Introduction

We owned our wonderful Volkswagen Passat for 3 years and loved every driving minute of it. We then had baby number two and realized that we were quite crowded in a sedan-type car.

Unfortunately, the last time we went car shopping (back in 1998), the Volkswagen Eurovan was in the $35,000 range. Yikes! This was not exactly something we could afford. So we missed out on getting a larger vehicle from the beginning.

My husband happened to be taking our Passat in for some service, when he stumbled upon the 2002 Eurovan at a drastically reduced NEW price. For only a few thousand more than we paid for our 4-door Passat, we could have a brand new Eurovan!

He was sold on it, drove it home for me to test drive, and the rest is history.

Why we love our Eurovan

My husband is 6'4"; I am 5'10". There is no way we could fit comfortably into a minivan that seats people like they are in a regular car. We had ridden in my sister's Windstar; so we knew this would not work for us.

The Eurovan has so much space it is scary! The roof is square, so the interior is extremely roomy, and the ceiling is very high. The seating up front is high with comfortable seats that you can adjust in various ways.

Here are some other points worth mentioning:

1. The 2002 and newer Eurovans are equipped with a tether system that can be used with newer car seats and booster seats.

2. There are individual heating systems in the front and the rear that can be adjusted by degrees for each passenger's comfort

3. The rear storage area comes with a sturdy shelf, so you will never again have to strain to bend down for heavy bags of groceries.

4. The two seats in the passenger compartment are easily removed for more space.

5. The gas mileage is quite decent for a large van such as this...approx. 20 mph on the freeway.

6. Multiple cup holders, pockets, and stow areas in front and back are handy for your belongings and drinks.

The problems we have encountered

We have a long commute each morning to work (gotta love the MD/VA/DC area!); it is about 40 miles each way, so we put a lot of miles on our car. We have had our Eurovan for only about 15 months, but we already have 38,000 miles on it.

About 6 months ago, we had a major issue with our van. The gas pedal was not responding properly and the gas gauge and speedometer would fluctuate wildly. We took it in for repairs (this was at only 25,000 miles) and had it fixed under the warranty.

Only a few months later, we had the same problem surface. Still under warranty, we had it fixed again.

Only a week after our van was fixed, part of our transmission failed, and we had to have a whole new transmission put in it. Thank goodness it was still under warranty! I have looked on websites for similar complaints with this vehicle and seen nothing beyond electrical problems (which is typical of VW cars). So I am not sure if we just got a dud, or if we will encounter similar problems in the future.

Conclusion

Despite the repair problems we have had recently, we still adore our Eurovan. I wouldn't purchase any other type of van...unless Volkswagen comes out with something even better! It is comfortable, easy to drive and maneuver, and has all the features of a luxury car. Check this van out before you look at similarly-priced minivans. You will be surprised how much van your dollar can buy!
Amount Paid (US$): 27,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002