazing :)

The wheels look like 15", even though 16", they look small. But that's relative.

A bad holiday season for sales prompted VW to lease the car as above with $1400 down. The dealer was on the phone with them 3 times and simply wouldn't let me leave. Of course, to bait him i showed a SAAB 9-3 lease deal from across the street. Can you imagine that i am paying less on this lease than i paid on the GTI GLX? Anyway the indigo blue with beige/walnut interior is fabulous. I like the discreet lights that highlight the center console at night. The 5 speed shifter is solid. Short throws, low lying, a breeze to operate. Love the 10 deg. shift in mirror when backing up. Fridge in the glovebox, automatic rain sensing wipers etc.

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2000 VW GTI GLX 2002 SAAB 9-3SE

Styling, handling, quiet, safe.

Mechanically unreliable -- you could get stranded in this car. VW seems to have no interest in keeping its customers happy. I guess we can vote with our feet and go elsewhere. It seems that German cars have really declined in quality over the past several years.

Fun to drive, BUT! As soon as the warranty expired at 24,000 miles, the trouble started. Isn't that a cooincidence? At 31,000, right front wheel bearing went out ($600). At 53,000, the water pump ist kaput! I haven't yet heard the bad news about this one. My dealer seems as though he has been worn out trying to get VW America to stand behind their products -- no satisfaction at all. And on top of all that, the promised resale value seems to have shrunk well below the estimates made at the time of purchase. My last car was a 1999 Honda Accord. Why didn't I buy another one? I certainly will next time!

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1999 Honda Accord V6

Fun to drive and Looks great.

This car has had a number of problems and there are just 10,000 miles on it. The most inconvient one was when one of the coils went out. It went bad on me in the middle of the night in January in MN!! (I was a little cold to say the least) The VW dealership knew of the problem, but they would only replace the broken one because there was a sortage of coils. They also told me what to do when another fails!!! (that means they think it will happen again)

I loved the car when I first got it, but there have been to many problems along the way for me to purhcase another.

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Ford Explorer, VW Jetta, Saturn Vue.

Attractive, solid, comfortable

Defective ignition coils make this car unreliable

At about 6000 miles my 2002 Passat needed an ignition coil replaced, which necessitated a tow and general inconvenience. The dealership admits to having many problems with the coils in this model and cannot guarantee that the remaining 3 coils will not blow one by one. If it happens at high speed, serious damage is entirely possible. Cars must be recalled for replacement coils. Complaint filed at NHTSA, Flynn's (dealership) & VW of America.

great looking car, nice handling, comfortable ride

manufacturing defect - faulty ignition coil

Loved the car for the first 8 months - great looking car, nice handling, comfortable ride. Until the first ignition coil failure - at 8 months (4800 miles). Had it towed to dealership, coil replaced. Same problem again - another coil - 1 week later. This time late night. Another coil replaced but I am not comfortable driving it long distances any more. VW should recall this one. I have already filed a complaint with the NHTSA. If you have had similar problems I suggest you do the same. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Well-designed, fun to drive

Ignition Coils, Ignition Coils, Ignition Coils

I have mixed feelings now about my Colorado Red Passat. It drives great, gets reasonably good gas mileage. It is a well-designed car. Now, however, after multiple ignition coil failures and interminable waits for the part, I am frustrated. It also had a headlamp go out.

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Saab 9-5

Many nice features, roomy interior, good-looking.

Defective parts, terrible reliability, unresponsive company.

Like the others -- the car looks great and is fun to drive when it's running. It's now in the shop, awaiting ignition coil #3 with only 5,000 miles on the car. The dealer acknowledges the parts are crummy but VW corporate won't replace them till they fail. We've now qualified for the Mass. Lemon Law (>15 days in the shop in the first year) and are considering whether to proceeed. I would like to hear from anyone who has taken such action. Also, if you have had the same problem, report it to the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236. If enough people complain, they will open an investigation for possible recall.

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Several Saabs.

Good Looking, Nice to drive

Too many problems

Everyone is right. THe VW Passat is a good looking car and when my boyfriend got one I thought it was the best. But at 7,000 miles and 10 months old, the coils have gone out 4 times. The speakers have been fixed, the windshield wipers don't work, headlight flickers, and a host of other problems.. VW admitted that there are problems with the coils when i called and advised to open up a claim with them. According to my research the Lemon Law can be applied.

Comfortable. Handles well. Feels safe.

Ignition coil blew today at 3,100 miles. After doing some digging on the Web, I found that these are blowing at a 90% clip. And the dealer will only replace them as they fail (there are four, one for each cylinder). Can't wait for the next one to go. Probably on a highway. I smell class action suit and recall. If this has happened to you, please report the failure to the NHTSA @ 1-888-327-4236.

I always had Hondas before making this mistake. My sister had warned me. She had tons of electrical problems on her 1999 Passat. I didn't listen... like a fool.

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This is the first and last VW I will buy. Note to Honda and Toyota: PLEASE start making station wagons again!

Quiet, smooth shifting and comfortable.

Poor city gas mileage.

VW Bashers Unite!, should be the page header here. I've had mine since October, 2001. I have 33000+ miles and have had one fog light burn out and a rear speaker replaced. That's it. The car has been nothing short of a joy to drive. I'm not totally enamored with city gas mileage but I knew that going in. It should be noted that the coil problem is not just with the Passat but with any VW or Audi using the 1.8T engine from 2002 on. And yes, I agree they should recall those models. But is a bulb burning out really that big a deal?