Fun car to drive, looks great. INCREDIBLE gas mileage.

Cup holder in an annoying place, trunk a little difficult to close. 2yr old son can already kick the hell out of the front seat.

Hmmm...kind of feel like maybe I was one of the lucky ones. Purchased a used Jetta TDI with the hopes of getting great gas mileage. So far, so good. I have had this car for 2 months and have put 6,000 miles on it. Runs like a champ. Only problem so far (knock on wood) is the window issue that has been resolved by VW. Our dealer is great, though the wait for service is long (gather that is from all the other people having problems). Would I purchase a new one...depends on if this one can withstand the 3K miles a month I put on it. Test of time will tell.......

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99 Hyundia (sucked) 92 Mazda 929 (sucked) 88 Acura Integra (great) 83 Mazda 626 (sucked)

Good aparence

Engine consumes a lot of gas and oil. Very expensive to mantain. Not for long rides.

Is the worst car I ever drove, noisy, unconfortable, the back of the front seats is less than 1" thick, very unestable in curves, very expensive to mantain, consumes a lot of oil.

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Accord 03, Mystique 98, Civic 98

Stylish, good sound system(actually has better bass than my friends Escalade!), AMAZING GAS MILAGE with the TDI engine!!, HUGE TRUNK i might add its like a magic trick

Stock wheels are kinda ugly and had a small problem with the engine light coming on and had to take it to the mechanic more than once.

By far the best car for the money, this car is amazing for gas!!! WE have gotten 48 mpg on the highway and high 30's in the city and have even driven from knoxville, TN to St. Ignace in the U.P. of Michigan on only 2 tanks!! The Tdi is very, very fun to drive for a sub one-hundred horsepower engine and really amkes up for it in torque, such a little torquie engine and when paired with the manual tranny makes for a lot of fun in the city and can easily pull around 115mph very good in the snow for a fwd car and has been proven on Mt.hood in oregon, have taken it from TN to oregon and back, just wont die!! The cloth seats and manual windows were also some of the best choices in purchasing the car, thanks to advice from a felow jetta owner. i strongly advise manual windows as how VW's window engines burn out quickly and are an a*s to replace.

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Classic VW bug

Power delivery and class-leading drivetrain Fit and Finish High quality materials used throughout Strong Factory warranty A class above its peers

Small backseat May be tight for guys over 6'4" Ever-so-slight turbo lag (hair splitting here)

For those worried about the large number of negative reviews, keep in mind that someone with a bad expirience is more likely to discuss it than someone with a good one. 1000 miles in and not so much as a clip out of place. And those coil and window issues have been addressed in the 2003MY, so don't fret. That being said... I want to say that I am quite impressed with this car. Fit and finish both outside and in is beyond any other car in its class.. think Audi and Mercedes not Honda or Toyota. Styling in understated and classy, interior is efficiant and without the garish, cheap look you see in other cars in this class. Interior space is somewhat cramped for my large 6'4" frame, but it suits my 5'10 wife perfectly. The one weak point is the rather small backseat. The seats have the newer child seat anchors, which is appropriate because adults will find the fit quite tight. After some initial stiffness, the black leather seats have become quite comfortable, with little to no pinching I typically find in many seats. It could use more bolstering to help during spirited driving though, but that is to be expected. Power from the 1.8L Turbo 4 is quite good. The turbo kicks in quite fast, around 2000 rpm, and the engine pulls strong all the way to redline (6500rpm). On boost, power delivery is as smooth and linear as you are going to find.. none of the peaky high reving engines found elsewhere.. just lots of meaty low-end torque. Peak torque kicks in at 2000, max power (180) comes in above 6000.... WIDE power curve. For an automatic, the 5-speed Tiptronic taken from the Passat/A4/A6 parts bin is quite good. I usually dispise slushboxes, but I am not annoyed when I drive this one. Smooth shifts both up and down in both standard and manual mode, and it does a good job of finding the right gear for the job. Again... few cars in this class offer this kind of hardware. The Sports suspension is quite well sorted. While not as stiff and roll free as some other cars, it gives a great compromise between performance and comfort. Its well planted and lacks the dartiness you typically find on a car with shoes this wide (225/45 17"). While a bit grabby at first, the brakes are strong and smooth. The steering is a bit more numb and slow compared to the Passat I own, but its quite stable and goes where she is pointed. This car drives effortlessly at extra-legal speeds... But the Jetta is no cheap car. We were out of the door for $24,000, but we got what we paid for. This may be one of the more expensive cars in its class, but just sit in one and you will have no doubt why that is the case. The factory warranty is quite good, though we have yet to even notice the slightest of problems after 1000 miles. Thanks to the staff at Tulley VW in Nashua NH. Great expirience, very helpfull staff. This is an excellent car. Highly recommended.

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1999 Passat GLS V6 1997 VW Jetta 2003 Ford Focus ZTS

None that I am aware of

Too many problems too costly to fix. Nothing is covered by VW standard warranty. Other than dealerships, no mechanics will service a VW regarding major problems.

I have owned this vehicle for 5 years and have been miserable. I would never buy a VW again nor recommend it to anyone I know. This vehicle has had many problems and is extremly costly to fix.

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94 Dodge Neon, no problems

fun to drive, very quick and monsoon sound system rocks

windows, arm rest broke, leather seams coming apart, check engine light comes on regularly and has cost us several dollars, parts very expensive and labor at dealership is highway robbery

After reading reviews I feel fortunate to have only spent what I have. I would never buy another VW because of problems. Poor warranty should have told me something. 30,000 miles and has cost us several hundred dollars in repairs.

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'98 escort (cheap, but trouble free)

None.

Too many to name.

Piece of crap. There's not much more to say, but I'll try. In the shop 3 days after purchase and haven't really seen it much since then. Cannot believe how unresponsive customer care is. They blame everything on the customer, accepting NO liability, should be their motto. We've had Electronic Stabilization Progam trouble since day one. There's also been the notorious grind in second gear, windows falling into the door, stereo shorting out, RPM's don't die down when you press the clutch, sometimes the car just doesn't start at all. I wish this car would fall off the face of the earth. It's been nothing but a headache & I've read plenty to make me believe that it's not just my experience, but the common VW experience.

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Owned a 2000 Jetta GLS with many problems, but none this severe or I would've never bought another.

Looks good/ people don't stop and help new VWs on the side of the road DEAD!

TOO MANY TOO LIST. Look elsewhere BRAND LOYALTY is a weapon with VW! Customer Relations Dept. is horrible! Dealer representative are even worse!

This has been one of the most trying experiences of my thirty years. The birth of a child naturally is less painful time spent than dealing with VW dealers or Customer Relations. Transmission broke after less than 24 hours, too many other problems too list and much too frustrating to revisit.

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1998 Jetta was a decent care and aan average experience.

Can't think of a one.

Customer service, service department, warranty, workmanship, management attitudes to the public, pretty much the entire product and experience.

Absolute nightmare of a vehicle. Please do not buy a Volkswagen if you haven't made the mistake already. Sooooo many problems. Car was in the shop after 400 miles for faulty ESP. Again after another 200 miles and again and again and again. While in the shop for that, the service dept managed to destroy my dash, my stereo, my heated seats, and the engine revvs itself, brakes squeal, gears grind in second, and i'm sure i'm forgetting a ton. So far the car has been in the shop for 3 out of the 4 months we've owned it. Have had to hire an attorney to sue their lousy butts. They offered the fantastic deal of paying off what we owe on the car and we pay for not only MILEAGE (that the service dept put on the car) but NEGATIVE EQUITY!!! that's $4000! for a car i've driven for 3 weeks???? Does this sound like a fair deal to anyone? AVOID THIS CAR AT ALL COSTS. In fact, avoid Volkswagens PERIOD.

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Previously owned a 2001 Jetta & was also a piece of crap. Just don't do it.

See above

Not alot of leg-room in rear seats when tall guys like me are in the front

Can't remember EVER having this much fun driving, and I've been at it for about 26 years. Smooth gearbox, tight steering, good acceleration (for a Diesel engine), solid ride, confident braking. Great looks, styling and attention to detail. Extremely safe with extensive airbag systems, ABS, side impact and rollover support. Fuel efficient beyong belief -- 60+ mpg consistently. Incredible sound system.