Volkswagen Jetta

I like my 90 wolfburg jetta. BUT I like the 92 passat that we found better, we're swaping the tranny from the jetta, i can't wait to have a bigger car. The older VW are better and depending on what engine you have (the ones from mexico, canada, or germany) will depend on how well it drives and last's. Maintenance is key with these cars though! It's easier to fix something before it "needs" to be replaced. DAS AUTO =)

I just talked about my sister's Dodge but w/all the money I sank in my used Jetta a few years ago, I too, could be driving a new car.  These things go downhill at 36k...right when the warranty is about to go.  Like others say, they are built in Mexico too, so don't think you getting a German car, although I did listen to Kraftwerk on occasion--this still doesn't make the car Munich.

Wish I had mine back!

Bought the nicest 04 jetta on the lot....1.8 turbo, moonroof, leather,premium stereo, 17 inch alloys, heated seats, it had it all. Bought the extended waranty that saved our butt.It breaks soo much that we wait 6 months and keep a list in car to remember all the things that need fixing so when we take it in for repairs we can pay the $100 deductible ( extended warranty 45$ extra on payment)and get multiple things fixed for one cost. The car was repaired about 5 times in 3 years and each repair at least 2-3 problems being fixed at once. We mainain the car regularly and have all repairs done at dealer. Now that warranty ran out at 80 thousand miles , car has started breaking more. Before it was minor things(still expensive) like heated seats going out($1100), secondary water pump($1500), various knobs, engine and coolant light coming on and off. Now that it is off warranty, major problems. Needs two new drive train axles($1200) water pump($900), coolant problems, needs thrmostat replaced... Read more

One of best selling cars in its class. Great luxury and performance for the price!

I would agree with some that this car can be a joy to drive. My husband and I bought a 2002 Jetta recently and he loves it. It handles well, looks sharp, and is overall dependable. Or it was! 5 months after getting the car, the transmission went out. That was $2500 in repairs. Take your lumps, right? A month after that, the engine seized up, and we are paying another $4000 to fix that. So much for the "great deal" we received at the dealership. I will NEVER own another volkswagon. I'm sure they are not all bad, but after this experience I think I'll go back to Honda or even Ford!

If you are looking for an ejoyable car for every day driving, I definitely recommend the Jetta. I enjoyed my 2000 2.0 GLS so much that I didn't even consider another car when I decided to trade in 2004. I have not found another car that offers such a high level of features, style, and driving enjoyment for around 20k. Handling is similar (if not better) than most of the other much more expensive European cars that I have driven (BMW 3 series, Volvo S40 and S80). I put 89k miles on my 2000 and am up to 56k on the 2004. The few mechanical problems that I have exprienced have been minimal (most VW paid to replace, even when warranty had expired). I have lived in three differnt cities in recent years and have found VW service centers to be inconsistent in their quality of service. For example, I was told by one VW mechanic that I was required to put synthetic oil in my car or the warrantly would be void, while another informed me that this wasn't true. My only other major complaint... Read more

I had a 86 Jetta. It had over 150,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. I still wish I hadn't. I sold it to a friend who ran the car to well over 250,000 miles before he sold it. as far as I know, it is still running today. VW is an outstanding company. ALSO: Have a 02 1.8T that is a absolute gem to drive and own. I will probably have this car until it keels over dead in approximately 2015.

I have a 2002 Jeta Wagon 1.8T, it's a great car as long as the clutch doesn't go on you after 14,000 miles. I've been driving stick for 20 years, and my last Jeta (115HP) I had for 4 years with only one problem that required service. I bought my 1.8 and a buddy of mine liked it so much we he bought one as also. Well, we've bother replaced the clutch on our cars, he paid $1400, I paid $1800. Not only that, but taking a car that is 1 1/2 years old back to the dealer, the charge $500 to drop the trans to check if it;s the clutch or transmission. If its the trans, they replace for free since its under warranty, if it's the clutch, you pay $1800. If you don't want it replaced, you need to pay the $500 for dropping that trans. Sad to say, it the last VW I'll ever buy. Not that VW cares, but this whole episode left a very, very bad taste.

I have a 2004 Jetta, and have been completely happy with it for the first 11,000 miles. I haven't encountered any of the maintenance problems that other people have, and it drives great. Mine's a stick, and it is a whole lot smoother than any other manual transmission I have driven. And I bought the base package, which was surprisingly much cheaper than the Civic, yet it comes with standard features that makes it feel like I paid for upgrades.

I bought a used 99 jetta in two weeks ago in Nov 2004. I love the car, I felt it mimiked the 300 series of BMW without spending the extra money. However, I do have a problem already. The car's polarity is giving me difficulty and I cannot receive AM stations and have static on my XM satellite also. Anyone with any ideas how to fix this?

This is an expanded rewrite of my original comment. The Jetta is the second VW I have owned (the first was a Quantum, which was another hard luck story as far as reliability was concerned). The Jetta (a 1.8 turbo) has been very disappointing in many ways. Although it is a very enjoyable car to drive, and its performance is great, there are plenty of things that are negatives. The engine cut out on me on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, about 60 miles from home; got it started again and made it home (loused up a trip to Massachuetts in the process). I brought it to the dealer who was unable to find anything wrong with the car. A couple of weeks later, car began to die on me again (fortunately, always in my driveway or within a couple of block from home). Brought it back to the dealer; this time they diagnosed it as a faulty mass air sensor (there has since been a recall for this sensor problem, although the dealer told me at the time that they had never experienced the problem before).... Read more

As with any Volkswagen, it is an excellent car. All volkswagen cars are the best on the market. They rarely break down, run for years, and are normally cute. Volkswagen is the best auto in the world...

I have owned a total of four Volkswagens, three of them Jettas. My current Jetta is a 1997 GL. I purchased it with 32,000 miles. It is now at 61,000 miles, and problems have been minimal. VW's factory mufflers are junk. I replaced mine with lifetime warrantied aftermarket parts from my local auto parts store. No problem since. The check engine light is annoying. The car runs fine, but the light comes on. A common problem on 93-99 Jettas, Golfs, and Cabrios. If the car runs fine, ignore the light or unhook it. Minor electric lock malfunction was fixed by the dealer (a broken wire). Now for the good stuff. My Jetta is the standard 2.0 4-cyl. gas, 5-speed manual. Loads of torque. Smooth acceleration, shifting, and overall excellent performance. Well-built and engineered, not a tin can like a Honda or newer Ford. Extremely comfortable inside. I am pleased with this car, and will continue to buy and drive VW for the forseeable future and likely beyond.

please do not waste your $$$. i saved up 5 grand for a down payment to buy my first adult car. i was so excited when i finally purchased it. i bought a brand new 99 with all the options right when they came out with the new body style. needless to say within the first few months both my window motors had been replaced 3 times on driver and 2 times on passenger. it just went downhill from there. (no more warranty due to the highway miles i had put on since i traveled for my company everyday) my a/c accumulator went out (only about $600 to repair OUCH) then the transmission started to slip. finally it became apparant it was time to trade the car in. i must say i was depressed sicne it was such a cute car with so many neat features that i still miss but loosing $5000 in cash really put that sour taste in my mouth since i was then upside down on the car and had to get a cheaper car to stay within my monthly payment range. 2 cars later i now own a camary and have not had any proble... Read more

what a piece of crap! I bought it new in 2001 a wolfsburg edition 1.8t. seemed fine till radio buttons fell off. then the brakes went had them replaced then rotors went with the brakes again. by this time the plastic interior was squeeking all over. Then a month later the rotors and brakes started grinding again. I traded this thing in for a dodge.

The Jetta's are great. I own a '95 with 200k+ miles and I finally had to replace the starter. Still on the original clutch and I expect to change that soon too. I bought an '01 Jetta and it's a pleasure to drive. So many complain about the lack of power in the 2 liter version. Well, then buy a 5 liter gas guzzler. The car is solid and weighs over 3000 pounds. What good is racing to the next red light, anyway? And how much do you want to pay for gas at the speed limit when you can also go twice the speed limit of interstates at half the cost?

Love so many things about the car ('01 Wolfsburg Edition), but the main reason I bought it is the 1.8T engine. Plenty of power stock, and if thats not good enough you can go to 215 hp and 250 ft/lbs. for 500 bucks. A couple of maintenance hiccups (I can handle a couple, its a fair tradeoff for the fact that no other four door car can touch the Jetta's all around package for the same price). I would have rated it five stars but the VW dealer service departments are nothing short of reprehensible, trashing my car, calling me a liar, an abusive driver, and making statements about the maintenance of my car that contradict the owner's manual. Truly incompetent, and unfortunate, because it really is a great car and VW of America looks like it is finally going to start fessing up to (and rectifying) the manufacturing defects that have always plagues VW before.

i drive a '00 2.0 5-speed gas jetta. this car is really cool. you can tell the engineers really thought "outside the box" here. it's evident in the way the hood opens, the trunk opens, and so on. the trunk uses hydraulics instead of a lever arm which takes up space. therefore, this trunk is quite big and has a lot of *USABLE* space. the sound system (monsoon) is great. i don't like having to go all the way to the trunk to make cd changes. my gripes: the window on the right felll off the track. i took it to the dealers who fixed it up. now, the oil pan needs replacement. this is $350. i got my car used, by the way. finally, this car is fun to drive. but, i'm skeptical about its reliability.

The Jetta is the worst car in the world. I have a 1995 Jetta I bought used with only 20,000 miles on it. The first 2 years I thought it was great, then it started breaking down. One thing after another, after another. Everytime It breaks down, I hear "This is common for a Volkswagon" or "What do you expect, it's a Jetta" And, most parts are dealership only, which is very expensive. Apparently, everybody knows this car only lasts a few years. I will never buy another volkswagon. I should've stuck with American cars. So, to all of you that have new volkswagons I suggest you get rid of them before they start breaking down.

I've had a 2000 V6 Jetta for over 2 years now. Never had a problem yet. Lots of pep and power. I could'nt have found a better car.

My wife had been shopping for a replacement for her '97 Civic and we took a good long look (and a few test drives) of the '01 Jetta with 1.8 4cyl. 5 sp. On the plus side: excellent quality interior materials - would not be out of place in an Audi. A bit on the dark side though - Black interspersed with dark grey. Gorgeous exterior styling - looks evry bit as good as an A4. On the minus side: one of the worst shifter / clutch combinations of anything we tested. Or have ever driven. The shifter was vague, sloppy and imprecise: almost as much lateral play in gear as in neutral. Think "overcooked spaghetti" and you have an idea of the tactile feel. The clutch engaged very high off the floor - most tedious in heavy traffic. Then there's the handling. LOTS of body lean in corners. Then there's the less than inspiring warranty to go along with the less than inspiring reliability record. Overall: great looks but "Drivers Wanted"? -I don't think so.

My girlfriend bought a 2000 Jetta TDI a few months ago and she and I both agree it is a fantastic car. It is very roomy, very comfortable, it has a huge trunk, a full size spare, it rides incredibly smooth, and is very very quiet. Furthermore, she commutes 60 miles each way to work and wanted something fuel efficient and the TDI gets about 60 miles per gallon of diesel on the highway and this makes an incredible difference when you're driving 600 miles a week beleive me. Christ with these gas prices I wish I had a diesel too and these diesels aren't like the diesels of old they're quieter, more powerful and they burn cleaner as well. Another cool thing is the entire engine is encapsulated in this plastic casing under the hood so when you open the hood you have to pull off these plastic lids to get to the engine, battery etc. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy a TDI, I thin VW are fantastic cars that are wll priced and give an exceptional amount of performance, value, efficiency an... Read more

My friend just bought a 00 Jetta and it is sweet. Besides the typical VW Golf / Jetta quality, durability, and reliability (see my comment on the Golf), the new Jettas add a user-friendly aspect which I have not seen on many cars. Everything in this little car makes sense - from the way your key is a remote control that can set your alarm, open your trunk, unlock your doors - to the layout of the dashboard, the CD tray in the trunk... everything. And driving this car is a dream, the shift is so smooth you don't even realize that you're changing gears at all, and the souped up V4 engine has a surprising amount of zip. Highly recommended.

I have now had two VW Jettas. My first was a 1999 VW Jetta. I love the look and styling and how if feels while going down the road. But buyers should beware. My 1999 I replaced 4 different censors (that seems like all the car is) as well as a started at 16K miles. I considered this a fluke and went on to purchase a new 2000 jetta with the 1.8 Turbo in. Needless to say its not a fluke and I have already replaced a ECU in the car as well as an oxygen censor but yet the car still leaves me on the side of the road occationally. It did it again yesterday and I only have 3600 miles on the car. Needless to say I am involved in the process of fileing a lawsuite (unfortunatly because I love VW). Dont get me wrong...I love my car and I will love all VW's, but does quality mean anything anymore?? Please email me with questions or anything else.

I like the changes made by Volkswagon to their sedans.

The new VW's are awesome! I love Everything about them except the antenna that I've gotten used to.

Iam a total convert - never really liked these cars and the my girlfriend got one and it is very reliable, low maintenance and overall great car to have for all types of your driving needs.

I love my Jetta! I have now been converted to a European car driver and won't go back to Japanese or American cars. It is so fun to drive and extremely sporty. The stereo system is great also.