Powertrain, Looks, Perfomance

Some minor mechanical and visual defects. VW SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE AWFULL!!!!

Good car! It has had some problems, but nothing major. The Mass air sensor went out about a week after our warranty was up. We paid to have it fixed (400.00) they recalled that part about a month later and re-imbursed me. The coil pack went out and it was supposed to be recalled also, but somehow my car is like the only one built in 2001 that didnt have the "faulty" coil packs. The interior hasnt held up as well as I hoped, but it is still in fair shape. DONT GET THE LIGHT TAN CLOTH!!! I call it "Stain Me Tan" The car is a blast to drive, lots of low, and mid range tourque. Automatic Trans is ok, but I would recommend the manual. The car handles well, but serious drivers will want to upgrade the wheels and tire, suspension ect. to get the most out of it. Brakes are good, never had any fade, or problems with hard stops. To sum it all up I would recommend this car to a friend or family member. It is overall a good car with only minor defects. Get the turbo, get the manual and get the DARK LEATHER, and then go to AUDI PERFORMANCE RACING www.goapr.com and get their ECM chip and an exhaust. You will blow the doors off cars costing 30k more!!!

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96 Civic SI, Saturn ION rediline

NADA

EVERYTHING I wish I could give it no stars for the absolute WORST car ever made.

I had always dreamed of owning a VW, and when I purchased my first car at age 22 I went straight to a VW dealer. Not six months later, my dream became a NIGHTMARE!!! My brand new car (with only 6,000 mi) had completely lost all function when the transmission went out and left me stranded in the D.C. metro area. After having the car at the dealership for a week for a new transmission installation, I was told by the VW representative that the car's computer has a driving chip that controls how it drives. He then proceeded to tell me that it may have been my driving that caused the transmission troubles. Fast forward one year. The car's check engine light came on so I drove it 40 miles to the nearest VW dealer and they told me that the diagnostic test had "too many codes to really know what's wrong." They told me to drive the car and bring it back if the light returned, charging me $50 in the process. Low and behold, the light came back a week later and it turns out it was the mass air flow sensor, which was under warranty. But the technicians couldn't let me leave without charging me for something, so they replaced my headlight bulb (without my approval) and charged me $17! Since then I've had the car in and out of the shop about 4-5 times for various other problems that should not occur until the car is much older. The latest was my personal favorite. I realized I had coolant in my oil, and several people told me that the problem is most likely my head gasket. So I take it in and the mechanics just can't see what I'm talking about, even though the coolant has left a mustard looking film on my oil cap. In the meantime they tell me I have an oil cooler leak and that it is not under warranty and it will cost $350 to replace. Feeling unsatisfied I called VW headquarters and the representative told me that the part and labor WERE under warranty! I love how these people try to rip off their customers in so many ways. The service manager said that he "didn't see" the page that said the part was under warranty. I'm sure if I had let them do the work and paid them they would not have informed me that the work was supposed to be free, and they most certainly would not have refunded my money. This all happened 2 weeks ago and today I found out that I am having exhaust problems. Another week another $300! If you enjoy punishing yourself or think that you may have the luck of getting a "good" Jetta (as if there is such a thing) then be my guest and purchase one. In fact, I have one that you can take off of my hands if you want to buy it!

This car is loaded and is beautiful. I agree this car begs to be driven 90 mph, when it is not in the shop I love this car.

Reliability - see above Back seat way too small for adults, does not fit baby seat either

WORST CAR EVER! Do NOT buy this car! Yes it is beautiful, yes it is fun to drive, yes the interior has every bell and whistle and looks cool. BUT it is the most unreliable car ever. I love cars, I baby all my cars, always garaged, only has 39,000 miles, etc Had this car about 3 years, nothing but problems. I average 6 trip per year to the repair shop. All the same problems as everyone else. I kept hoping I would get past the defects, but things keep breaking, I am selling before I pay one more repair bill. - hazard light switch failed(turn signal) - brake switch failed 2X-(can't get car out of park - temporary fix, while car is off, put car in neutral, then start it) - Mass air flow sensor failed - Coolant system line ruptured - A/C system just quits blowing cold - Transmision slips between 2nd and 3rd gear (engine races then drops into 3rd) - Battery died - Fuel filter plugged - The check engine light has come on too many times to count and in Texas, you can't get your car inspected with the check engine light on - Requires Premium gas - very expensive There are at least 4 recalls on this car, go to nhtsa.org site for list. VW America will reimburse you for these repairs.

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2003 Accord 1995 Civic 1995 Legend 1983 280zx

The looks is about it. Oh and it has alot of trunk space. Woopee!

Everything

I actually have a 2005 Jetta that purchased back in January. Loved the way the car looked and seemed like it handled well on the road. Right after I got home the back brake light went out. Now the tires are squealing every time I turn a corner. My transmission seems to be slipping also. My engine is getting louder and louder by the day. Isn't handling well anymore. If I press on the gas the car lurches and feels like it jumps when it switches gears. Purchased a warranty the dealer told me I would never have to pay for services for 5 years. Got the booklet with 10 oil changes. Got ripped off for over 400 bucks since oil changes are only 20 bucks a piece. This car is a piece of crap. DO NOT BUY A JETTA!!! I had a Nissan for over 5 years and never took care of the car and only had to get the breaks fixed once. Never had a problem. After having this car for 7 months I realized I am in for a lot of problems. It does come with a warranty so most likely I wont have to pay for anything but buying a car with 32 miles on, I did not expect to have any problems for at least a couple of year. Volkswagens suck!

Looks great, feels great, reliable almost always, good gas mileage, great for acting like an adult but feeling like a kid, great for that phase between when you grow out of your Honda Civic and but don't yet earn enough to buy the Lincoln LS or Mercedes of your dreams.

See above, several small things but you'd notice these kinds of things in any car you buy. Don't get discouraged by the reviews on this site. People who haven't got a problem with their car and love Jettas, aren't writing reviews. They're out cruising the town loving their car!

Let me start by saying I love my car. It's reliable 99% of the time, it has all the features I desired, it's reasonably priced, I look great driving it and I feel completely satisfied after taking it to a VW service center because they really take care of me. I have owned other cars and never before gotten a free carwash even after just getting some air in my tires. By now you know, I'm a girl and I don't know squat about cars besides what's hot. My fiancee is an I-only-drive-fords mechanic and he even borrows my car when he's going across town or the weather is not perfect. I have had a few things go wrong with the car in the 2 years I've had it: I often forget the seat warmers are on and can't figure out why my butt is burning, CD changer in the trunk is wierd (often takes a couple minutes to actually play the cd I want), blinkers went crazy after getting liquid into the hazard switch (fine now), this switch is right in front of the cup holders which is also not my favorite part of the car (fast food is bad anyway), small back seats (infant carriers and car seats fit fine as long as the primary riders of the front seat aren't tall, and I will probably upgrade to a larger car by the time my son is bigger anyway), my battery died after trying to hook up subs and amps that were too powerful for the fuses (the Monsoon system is plenty anyway), I eat up tires by "driving too agressively" so they tell me, the rear lights must have a loose connection because people periodically wave me down to let me know it's not on. Tonight though, I now am nervous because it won't start and I'm having it towed tomorrow to the dealership. I've got 77k miles on it and I have a suspicion it's the timing belt or ignition coil or something that could not have been fixed yet because I didn't know about it when I had a warranty. But after only halfway taking care of the car in stead of really being on top of things, I think $500 or so in repairs is ok for a used car after having it a couple of years. I would have been paying that for another car anyway, so why not drive the one I love? I am confident that the mechanics at the dealership will take care of the problem and I'll be back in my car in a few days. If not, I'll re-review. This car is definitely for you if you're set on getting a car you love to drive even if you do have to pamper it a little. I don't like a lot of people riding with me anyway, so the backseats aren't a problem for me. If you want a reliable, adult, carpool-to-work-in-your-boring-office-car, buy a freakin Honda Odyssey. If you want a cute, sporty, you-actually-like-running-errands-car for young adults (even with babies) a Jetta is great. Keep up with the maintenance on any car and you'll be fine.

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99 Honda Civic 89 Mercury Cougar

Features for price. Power: VR6 motor is a peach for daily driving. With the ASR (Anti Slip Regulation) it is very stable on snow and ice.

Handling: Suspension is very soft and tends to push the front when driven aggressively. I have heard that installing after market sway bars helps tremendously but I do not see me racing this car anytime soon. Stock Stereo System: VW has made it impossible to simply upgrade the factory system. I only wanted to add an aftermarket deck because the rest of the system sounds very nice but the deck is a PITA. Big thumbs down to however made this call. Also there is practically zero aftermarket resources for a simply upgrade. It is either all or nothing.

I bought this car with 38k on the clock and it is now poised to go over 100k. I was able to pick it up slightly below book and really loved how the car drives. Thing that surprised me most is that this car is absolutely loaded. Heated leather power seats, ABS, Traction Control, Sunroof and just about every option available on this model year Jetta. The 2.8 V6 is very torquey and is one of the easiest cars to drive I have ever owned. With most smaller cars you generally have to rev them to the moon to get any kind of usable power out of them. Not so with the VR6. I have had absolutely ZERO issues with the car. The only thing I had done was had the catalitic converter replaced which was handled under warranty. Being that I tend to hold on to vehicles for a while I was most concerned with dependability. I was driving a 1991 Celica ST for 230K before this and that car was absolutely troublefree.

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1991 Toyota Celica 230K 1985 Mazda RX7 170K

everything especially turbo...never had a problem with anything

none really except in a bug the cup holders only hold cans of soda not bottles, but that is not a big deal

I loved my car. It was wonderful. It was so fast and the turbo was awesome. I never had any problems out of it. My sister has had 3 jetta but she bought them all at like 150,000 miles so she really couldn't keep them all that long. But a jetta is still her favorite car. i bought my bug after searching for one for a few months and i got a great deal on it. it only had 19,000 miles and it was very afordable. I think that a lot of people have a problem with VW because they do require premium fuel and some people do not like that but if you do not want to buy more expensive gas then don't buy a car that needs it...i mena there is a reason that you don't put water in your tank...it does not use that just like VW don't use regular unleaded and otherwise you can have transmission problems with any car and clutch problems too...ford is the worst in my experience. anyway i sold my bug because i though i wanted a 5 speed and that was the biggest mistake..i want it back but i am getting ready to purchase a jetta 1.8 turbo and i am very excited about it i meam they are great cars and are very fun to drive.

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hyundai tiburon Gt...good car but i hate five speed...tires suck

Price to value was great. I bought every thing short of the nav package and leather. But the real strengths are the low maintenance (wave goodbye to spark plugs) and the mileage 49 mpg, even in a cold New England winter.

I personally had to get used to the lack of space, but as one of the non-fat Americans, this was no problem. The trunk goobles up 4 sets of golf clubs in the summer, and multple pairs of skis and the like in the winter. Buying off the shelf and the local parts store isn't always the easist for filters but I just buy in bulk. My Monsoon stereo wierded out after 6 months but the dealer replaced it no questions asked.

I drive and I drive a lot. This car has 47K miles without any mechanical trouble. I was tired of my SUV (still keep it - I live in New England near Canada and need something to drive when the snow is 3 feet deep!). Unlike most Americans, I don't have some abnormal fear of diesel engines. Having driven a number of BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo diesels as rentals in Germany, I love the torque (hp is for people who only know how to go fast in a straight line!), for the twisty backroads, and there is no shortage of kick getting on the highway with the Bosch turbo. AND this car still comes in a manual transmission for true driving pleasure!

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Driven a lot of diesels in Germany as rentals. I also bought a 2004 Passat Diesel Station wagon for my business. Boohoo- no standard transmission available - but the EPS traction system is great in the winter. I actually wanted the Mercedes E series diesel but my clients would probably know where their money was going if I pulled up in a luxury car. Saving the Mercedes for retirement ;).

The exterior was in perfect condition. Seats folded down in the back, a comortable car to drive. People always compimented me on the look of the car ... people always offering to buy it from me..

Leaking sunroof, lots of electrical problems, car often stalled when ac was one..... too many too list...

I boought the car used with 40k in 1998 . In the first year I had the car, the transmission went as well as the timing belt. The next year some other expensive part went. The sunroof leaked when it rained hard, the cruise control just stopped working, every year I had some kind of new electrical problem, even when the electrical problem was fixed none of the dashboard lights worked. The car shakes and makes funny noises and the shaking is even worse if the air conditioning in on, when it decides to work. The last year the air conditioning finally went and no mechanic or even the VW dealership could figure out what was wrong. For a couple months the windshield wipers didnt work, and my car spent more time at the VW service department then with me and finally after 4 tries they were able to get them to work again. When I put the car in drive, it would roll back slightly, which I thought was normal, until I was in the car with someone else and they thought i was crazy....Finally in the last year I had the car, it broke down (which it did quite often), the whole rear suspension went. I was no where near my house and it had to be towed to a dealer in another state. Repairs were estimated at 2000 dollars so i just got rid of it. .... this car is a piece of crap.... I thought maybe it was just my car bc its a little old, but my friend is leasing a new jetta and has the same problems.... the first year (on the way to the beach) her power windows got stuck and werent able to roll up and she had tranmission problems. The new Jetta models might looks more stylish but they have the same problems...DONT BUY A JETTA..

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Mercury Topez (crap but better then a VW), Mazda 626 (Great car)

Looks good,cool interior lights,fun to drive when its running well

Poorly constructed.Major problems./Costly repairs.

DO NOT BUY A USED JETTA! This was one of the biggest mistakes I,ve ever made as a car buyer.I was seduced by the cars good looks ,the cool interior lights etc.I did some basic researc(Car and Driver,Consumer Reports etc)and the car was given good reviews so I went ahead and purchased it from Carmax with what I considered low milage (50k).About 2 wks later the first signs of trouble the ck engine light came on.No big deal brought it back to Carmax they replaced a faulty oxygen sensor.One wk later came on again.Thats when I started to dig a little deeper into problems with this car.I found many sites like this one that had one bad review after another from dissatisfied owners.The most commomn problems...windows falling into the doors(happened 3 mos after I bought it)Glove compartment door breaking off(9 mos after)control knob for side mirrors broke (10 mos)as.In addition the car needed to have a major tuneup and other repairs at 80k which cost around 700 dollars.At 105 k the front axel had to be replaced,another 600.00 dollars.The real sad part is that it could have been such a great car .Its great looking and when its running right its fun to drive.VW decided to cut too many corners to keep the car relatively inexpensive and came up with a car that is like a high maintenence girlfriend ..greatlooking on the outside,sometimes fun to be with but a real pain in the rear most of the time. My advice don,t do it buy a Toyota!

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