DONT buy a Jetta!! I have had mine for a year. It has 8000 miles and has been to the dealer 9 times already!! It is a joke. After 2 weeks the car was making this squeaking sound. So I brought it in and of course they did nothing to fix it. Then with 3000 miles it broke down. Yes 3000 miles!!!!! The bolts in the gearbox cracked. And while it was i n the dealer getting fixed they put scratches and dents in it. So I had to bring it back 3 times for them to take the dent and scratches out. Now I have to take it in this week for some engine problem. It is a decent car but not worth it at all for the hassles. The service is awful and the cars are junk. Save your time and money and don't buy one!

Good Pickup, Great styling, Fun to drive, good gas mileage, Nice sound system

Only a few minor ones, Cup holders in a bad spot, right in front of the radio. Back doors open real wide, and only stop at 2 positions. Its hard to put my daughter in the back seat if you cannot open the doors up all the way, which usually you cannot in a parking lot cuz they are so wide. The seat upholstery is really bad! We got dark seats and they are like velcro! It extremely hard to clean them, they always look covered in fuzz.

I honestly do not know what all the bad reviews are about. We have not had one problem with our Jetta. Over all we love the car and would buy another VW in the future.

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Cavalier, Civic,

looks cute....not worth the hassle.

everything that involves keeping the car running! Service?????

I will never buy another VW! I bought this car brand new as my first "real" car which I saved to buy. Right now it has 30000 miles and I've only had it three years. Here is a summary of the problems I have had; 1. air bag light went on a couple of days after I bought the car(bad sign) 2. had to replace the rear brakes at 20,000 miles 3. O2 sensor had to be replaced 4. coolant hoses had to be replaced because the car broke down on me....my 87 Buick Skylark never broke down! 5. ignition coil was just replaced 6. next week, I have to bring it in for the secondary water pump to be replaced. 7. cloth seats get linty too easily and are disgusting 8. paint job stinks and peels easily. 9. Check engine light comes on frequently. 10. wipers stink. I should have done more research....this car is garbage. I cannot wait to pay it off and then get rid of it. No more VW's! Not to mention, the service is terrible especially if you are girl that doesn't know too much about cars. Every problem warrents a call to VW of America to complain. I haven't had the window problem yet, but I'm sure that is next. This car is crap!

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This is my first car but my last VW.

Interior and exterior styling Handeling Fuel efficiency Torque and overall HP Body/paint warranty

Pocket-book-draining repairs Legnth of service warranty vs. frequency of required repairs

It's a love-hate relationship... It all began with the fuel pump and ignition coil which needed to be replaced within the first 15k mi. Next came the, factory recalled, driver side window cable and motor and, almost simultaneously, the transmission. Now I need new breaks and I only have 30k mi on the car. Until now repair costs have been covered by VW... But, this time I have to pay with both money and paitence. Not to mention the fact that I cringe every time I have to deal with the svc. dept/scam artists at my closest dealer. Each time I take my VR6 in I'm told I will get a call from VW for a satisfaction survey... It never comes! Boy, the words I would use to describe my service would require open-ended questions on THAT survey. On the other hand, I do love the car. It's looks, chasse responsivness, interior, exterior, and overall function-ability. Like I said, it's a love-hate relationship. This car needs more love and attention than my woman!

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Honda Accord Volvo S80 Mercedes E320 Sport

handling acceleration monsoon sound system looks

dependability

Like others who have posted, I have had two instances where the ignition coils have failed. The car has never left me stranded, but in two cases it has left me unhappy. The dealer has been good about getting these fixed. The car is just plain fun to drive! I've had a 96 and 99 jetta before this and the 1.8T is a lot more fun to drive than either of those.

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1996 VW Jetta 1999 VW Jetta

* Looks great. * Very roomy, especially trunk. * Lots of great options. * Decent highway power. * Good gas mileage.

* Extremely expensive to fix. * Anything that can go wrong, does. * Parts very hard to find. * Service garages limited.

I've always been a fan of Volkswagens ever since I had my first car, 1987 Jetta. I never had any problems with it at all and so I was excited to buy a black 1996 Jetta and make it into my dream car. I loved all the features and all the little things that Volkswagen thinks of that set themselves apart. It had 75000 kms on it when I bought it and I have since doubled that mileage. Although it has never stranded me, it has been nothing but trouble from the start. It started with the check engine light constantly going on and off. Spending $500 on a new O2 sensor fixed that. But that was the tip of the iceberg. My exhaust had to be replaced, then three wheel bearings, rear shocks, ball joints, radiator, catalytic convertor, door hinges and so on. Last week I just had to replace the flex pipe. The dealer wanted $700 for a new one so I had no choice but to try and find one at a wrecker(very difficult to find any used parts). After spending $400 on labor to replace that, I am now having major trouble with my brakes, front and rear, and my driver's seat is starting to fall apart. No one wants to work on the car because they don't know anything about them and the dealer soaks you for everything you have. My car looks great esthetically but looks can be deceiving. I've put an incredible amount of money into it and most of it is just to keep it running. If it didn't look so good, I would have gotten rid of that money pit a long time ago. If you are looking for good looks and a unique car and have lots of money to spend then Volkswagens are the car for you. Personally, I will never buy a Volkswagen again.

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1987 VW Jetta (reliable) 1991 Mazda MX-6 (reliable but also expensive) 1995 Chev Cavalier (very reliable)

Great looks, excellent sound system, comfortable

Mechanically unsound. Repair bills are outrageous! fortunately, some of the repairs were covered by warranty, but I was left without my car in the interim.

Junk, junk, & more junk. This car has been plagued by problems since I bought it (New). The starter went up, (7,000 mi) The windshield wiper motor went up, (9,000 mi), the window motors went up, (6,500 & 11,000 mi.)the fuel pump failed, (15,000 mi) etc, etc... Do NOT buy a Volkswagon!! I was sucked in by their advertising and thought I was buying a "COOL" car. No way! I traded in a 1997 Nissan Altima, and other than routine maintenance, I did nothing to it. German Engineering, my foot! Next time, (very soon) I'm buying another Nissan.

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Nissan Altima, Ford Probe

Great look and sound system. Very comfortable ride. Quick pick up.

Frequent and high maintenance costs.

I will never buy a VW again! I bought it new and it had problems from the start: driver window wouldn't go up, windshield cracked spontaneously, thermostate gauge changed 3 times, cd changer changed 2 times, catalytic converter changed, new battery ($100) after 3 years, new brakes at 40K, stipper threads on the oil pan ($350), and the check engine light has gone on AGAIN. Maintenance costs are outrageous and no one carries the V6 oil filter, so I always have to take it to the dealer and get ripped off. It looks, handles, rides, and sounds great, but it not worth the hassle and the money to maintain.

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Toyota Celica, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla.

This car handles great,it huggs the road while cornering. Great gas mileage and good accelaration with 5 speed manual transmition and 2.0 engine. Huge trunk (for a small car). Even got a "free" bike rack with a trek mountain bike.

replacement parts are more expencive than american car parts

I bought this car new in 1997 and i do not want to get rid of it. I do all the maintenance, keep my eyes on fluids,it has never broken down on me. Had to replace all four tires at 50k,break pads and exaust from the cat back but that is expected concidering all the salt that is used on the road here is MA. Can't use E breake overnight during the winter because it will freeze.

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'86 ford f-150,'90 hyunday excell,'03 dodge ram 1500 slt.

*Very sharp, interesting looking car, especially with the bra on it! *Has a good trunk release that I don't need the key to open the trunk as long as the doors are unlocked *very roomy and nice interior, not cheaply made * handles nice * turns on a dime

* Expensive to fix * Leaks tranny fluid and cannot seem to find problem * Can only be brought to dealer to fix * PROBLEMS ALL THE TIME * not great gas mileage * OVERALL A BAD CAR

I was so happy to get this Jetta. I thought they were good cars..I should have read more reveiws and done more research! I can't WAIT to get rid of it. I bought it with 58,000 on it and now have 70,000 and I have had it less than a year and have made well over $2000 in repairs. The dealer up here is awful, I have brought it in 3 times for a transmission leak that they cannot seem to find. I can't buy the tranny fluid from Napa or any local parts store it has to come from the dealer, it leaks so bad that I have had to put in over 3 Quarts and I have had to have a TFX..and it still leaks. I have also replaced the water pump, the battery, the starter, the bearings, the brakes, a ignition module, a brake sensor and I still have that reoccuring tranny problem. The car shifts terrible. The parts are incredibly expensive and the dealer is not very up on all of the models, I have had to bring it back twice after getting it fixed because they had forgotten to fill up a fluid all the way or a light was coming on. I also thought the dealer was extremely rude and since I am a girl felt I was completely in the dark then it came to vehicles. I HATE this car. I am just waiting for the next thing to break down on it and can't wait to get rid of it. I just checked out the other Jetta ratings and it seems I am not the only one! It's also a hard to find anyone but the dealer who can fix it. And since the dealer isn't that great up here, that was the worst thing for me!

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1991 Dodge Shadow ( a lemon also ) Chevy Cavelier 1996 (GREAT CAR) Pontiac Sunbird 1991 (GREAT CAR)