Tell me your feelings on the MKIV Jetta 99.5-05!

[Kyle0614]

OK, here is the situation. I want to feel like part of the group that I hang out with. Friends have a new Passat 2.0T, one silver 02' gls turbo Jetta, and one blue 02'gls turbo Jetta, also a 04 GLI turbo Jetta...all cars slightly modded except the beast GLI which is running like 22 psi chipped, exhaust, intake, etc...

Basically were into VWs/Audis...

I used to not like them when they all first got them but now for some reason there growing on me and I've become bit by the VW bug literally ...I guess it's true "When you get into a VW, it gets into you." lol...

anyway my choice is a 2000 to 2001 VW Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8Turbo, most I see on autotrader or either black, blue, or red for the wolfsburg model...probably going to get one at the end of the summer for a 2nd vehicle Gasser, yes I repeat 2nd Gasser (not selling the X)...this will be a commuter/travel vehicle, then I can work on making the X like I want it...

Anyways, just want to feel like part of the group if we ever go on night cruises and such...so this is the model i've decided to purchase, you can get nice ones for less than 8k all day long on autotrader. Really a good car for the money.

 

[jonlax]

I hate German cars! Owned a nazi sled BMW (330 Ci) which was nice but numb at higher speeds and i travel the autobahn daily. Get a polo if you want to save gas.

 

[Kyle0614]

the jettas are assembled in mexico just for future reference

 

[Black92LX]

all those year jettas seem to smell like crayons to me.

I just sold my 2001 A4 for the explorer.
Wasn't a huge fan of the Audi.
Sure it was fun in the turns with the quattro system paired with Koni coilovers. But I won't go back. Costs too much to keep them running and make them fast.

By the way 8,000 is WAY TOO MUCH

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

just some input, my mom drives a 03' Jetta GLI 2.8 VR6 6-speed, its a fun car but now that it had 90k on it, it has had alot of problems. For instance in the past few months, we have had to replace the clutch, their were shavings in the diff housing so the speedo and the odometer stopped working, it had a broken axle....the list goes on. Now this might be a "lemon" but i have heard alot of people with problems with hi-mileage Jettas.

 

[Kyle0614]

i know i said (less than 8k in post) meaning 5500 to 7500...

 

[jonlax]

just some input, my mom drives a 03' Jetta GLI 2.8 VR6 6-speed, its a fun car but now that it had 90k on it, it has had alot of problems. For instance in the past few months, we have had to replace the clutch, their were shavings in the diff housing so the speedo and the odometer stopped working, it had a broken axle....the list goes on. Now this might be a "lemon" but i have heard alot of people with problems with hi-mileage Jettas.

Your not the only one that has experenced this problem. At 90k you need to replace the water pump and timing belt which will cost you lots of green to do it yourself or have a mechanic do it. Vr6's are fun but cost wayyyy too much to up keep. My buddy has been struggling with his at as soon as it hit 91k and he is a mechanic! They may be assembled in mexico but they still have german engeneering!

 

[Kyle0614]

thx for your replies, either way I'm going to get a 00-01 wolfsburg 1.8T because I can pick one up for around 5500-7500 depending on miles/condition and what not...I have to admit there fun little cars once you modify them...now for the EF color choice game. Black, blue or red?

 

[Kyle0614]

and the chicks around here like em' a lot! I know that because they check out all of these VW's...they are total chick magnets.

 

[toypaseo]

An R32 would be fun...

 

[Kyle0614]

yep but used one's go for about 30k and up...i'd rather have a 99-00 carrera 911 coupe for that kinda money..

 

[Lefy]

or an 2002 m5

 

[XxxMonoxideChild]

my roommate used to have a 2002 jetta 2.0. it wasnt a turbo though.

he only had it a year, and the local shop had posession of it more then he did. everything from engine troubles, to some pretty bad juju suspensions problems that could have seriousely been a major risk to his life if they broke when he was on the highway, instead of low speed city driving.

his problems alone make me not have much hope or trust in those cars. or at least a lower end base model.

 

[Kyle0614]

thats cause it was a 2.0 there not all that great...

 

[Kyle0614]

the higher end turbo cars are much better i meant to say...the 2.0's are just basically slapped together...cause white and black females drive them...not many guys drive the n/a unless they turbo it and make it better

 

[Bwana Bob]

My mom has a turbo Passat. It's OK, but it need premium fuel and the fuel economy is not that great: maybe upper 20's.

My sister drives a Jetta. She only drives Jettas. I don't know why. Guess its a chick car, plus she trusts the dealer.

I would stay far away from Jettas. My sister's Jetta needed a major engine overhaul at only 120,000 miles. New pistons and all. It hasn't been abused. She had all scheduled maintenance done at the dealer. When it first started acting up they said it was spark plugs. Then it was the (made in China) coil packs that were "burning up the spark plugs". It kept getting worse until it would barely run. Then came the engine overhaul.

With so many engine designs, even 4 cyl, capable of going 200k+ miles, there is no excuse for an engine that melts down at 100k.:thumbdwn:

So, IMHO, its a nice car to lease for 3 years or buy new and trade in after 5 years, but don't plan on long-term ownership.

Bob

 

[XxxMonoxideChild]

^

my daily driver beater 89 probe has 249k miles, original motor, and trans, hell, even clutch. and doesnt leak or smoke anything. and i redline it on a daily basis. lol. owned it since 1999, and treated it as badly as i could since. yet still runs like a champ.

 

[Rusty]

a friend owns a 99 passat 1.8t and within the first few months of owning it with only like 70,000 miles the engine blew in it. Luckily he had connections with and Audi dealer and put the a4 engine into it because they are so similar. He has since done ALOT of work and put ALOT of money into replacing most of the vw components for Audi racing stuff. It is fast but at Quite the cost. He just got his turbo ceramic coated due to it glowing red after some long drives.

It is a sweet car but NOT cheap whatsoever to keep running.

Another friend bough a 2000 Passat 1.8t and within owning it for 2 years it has developed a lot of sketchy symptoms and has been to the shop alot.

But hey there is a ton of junk that goes wrong with all our explorers all the time( or maybe jsut mine!?) and that doesn't stop us!

I like the cars but i don't know if i trust them.

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

yeah when my mom's Jetta is running right its a blast to drive, the VR6 with the 6-speed puts you back in your seat...but its just a hassle how many times it has been in the shop. Relative to my explorer the Jetta has had many more problems at lower millage(96' explorer 150k).

 

[Kyle0614]

my most fav choice other than a jetta would be a 98-01 a4 1.8t awd and/or 2.8 v6 awd upgrade the turbo or supercharge the v6 either way both of them pretty decent cars for the money