- good looking car.

- bumper, I have found many other people who own the new Jetta have this problem, it hits the cement everytime when I pull out of the driveway and does not fit over a 4" parking spot divider. Costly to replace and on top of it the part was backordered for over a month, the bumper ended up causing more damage to the mud flaps which I also had to replace.
- the check engine light continually goes off, no one can fix it
- grease is dripping from the doors into the interior causing guests as well as myself to get grease on themselves constantly, I have been told this is because the plant put too much grease in the doors. I wipe it off but when the car sits in the sun it drips down AGAIN
- this week the windshield wipers and blinkers are not working

I leased this car because I thought it looked great. I have found VW customer service to be nothing else than atrocious. This week I called the VW dealership to make an appt to get the windshield wipers and blinkers fixed, they can not take me until November 2nd. I have to take my car to a dealership over 30 minutes away to get it fixed. I do not have another car, therefore I either have to rent another car or get friends to drive me around.

VW of America, when called, is rude and condescending. I personally would never lease another VW again and can not wait to get rid of this car. I have taken the car to the shop 5 times in the year I have owned it. No car is worth that to me.

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Quality materials both interior (dash, controls, etc.) and exterior (closes with a satisfying "thump", nicely done wheels, paint, sunroof/moonroof, etc.

Just a TRIFLE underpowered but that's the tradeoff for getting 30+ mpg. If you're looking for performance, you might want to consider the 6-cyl.

I would definitely recommend the 2001 VW Jetta. To borrow from Oldsmobile's phrase "this is not your father's Volkswagen". I should know--I've owned a '77 Beetle and an '86 GTI. Perhaps because I purchased this car brand new, I was able to choose the options I wanted, however, there is a noticeable difference between the comfort and safety that has been put into this car and VW products in the past. I've only owned it for about 3 weeks but I am suitably impressed!! I paid approx $18,800 for a GLS w/5-speed, luxury package, monsoon sound.

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None really--this is the first car I've ever purchased brand new.

great power and the comfortable ride. The power is available right from the start to to redline and it loves it and asks for more. Beautiful looking car (silver and black int)

Comfy ride but lacks the cornering stability, it feels like its going to roll over after 25 MPH in a corner

i would definatly recommend it...there are limitless possibilities with this car. im going from a mustang to a 4 door car and what one lacks the other makes up for. Jetta is just as fast (if you know how to drive it) as the mustang, granted the top speed in a stang is higher you have to tank up at every station while the jetta will pass it by with better fuel rating and overall comfort.

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95 mustang GT ......not really even a close comparision

Good, comfortable ride. huge trunk, perfect for those 12'' subs. mpg *miles per gallon* is sweet, especially now that gas prices are high as hell. if you like low-riders then you got yourself a bootleg low-rider until you have it lowered at a shop.

no cupholders. go 95 mph on a freeway with it and the damn thing feels like its gonna fall apart. acceleration is a joke. dont go over puddles with it because you gotta turn that damn wheel so hard to avoid smashin into cars in the next lane. bought cd player for car, but need to buy 2 parts ($75 - $150) cuz volkswagon makers = idiots, just so cd player will connect/work. bootleg plastic bumper always gettin wrecked on damn bumps. car sounds like a cat, always "purrrin". when a/c or heat is on car squeaks like a lil school girl. stock speakers/bass are humiliating.

$4200 68,000 miles. perfect for a first car, or if you just use a car to get from point A to B. best damn ride i've been in. If u wanna hook a system up with it though, u gonna have lotta "frustrations" due to the "additional parts" that you would need to buy. but it looks and sounds sweet after you hook it up. and the mpg makes this car well worth $4200..*coughs*

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Looks great and is comfortable.

Muffler and tail pipe need replacing. Gas gage has gone twice. New raditor.

The car drives great when it does not have a problem. I bought the car from a VW dealership with 28,000 miles on it and have owned the car for 10 months. In the ten months the car has been in the shop 4 times. The mufler and tail pipe need replacing and this is not covered by warrenty. I love the way the car drives, but expect to be in the service shop alot. The car drives alot better then my 1991 Accord, but my accord with 140,000 miles on it had alot less problems.

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Honda Accord 1991

Where to begin? It's beautiful, quick and built like a tank for such a small car. The body is stiff and the suspension is tight and responsive, both of which transmit the impression that you're driving a bigger car. The leather's beautiful, definitely worth it. Monsoon will make your ears bleed (that's a good thing).

Haven't really found any yet. Oh, the sunroof control should be simpler. I'm sure I'll get used to it but right now the little knob makes me wish for a plain toggle switch like the power windows have. And it took a while for me to find a driving position where the top of the steering wheel didn't partially obscure the gauges. A universal garage-door opener would be a nice option.

I love this car. I actually prefer its body style and interior simplicity over the A4 and the engine/drivetrain is actually sourced from Audi. Jetta doesn't quite rise to BMW driving experience but I'll gladly sacrifice that for more than $10k in savings. The ride is superb and the acceleration can actually take you by surprise when that little turbo kicks in. And i love to keep the sunroof open so that I can hear the whistling hiss of the turbo spooling! The fit and finish are perfect, although the paint, especially around the rocker panels, is a little average. The premium wheels are a nice upgrade and let you peek at the shiny disk brake rotors and claipers. The 1.8T has proven itself to be among the best and most reliable 4-cylinder engines available and, given the 100k drivetrain warranty, I've few worries about its reliability with proper maintenance. I am a little worried about things like the interior electrical components and the rest of the secondary e-system, since this car is assembled in Puebla, Mexico. My last car was a Toyota that had not one single problem in seven years. If the Jetta ever starts letting me down I'll be back here ranting. But for now I'm keeping my fingers crossed and enjoying the spectacular ride. Chris Alvarez and Craig Buis at Alexandria VW in northern VA gave me a great buying experience and good price: $21,125 plus tax for the 1.8T GLS 5-speed w/leather, luxury and monsoon ($400 over invoice-not bad for such a popular car).

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Test drove Audi A4, BMW 3 Series. Jetta almost qualifies as a "poor man's" BMW and is barely distinguishable from the 1.8T A4. It's ridiculous to compare Jetta with other cars in its EPA class, like Civic, Corolla, Protege or Integra. Even loaded, they don't measure up. The fourth generation Jetta (when equipped with the 1.8T or VR6 engines, leather and lux packages) is a true entry-level luxury sedan.

Lots!
- Great power (VR6 really does enhance the experience)
- Fun to drive!
- Interior looks and feels like an Audi, yet cooler!
- Monsoon sound system is the best car stereo I've ever heard
- San Antonio dealership was extremely helpful and efficient (but this is not true for every VW dealer...read on for more commentary)
- Actually gets better mileage than I expected (35/25, rather than 28/20)
- Rain-activated windshield wipers a plus up here in New England
- Even when dirty, the exterior looks superb
- ABS has literally been a life-saver
- AC/Climatronic is wonderful, whether it be in Colorado cold, or Texas hell.

- 91 on the Octane rating is the unfortunate trade-off for the good mileage
- Computer sensor needs to be re-set by the dealer (it's not compatible with any kind of consumer IT product -- although that may sound odd, the technology is obviously there to support this feature -- USB porting, etc)
- Oxygen pump failed after 3000 miles, replacement took too long
- Getting ANY kind of part (be it CD player, o2 pump, oil filter) is tough due to a lack of supply on the part of VW-USA. What on earth is the justification for this inadequacy in their supply chain management?
- VW dealers aren't in close enough contact with one another to provide a nationwide support network...I guess I'm building on my above SCM statement here. I test-drove in Colorado, purchased in Texas, and then moved to Connecticut -- the dealerships have no contact with each other and evidently don't have the means to do so. This is perplexing for someone who is moving a great deal...
- VW.com is helpful, but only for "brochure" purposes. Rarely did I find that the on-line stock matched up with the off-line.

I would hands-down recommend the Jetta GLX. VW enterprise issues aside, I have had almost too much fun owning this car! For those of you interested in going TDI/GL, definitely get them to deal on the price! I originally wanted the TDI, but the price difference to the GLX was so little, and therefore all-too tempting in the end! Definitely get them to drop the price on the non-GLX trims.

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I've owned an '89 Accord, but I had access to an A6 while living in Germany. The 2000 Jetta is SO similar to the A4/6, I often wonder if Audi drivers are just kidding themselves!
Test-drove: BMW 3 series, Audi A4/6, Passat, 2000 Accord/Civic, Subaru Forrester/Legacy/Outback, Saab 9-3, Jetta TDI/GL models.

-Interior build quality
-German look & feel
-Cool stuffs inside
-Nice stereo system

-Wheel alignment: always pull me right or left depending on road condition. 95% fixed after rotating the front wheels.
-CRAPPY paint: I think my whole car was re-painted! The paint gets scracthes very easily! What a shame!

Will buy BMW or Audi after lease expired

A nice one to lease, not to own. Fun-to-drive, but there're many things they could have done better.

Its got good, tight handling and steering, pickup is sufficient, more than what is expected from a 115 HP engine, and it has babe appeal too. if you put in a CD player head unit, the stereo system is pretty decent, The trunk is MASSIVE, i can fit all my goalie hockey stuff in there and have room for another hockey bag. good visibility too, and has been reliable in general. also feels better made than any honda i've been in.

The jetta does have its downsides although dont let them deter you from this car...for one, the drivetrain and transmission will be solid, but VWs have notoriously bad electrical systems (lights will go out, windows wont go down, just annoying stuff) sometimes the seat isn't very comfortable for long times, small backseat for some people, but i'm 5'11" and find it cozy, it really doesn't do that well in inclement weather, but you can get around that, and some people complain of wind noise. for a 4-banger, i only get 20 MPG overall? must be the automatic tranny.all these are just little annoying

Although a little pricey, people usually ring up 150,000 miles or more on these, so you can have a pretty reliable car if you can put up with lights going out and stuff. VEE DUB FAN FOR LIFE!!!

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Nissan maxima '87, i like the jetta better...more chicks definately :)

handles well, looks great (unique styling compared to any other car made today - except Jeep Wrangler!) fun to drive, comfortable, loads of trunk space.. GREAT CAR!

slow; pickup sucks when your on a slight incline; older models have MUCH better handling; paint fades on top, trunk, hood; parts are a little pricy.

This is my second Jetta. When I bought it everyone thought I was crazy b/c of all the problems I had with my '89. But I had faith in VW! I've always heard such wonderful things about these cars and I figured I just bought a lemon. I did. My '93 is a dream. I have 125,000 miles on this puppy and it runs great! I have a minor problem with the oil pressure alarm going off but that's just a short in the wiring. Once I figure out which one of those damn wires connects to the alarm you can be sure I'm going to clip that baby! Also, there's a minor problem with the fuel injectors...I think it may be caused by sediment. But these issues in no way hinder my jetta's performance. I feel she's still running strong and believe will for another 100,000. This car good for anyone. I tote my married friend and her two kids in it on occassion and there's plenty of room for them. Just for the two of them in the back though...it's pretty hard to squeeze in a third party back there.

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1989 Jetta - my '89 jetta was a complete piece of crap (except the handling was phenominal!!!). Don't buy one made in '89!
2000 Jetta - My ex-boyfriend has one. One suggestion for this year - if handling means anything at all you, put in an aftermaket suspension...apparently VW overlooked this feature in the newer models.