2003 Volkswagen GTI Review

Name: 2003 Volkswagen GTI Review
Brand: Volkswagen
Price: 473 USD
Rating: 4.7 (177 reviews)

Price Estimate: $473 - $740

2003 Volkswagen GTI 20th Anniversary Edition 2dr Hatchback

+49

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Edmunds' Expert Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Fun to drive, reasonably priced, lots of standard goodies, premium cabin materials, utility of hatchback design, available six-speed manual.

Cons

Not really suited for at-the-limit driving, dated styling.

What’s new

VW's stability control system (ESP), which includes BrakeAssist, is now optional on the 1.8T model and standard on the VR6. A leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel, shift knob and hand brake are standard on both. Minor changes include increased padding for the head curtain airbags, backlighting for the buttons on the standard-issue stereo head unit, pinch protection for the sunroof's tilt function and upgraded wipers. Silverstone Gray replaces Matchstick Red on the exterior color list. Finally, it turns out that last year's special-edition 337 model was indeed special -- it's history for 2003.

Edmunds says

Need a sport coupe for the real world? This is it.

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

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3 listings

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2003 Volkswagen GTI
1.8T 2dr Hatchback
$5,995
- 152,013 miles
- 1 accident, 6 owners, personal use only
- 4cyl automatic
- Carcenteronline (653 mi away)
- Alarm
- Rear Bench Seats
- Fold Flat Rear Seats
Close
Located in Elkhart, IN
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: No
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
22 Combined MPG (19 City/27 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: 9BWDE61J534060355
Stock: 060355
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 06-25-2024
New Listing
2003 Volkswagen GTI
VR6 2dr Hatchback
$3,989
- 153,326 miles
- Frame damage reported, 9 owners, corporate fleet vehicle
- 6cyl manual
- Corwin Motors Kalispell (803 mi away)
- Alarm
- Trip Computer
- Rear Bench Seats
- Stability Control
- Fold Flat Rear Seats
Close
Located in Kalispell, MT
Recent Arrival! Clean CARFAX. 21/29 City/Highway MPG Priced below KBB Fair Purchase Price!2003 Volkswagen GTI 2D Hatchback VR6 Black 2.8L V6 SMPI DOHC...
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: Yes
Personal Use Only: No
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Issue reported
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: Yes
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
22 Combined MPG (19 City/27 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: 9BWDH61J434072374
Stock: 4072374
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 05-05-2025

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Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.91 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

$202/mo

$160/mo

Avg. Compact Car

Calculate my fuel costs

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Volkswagen GTI Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.7

177 reviews

5(78%)

4(15%)

3(7%)

2(0%)

1(0%)

Write a vehicle review See all 177 reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

2003 vw gti 1.8t manual

gti4, 10/05/2011

2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)

i have this car since 05 and now has 175k never had any issues if u take good care will take good care of you. this is very good quality vehicle best one so far i owned and i had few BMW's Mercedes but nothing compares to this baby.parts are same price as for any other vehicle if not cheaper now if u do some basic stuff your self will save you money.

2002.5 GTI VR6 6 speed

Damonspeedster, 03/19/2008

2003 Volkswagen GTI VR6 2dr Hatchback (2.8L 6cyl 6M)

Fun car. Bought it from VW in 2002 and have love every mile in it. I installed a set of Eibach sport srings shortly after purchase and that improved the handling and stance. Great gas mileage (if you're driving like Miss Daisy) about 29 mpg, however if you haven fun it drops quick. Lots of power and broad range of torque. Stereo sounds good for a stock setup. Interior in good, but …

The best car I have ever owned, hands down!

George, 02/24/2019

2003 Volkswagen GTI VR6 2dr Hatchback (2.8L 6cyl 6M)

I've owned my 6-speed manual 2003 GTI VR6 for more than 18 years now, and have loved every minute spent behind the wheel! I bought it in October 2002, and it has been the most reliable car my family has owned (even moreso than our Japanese cars), hands down! I keep it garaged, and change the synthetic oil every year, and changed the spark plugs at around 60K miles. The car still has …

My favorite car i've driven

xbamx, 08/16/2003

2003 Volkswagen GTI 20th Anniversary Edition 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

Looked at several cars in this class and finally settled on this instead of a Dodge SRT-4 because i felt that the interior of the SRT-4 was sooooooooo junk and the overall its still a riced out neon. This car is quick, fun, cheap on insurance (for me) and gets great gas mileage.

See all 177 reviews of the Volkswagen GTI

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2003 GTI Highlights

Trim:

1.8T

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$19,065
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	24 MPG
Cost to Drive	$202/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	18 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Key safety features on the GTI include:

Alarm
Stability Control

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2003 Volkswagen GTI Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

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What’s new

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For sale nearby

2003 Volkswagen GTI
1.8T 2dr Hatchback

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

2003 Volkswagen GTI
VR6 2dr Hatchback

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.91 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.}

Volkswagen GTI Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

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2003 vw gti 1.8t manual

2002.5 GTI VR6 6 speed

The best car I have ever owned, hands down!

My favorite car i've driven

2003 GTI Highlights

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2003 Volkswagen GTI Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

For sale nearby

2003 Volkswagen GTI1.8T 2dr Hatchback

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

2003 Volkswagen GTIVR6 2dr Hatchback

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.91 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Volkswagen GTI Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

2003 vw gti 1.8t manual

2002.5 GTI VR6 6 speed

The best car I have ever owned, hands down!

My favorite car i've driven

2003 GTI Highlights

Safety

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Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Volkswagen

Join Edmunds

2003 Volkswagen GTI
1.8T 2dr Hatchback

2003 Volkswagen GTI
VR6 2dr Hatchback

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.91 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.}