2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 Price, Review, Specs & Road Test

It seems someone wanted to drive our long-term Passat even more than we did, as it disappeared into the night shortly after the last update. One of our staffers was at a local restaurant when his jacket was clipped without his knowledge, and with it the keys to the W8. Upon this discovery, he ran to the parking lot, but the joyride had already begun.

Two days later, the police called to let us know that they'd found the car and that it wasn't stripped nor did it appear damaged. But the clutch was all wonky, having fallen victim to the thieves' abuse junket. VW had it towed to a dealer for a complete diagnostic and for its 10,000-mile service, which included an oil/filter change, fluid check, brake inspection, and tire rotation. Total 10K service cost: $115.18. Clutch replacement downtime due to insurance company and parts delays: three months. Having our stolen W8 back in the fleet and again running fine: priceless.