Engine, handling, Stereo System option package

***PAINT QUAILITY POOR Scratches very very easily

I found the package as a whole to be quite nice, while all the options packed into the car, the VR6 is a blast plenty of torque and the ASR helps keep wheel spin under control. I've put about 5500 miles on the car and I've had no mechanical problems.
I've owned 2 other VW's in the past an 88 Fox and a 86 Jetta GL, both were good cars and quite sturdy.


Something changed in the paint process, and the result is poor quality. I must first mention my car is a little over 2 months old it's have never been to an Car Wash I wash the car by hand. The car started getting scratches after the first wash I thought maybe the rags were dirty or something. Then I noticed scratches by the door handle, on the hood, on the trunk etc. To make things clear when I refer to scratches I'm not talking about clear coat scratches. I'm talking down to the primer scratches. On my Black car they show up as white lines.

I'm currently attempting to get VW to do something about it.

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88 VW Fox paint was MUCH better
86 VW Jetta Better Paint
90 Celcia

See March opinion

None

This is an update from my previous posting. So far so good, I put 6000 miles on the car, I've been to the dealer only for the 5000 mile oil change, which was free. Last week I went to Long Island and got 40 mpg on my 2.0. I also replaced the steel wheels for ATP rims which I purchased at tirerack.com. The car looks great.

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None

Looks good.

I had paint bubbles on the hood, heated seat element failed, faulty window regulator (both passenger and driver side), spark plug misfire, several failed turbo related valves, replaced turbocharger, defective passenger door lock...even the floor mats suck. I wish I never owned it. It is a total lemon and I am gonna sock it to VW with the BBB, the State of Michigan, a lemon law attorney and several news stations that love to take on crappy products.

Worst car I ever owned. Worst customer service ever. Car in for repair for 34 days and I was told it was fixed. Picked it up and within 5 minutes, same problem. I am getting the runaround from VW.

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My big wheel that I had when I was 5 was better than this.

Appearance
Handling

Highly Problematic
Poor Customer Service

We purchased this vehicle in 1999 and very happily traded it in this past weekend. We were initially drawn to the Jetta for its stylish new look and the Volkswagon reputation for a quality car. Our vehicle was fully equipped with moon roof, 8 speaker cassette/cd changer, windows, locks, anti theft system, alloy wheels, tinted windows, cruise control. Very shortly after purchase the laundry list of problems began occuring:

05/11/99 - Replaced sun roof motor - Opening on its own
07/13/99 - Replaced sun roof motor - Opening on its own
04/24/00 - Left front window fell down and would not
roll up - Replaced left front window regulator
08/03/00 - Right front window fell down and would not
roll up - Replaced right front window regulator
09/20/00 - Right front window fell down and would not
roll up - Replaced right front window regulator
09/20/00 - Left front window fell down and would not
roll up - Replaced left front window regulator
10/18/00 - Left front window fell down and would not
roll up - Replaced left front window regulator
10/18/00 - Right front door not opening or closing
properly - Door hidge loose and falling off
10/18/00 - Radio noisey and not playing cassettes properly
Internal defect in radio, radio replaced
04/09/01 - Battery/Computer system dead, can not get into
through keyless entry or key slot
Battery replaced, Engine computer replaced
04/09/01 - Replaced sun roof motor - Opening on its own
06/15/01 - Right front window fell down and will not
roll up - Replaced right front window regulator
06/21/01 - Keyless entry inoperative/key slot will not open
vehicle - Computer system reprogrammed

On the day of this last repair, and after numerous headaches, we traded this vehicle in. After venting my frustrations with the Volkswagon service manager, he shook his head and stated that "These are unusual cars". On the day of trade in the vehicle had 23,800 miles and thankfully all repairs were under warranty.

We somehow managed a good trade in amount on this vehicle, although we felt bad for the poor customer that would end up purchasing such an inferior product. Volkswagon customer relations was contacted several times during the course of ownership, and while they sympathized with the problems we were having, they were highly unknowledgable and could not help with anything.

Be wary of any Volkswagon product as I have found countless numbers of owners on the internet that have had similar problems. Needless to say I will never own another Volkswagon product and highly recommend that they be avoided.

Increadible fuel economy. Diesel engines also seem to last forever, and I have had friends with gas fired VW's well into the 200K on the mileage. I have 97.5K on this one, and I've only had it for 27 months. I like to drive, and this is a very fun car to drive.

It is a deisel. I love the engine, but the deisel engine produces soot. You only see it when it starts cold, but all US cars, have a recirculation loop that sends some of the exhaust gas into the inlet air line. Great idea, but not for a deisel. It plugged up with carbon, which I fixed, and then closed off that line to prevent having to do that again. Fuel economy dropped, but 43-45 mpg is pretty darn good, expecially since I put the engine through a workout.

The vehicle is built like a tank. Very safe, very solid. The downside to this is, working on it can be a pain in the butt, and some things you simply need to bring it to a mechanic. Fortunately, it is an exceptionally reliable car, so that doesn't happen often.

The interior isn't a nice as with American cars. Some of that is so you can feel the road better, but some of that is just because that is something that American car manufacturers simply do better than everyone else.

Power, for the TDI engine, is all in the lower RPM's, so speeding at interstate speeds, you don't have great acceleration. I rechipped the engine with a Wetterhauer engine control chip. Solved that in a hurry. No problems with power now.

I absolutely love the New Jettas (A4 body style). A lot of fun to drive, and the catch attention, which is nice as well. I'm even more in love with the TDI engine. I was getting 48-49 mpg before some of my modifications (see below in weaknesses), and after my changes, I'm still getting 43-45 mpg. It is indeed a deisel, but most people are stunned when I tell them, because although a little louder than a normal gas engine, it isn't all that much louder, and nothing like a typical deisel.

The car hugs the road, and acceleration off the line is a beaut. Classy looks, so it doubles well as a professional vehicle when I need to impress. It does have a small backseat, but I'm often the only one in the car. If you wanted a bigger one - buy the Passat.

It's a funny thing to add, but I love the dashboard at night. Easy to ready and great colors. Good sound out of the speakers as well.

The Jetta is a great car for younger professionals. A bit expensive for people right out of high school, and not roomy enough for people with families. But if you can afford a decent car, and don't need the room, it is such a great deal I would suggest it to anyone.

The TDI engine shows it's torque off in city driving, and I love the diesel engine, but if all you do is quick 10 minute trips, get the gas engine. You don't buy the TDI for it's torque, you buy it for the fuel economy. If you don't put on a lot of mileage, it isn't worth the amount it costs above the gas engines. Get the 1.8T instead.

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1997 Pontiac Sunfire: The Jetta TDI is faster in the lower gears, the Sunfire was faster in the higher gears ('till I modified my Jetta that is). Both hug corners eaqually well, but considering the fact that the Jetta sits up quite a bit higher, that says a lot for the Jetta. Classic driving a car vs driving a bathtub. The Jetta feels like a car, you can feel the road and can be much more responsive to it. The Sunfire is much more comfortable on the inside, but you don't have the same feel for the actual road.

Great looks, big trunk, quick engine for a 2.0 liter, can constantly add more to the car performace wise.

The fear of having something major go wrong with the car, i've heard the horror stories and know about the price of the parts. Handling seems a little off, but no worse than my last two cars

Well i guess if you dont own one then you should. These cars are more than just tranportation. I've owned 2 other cars in the last 5 yrs and none even compare to the way my Jetta makes me feel. It's sporty, semi-quick, looks great, and fun to drive. I've added foglights, a spoiler, Euro emblems, and extra cromed out parts. Above all else no major engine problems and i get over 32 mpg.

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95 taurus and 83 Buick century, doesnt even compare.

VERY reliable(knock on wood),fast and tight,I'll take on any 318i.
Lots on trunk space,more than the old man's Crown Victorian.
Just did a 5000+km trip, no sweat.

Heat shield rattle,due for exhaust soon(99,000kms)

Excellent car,great on gas,peppy,tight,stylish. Lots on passenger and cargo space. Good standard features (GT)mags,foglights,spoiler,funky interior.

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Camery,Altima,Prelude.

Handling, Looks, Standard equipment

Poor reliability & dealerships who are less than concern about recurring problems.

I purchased my Jetta less tha a year ago and have had it in the shop at least 10 times for recurring problems. At 8000 miles 2nd gear began to grind, trans was rebuilt. At 10000 miles I had problems getting the car out of 1st gear, whole new trans was installed. Now at 13000 miles 3rd gear is grinding. The car is sceduled for more trans work, as soon as they strap another band-aid on it, I'm trading it in.
I've also had problems with the Mass Air Sensor, windows that don't seem to want to go up and down properly, poor fuel economy, and door and dashboard squeeks out the wazoo! Its back to the Japanese for me.

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Toyota,Mazda & Honda, as far as reliability, there is no comparison.

It's looks so cool, but, looks are deceiving!

See complaints:
www.myvwlemon.com
www.consumeraffairs.com - Jetta

This car is horrible! I am lucky and have not have as many problems as others, but, for a relatively new car (2 yrs., 30K miles), it ridiculous how many problems it's had! The H20 sensor was just replaced last week and now the dealership is telling me that the mass air flow sensor needs to be replaced. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!

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nothing

Handling and power (considering that it is a 4-cylinder)
Space (Front seats and trunk), back seats are basically extra cargo room or for little people.
Excellent engine/drivetrain warranty (as I am the original owner, and plan to keep it to the bitter end)
Good looking car, still get numerous compliments on appearance... still stock with exception of roof rack.
The cold weather package is a nice luxury, keeps your backside toasty on all those cold mornings

Kinda strange that so many door mouldings keep falling off? Did someone put Teflon in the paint? The power window/sunroof thing is a big nuisance, make me long for the old cranks in my 78 Rabbit. Engine could use more power, but I guess I coulda bought a GLX too.
Main weakness is VW Parts/Service Departments, anytime I have had to deal with one, I can't help but feel like I'm talking another language when I come in and that I've been violated as I leave. Then there is the sales department...have you ever seen the meat thrown in the lion cage at the zoo? I have bring this up because I nearly strangled the salesman... as I sitting in my brand new Jetta with the saleman, listening to the many features it has, the salesman leans over and loudly vents some noxious gasses from his bowels!! While sitting in my brand new car!!! If I wasn't in such shock, I truly think I might have done the man some bodily harm. Anyway...it's a good thing you don't have to deal with salesmen on a regular basis, As far as service goes, fortunately VW has a great "grass-root" mechanics following, you just have to find one! The same with parts, as the original parts wear out, replace them with performance parts from a reputable aftermarket place (Neuspeed, Autotech for starters) You will probably pay the same or less than what the dealers charge.

I've had the car since new and have had an overall good experience. After reading other reviews of similar cars 94-98 Jetta's I see that I have had common problems. The front door mouldings on the car have fallen off several times (fixed by a reputable body shop, not dealer. The car was running crappy in wet weather (fixed with new plug wires, by self, not dealer). My front passenger window is progressively acting worse not opening/closing at desired times. I remedied it previously by using the key in the door, but that no longer works, I also notices that the sunroof doesn't close with the key as it used to. Hopefully I can fix that by replacing the wiring in the doors. Evidently the wires get frayed and short intermittently causing malfunctions. Engine smokes a little on cold starts, no biggy. Interior is holding up well, exterior is holding up well, performance and handing is still exceptional, although upgrades are on the menu for this car include shock/struts/springs, cam, chip upgrade, intake/exhaust and clutch. Mileage is acceptable 25-32 depending city or highway... I tend towards agressive/sport driving. I'm not sure I understand why people gripe about handling in inclement weather, except for ground clearance, wet/snowy handling is up to the tires, user's choice. I've got a set of Hakkapelliitta's for winter use here, and I keep up with the Quattros

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As far as VW's go:
78,79 &80Rabbits (diesel), 79-80Dashers (diesel), 84 GTi, 85Golf(A2-diesel),85 Jetta Turbo Diesel, 94Passat GLX, 58 Beetle, 73 Beetle
The 95 Jetta is my favorite, except for the simplicity of the older cars.
Audi:
86 4000CS Quattro, 86 GT Coupe, 94 90CS Quattro sport, 92 100S
The Jetta is definetly out-classed by these Audis, but hey, you get what you pay for.