Engine power and smoothness. Steering feel, suspension and chassis.

Automatic Transmission.

Options: Automatic Transmission, Sports Luxury package. The engine on this car is teriffic! Even with an automatic acceleration is very good. And there is plenty of torque at low engine speeds. It's easy to chirp the tires from a standing start (although with anti-skid you can't smoke the tires). On the down side plenty of torque leads to plenty of torque steer. Now that I'm used to it this doesn't bother me at all. Steering feel is also top notch. The suspension is quite supple but a little bit stiff. Definitely not in Audi etc.. territory. Incidentally my dealer underinflated the tires by five pounds to make the ride seem softer, so beware... But the ride is better than Japanese subcompacts. The brakes are strong. The interior is very good. The front seats are very comfortable with lots of support. Your 6 footer friends will be irritated if they have to ride in the back seats. The cup holders are nifty. The velour seats are made with top notch fabric but they attract dust and lint as if they were magnetized. Even the trunk lid is carpeted. The speakers and radio are better than most, but where's my CD Player!. The automatic transmission works well, but it gets in the way of my fun! When I want to accelerate out of a turn I can't tell what gear I'm in so I don't know whether I need to downshift. Come on VW! It also needs to downshift from fifth to fourth with less throttle. I end up downshifting to third with too much power for a simple lane shift. The car is fairly quiet. The chassis is very solid, nothing rattles or squeaks. I haven't had to repair anything after 8 months and 8000 miles. It doesn't burn any oil between changes. So far so good, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The car gets 22 MPG in 50% city 50% highway driving.

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93 Nissan Sentra 85 Honda Prelude

Excellent reliability. Excellent driveability. Above average handling. Repairs and maintainence relatively inexpense compared to other imports

Below average power. The car is a dog with the A/C on. Requires an actively involved owner. Electronics can decrease reliability.

This has been an excellent car! There is something special about VW (those of you who have had one know exactly what I mean). This '97 GL (entry level) didn't even come with floor mats when I bought it new. 1997 was the last full year for this body style, so VW had a long production run to kill all of the bugs. I have had almost no problems in 5 years of driving ~76,000 miles. I am still on my first set of brakes, and nearing the end of the 2nd set of tires. I have had ONE check engine light the entire time! That required spark plug wires--replaced free under warranty in 97 or 98. If you are looking for a used car, the 1997 or 1998 Jetta is generally a great pickup. The 2.0 four banger is the most reliable, as is the manual gearbox. I worked for a VW dealer, so I know about all of the problems with the new cars. All I can say is that VWs do very well when they are simple. If you have a sunroof, power windows, cruise, etc., then bad things will happen eventually. So, if you don't mind a little spartan driving, stick with the GL. Also, VWs tend to respond to the amount of care their owner pours (or dribbles) onto them. Seriously. Change the oil. Wash it. Wax it. Make sure the battery is full of water. Check the oil regularly. Listen for strange noises. Keep the tires inflated. Don't run the climate control fan at the four setting. Don't let the power steering fluid run out. Change your gearbox oil. Change the plugs. If you do this, then smooth sailing.

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1971 MGB, 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlas Cierra, 1992 Honda Civic Hatchback, 1963 Volvo 122S, 1984 Toyota Corolla, 1995 Plymouth Neon Highline Coupe

I would never recommended a VW to my worst enemy!

This car has had NOTHING but problems since I got it, for instance: · Driver’s side power window regulator replaced (10/2000) · Passenger’s side power window regulator replaced (11/2001). Volkswagen America agreed to pay for the cost of part, admitting that the regulators were faulty. · Passenger’s side window fell again (06/2002) · Springs have popped out from underneath both front seats, seats can longer be adjusted up/down (03/2000 and 05/2000) · Gas tank does not automatically open when operated by release button (began 05/2001) · Front driver’s side wheel control arm bushing replaced (01/2000) · Trunk light and glove compartment light no longer work, bulbs replaced but to no effect (08/2001) · Yellow goo leaks from underneath all 4 door panels, staining paint black (began 10/1999, never resolved) · Roof creaks when driving up driveways, over speed bumps etc. “Isolation tape” installed, did not fix problem. (began 08/1999, never resolved) · Dash mounts loose, had to be secured (12/1999) · Air conditioning system faulty, valve had to be replaced (06/2000) · Lights on lower portion of dash periodically will not turn on (began 11/2000) · Turn indicator “clicker” continues to click even when turn signal is not activated. Part was replaced by problem continues to occur (began 02/2002) · Parts of sunroof had to be replaced (recall, 1999) · Car will occasionally sputter on take off, especially in 2nd gear. “Check Engine” light will come on periodically. Problem was diagnosed as “random misfires”. Never resolved (began 05/2001) · Arm rest (middle console) leather material on bottom peeling off (started 03/2002) · Rear cup holder broke, after only 3rd use (01/2000) · Front cup holder broke (04/2002)

*Fun to drive *Lots of power 180 HP *Good brakes, stops on a dime *Great stereo *Suspension is very responsive *Great looks *Did I mention fun to drive *Reasonable price for what you get, thousands less than a BMW 328. *Good option packages for those with different price ranges.

It has a couple of rattles in the driver and passanger side doors, covered under warranty, having to much fun with it to take it in. The only thing that sucks is the cup holders, someone should be shot over that one. The clear coat scratches real easy if you rub on it when there is dust on it, so be careful. Use a little Liquid Glass car wax to take it out.

When my wife said lets go drive a VW Jetta I told her she was nuts, but we did anyway. I fell in love with it right away. I haven't had this much fun driving a car since I was 16. We originally bought it for my wife to drive, but now I won't let her it's to much fun. I drove the automatic at first and I seen how much power it had and I had to drive a 5 speed. From then on I was hooked. It's got everything a true sports car should have but only with four doors: Red, 17" Alloys, 5 speed, Monsoon, Turbo, Chrome tail pipes, Sport suspension. I can't say enough about how much fun it is to drive.

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92 Chevy Beretta GT 93 Mazda 626 ES 95 Grand Am GT

its all good baby......

cup holder blocks sound system and the beige cloth-like seats are very hard to clean and gets dirty easy

A very nice looking car,nice interior which feels like a family sedan.In my opinion its better and cheaper than the best in its class HONDA CIVIC EX.I have read a lot of bad reviews about the jetta but so far so good (only 3 months owner) .It is good on gas consumption it consumes as toyota tercel does....i have both ...but jetta counsumes a little more not much more..

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toyota tercel

Great looking car. Good pick up, comfortable, great stereo system, fun and easy to drive.

cup holders block the stereo

Very happy with the car but have been reading bad reviews. hope none of those problems happen to mine.

Good looks, Great sound system, lots of trunk space, cool lights at night.

not enough engine power,interior to simple.

I think that the car looks great form the outside. the intirior is way to simple. The lights at night look great, but the eyes get tired after a long trip. The engine makes alot of noice. It takes to long to go from 0-60. About a month a go i went to vegas, and i stoped in the side of the road (in the desert). As i was triying to get back in the road i didnt see a big tuck going like 100 mph, and the car didnt respond even when i steped in the gas pedal all the way back. The truk almost went off the road while trying to change lanes so that it wouldnt hit me. the security system never works when i'am triying to open the car form a long distance. The deluxe moonsom sound system is great. Its hard to change the cd's, because the cup holders are ALWAYS ON THE WAY DUHHHHHH what stupid person though of that. The lether interior is better than is other cars of the same price range, the wood trim is not real. Even though this car has some very minor issues, its better than some of the other cars out there that are prized for about the same price.

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BMW 330xi

Good looks

Poor quality, weak engine, uncomfortable, very loud engine specially at high speeds, engine vibrates a lot, poorly placed radio hardly catches a station without statics.

Made a poor decision and bought this car new in 2000 merely on its looks. During the 21 months and 28k's miles that I owned this car the dealer fixed air bag light that stayed on, broken defrost switch, a stuck side window that wouldn't slide up, and also replaced the whole front suspention after numerous visits. The engine on this car is underpowered, vibrates a lot, loud, and specially loud over 70mph as though it's in third gear. The interior chatters and makes noises as though things are loose. The ride is rough and the loud engine noise and vibration makes long trips very tiring. The seats are uncomfortable and the material collects a lot of lint. The radio has a lot of static no matter what station you tune to, it's poorly placed and hard to reach specially with cupholder (which half broke the 2nd day) extended. This was my first and cetainly last VW and I've traded this VW for another car since.

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Many different brand cars and trucks. The most similar comes to mind is 88 Honda Civic, which was a great car for the 9 years I owned it.

I have a nearly 20 year old Jetta and it runs great! I have never had an engine problem or anything major ( a few hoses have broken...but come on its 20 years old!) I can't wait to get a new Jetta GLS. Volkswagen is the best dealer and they make the best cars for the price. If you want a car that is dependable, has a long life, comfortable and is attractive, you can not go wrong with a Jetta.

Fun to drive when working and have the radio turned up so you don't hear the rattling.

VW Service departments in San Antonio

The Jetta looks great on paper. This was my first VW and definetly my last. Since purchasing the jetta for my wife, it has given me nothing but grief. Doors rattle on cornering, thereis a rattle behind the glove box that the service department tells me they can't hear, cup holder has broke, right side mirror broke with ease. Part of the sales pitch was the ease of diagnosing problems with the use of the 5150 <--something like that, built in diagnostic computer. But after a lightning storm, the vehicle failed to work. After taking it to the shop x2 and being told nothings wrong, I checked the battery to find there was no water in the battery even though I took it in for all schedule maintenance. And now I cant't even use my rear center seat belt because it has locked up. In summary, Don't buy a Jetta