Looks, ride, comfort, cargo space.

Reliability, electrical, noise, engine, cooling system.

The 2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLS is the worst Jetta I have ever driven/owned. Some of the accessories got damaged within 3 to 6 months of me owning the car (arm rest and cup holder). The electrical part of the car stinks. The A/C dash lights are not working now. The power windows make a weird noise and sometimes will seem not to be working properly. The dealership service is horrible. Not worth, at all, its sticker price.

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Older Jettas, much more reliable. The price for a 2000 GLS is about 20,000. You can a much better car (more reliable) for that price.

Looks, performance (only 105bhp), ride and handling, build quality (in the UK the cars are made in Germany), excellent VW dealers, good equipment levels (better than the Golf), comfy seats, good hi-fi, etc. etc.

Alarm goes off when it is windy, 'soft-touch' boot release played up until local VW dealer took it apart, rear leg room not very good.

Fantastic car (called the Bora in the UK), and VW dealers very good. No problems at all (apart from alarm goes off when too windy - dealer will adjust interior sensor, and boot-release).

Handles very well and powerful for such a heavy car with a smallish engine, although it can be sluggish with 4 adults on-board and the air-con on.

As with many reviews here, oil consumption was initially high, but now is what I would expect (1 litre of oil in 10000 miles from new).

No problems with melting door-wax (not hot enough?), nor very low front valence. Paint-work is also very good (Perlescent blue). Perhaps it is because the car was built in Germany and not Mexico?

Dealers are very good (although expensive). 3 year warrenty (60k miles), 10 year paint and 12 year rust are very good for the UK. Over here VW have an excellent reputation for quality so if something goes wrong they try their best to help you.

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Audi A4 and VW Polo. Both very good (built in Germany again), although Audi dealers *very* expensive.

Looks nice, handles well

Everything else

I could go on for days about my disappointment with my Jetta so I'll keep it short. Within 6 months of buying the car I had problems with the electrical system (dash board lights blinked like a Christmas tree before turning off completely and leaving me stranded on the highway late at night) and the O2 sensor had to be replaced. Two months later I noticed my engine made a terrible sound on the highway, checked my oil and there was none!!! From that point on I wrestled with the dealer to give me an explanation regarding the mystery oil consumption: patronizing me he said it was "normal" for Volkswagens to consume 1quart of oil per 1K miles- "normal"?!?!?!? THis problem has persisted for approximately 8 months. I carry oil in my car AND I go to the dealer regularly to have the oil topped off. To make matters worse, the temperature sensor just went bad and I had to have it replaced. My car's MPG is terrible as well so I'm having to fill up more often than not. So what is the fate of my car? The engine is going to die eventually- probably after the warranty expires. The dealer did a bogus cylinder leakage test, monitored my oil consumption every 1K for approx. 4K and sent a claim to VW in Michigan. WHat am I supposed to expect in return? If my problem "qualifies" under VW's eyes and IF my problem is justifiable enough then I get a new engine. Either way I'm screwed. I don't want to have a new car with a replaced engine! I would've bought a used car for that matter. This is ridiculous and VW lies and denies that there is a problem. I plan on filing under my state's lemon law while there is still time. Personnally I think a class action suit needs to take place.

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None

engine has incredible thrust
excellent handling
stylish exterior
sound system
gas mileage

cup holders are annoying
back seat can be cramped

I have really enjoyed driving my Jetta. I agree with the reviewers who praise the engine power- the 1.8T has never failed me when I need to accelerate quickly. The car easily hums along at high speeds if necessary without suffering from loss of handling ability. I think the front seats are quite comfortable but the rear seats can be hard on the knees for long drives. The trunk is rather spacious for a car of this size. Speaking of size, this is the smallest car I've ever driven but of course the easiest to maneuver- I never have problems getting into the smallest of spots. The customer service at the dealership has been nothing short of outstanding. They have attended to my every need. The car currently has a little over 16,000 miles and I have had no problems at all. The Jetta 1.8T is for you if you enjoy being able to zoom out ahead of the pack every time and don't need to haul around a gang of people. Great for singles, couples, and/or families with 1 or 2 small children. Care for your car by not abusing it and doing the routine maintenance and it should be a satisfying purchase. Be sure to use the correct fuel type. Thumbs up on the Jetta 1.8T!

Best look of any car in 21,000 dollar range.
My TDI got 52 miles to the gallon.

Customer service is the worst I ever had.
Car starts falling apart after warrenty.

Hello to all. Let me list the failures of my once proud Jetta TDI. All of the problems started a few months after the warrenty was up (27,000mi). First, the driver side rear view mirror heater stopped working. Second, the glove box broke and hung from the lock. Third, the arm rest broke. Fourth, the dash lights went out. Fifth, the water heater gage stopped working and always read cold. Sixth, the engine lost about a third of its power. It used to pull like a Mack truck, but now more like a Pinto. Seventh the driver side window would no longer go down. Eighth, the passenger side door would not open right. You had to pull it really hard. All of these problems were not present when bought. I love cars and really checked it out before I bought it. Consumer Reports rated the Jetta a great value and said nothing about problems. Now Consumer Reports says not to buy this car. How about that? I had two choices, fix the car so I could live with it or get rid of it and take a $3000 loss. This car failed me so bad I chose to get rid of it and buy a new Honda due to its unsurpassed reliability. I plead with all of you to due the same while the resale value is still high. If a news report comes out on these horrible cars you will not be able to get rid of it without a severe loss of money. To those who are considering buying this car please don't. I know of not one person who owns the new Jetta A4 and does not have at least a couple of problems. Buy a Honda and live in peace.

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97 Jetta A3 GLS-Did not learn my lesson.
90 Mazda MX6- O.K. car. Not much power. Not one broken part after 130,000mi.