I think I am going to buy a Jetta...any tips?

[SALvation]

I am finally going to get rid of my '94 Celica and get a new car. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to go with a VW Jetta. From what I've read, it looks like the 1.8T is model to get. My price limit is $23k so I am looking at getting the following:

GLS 1.8T
Heated Package (Heated seats and nozzles)
Sport Luxury Package (Power sunroof and 17" wheels)
Monsoon Package (Stereo upgrade)

Do you guys have any tips or suggestions? And you before you say it I don't like the styling of Hondas, the Nissans I like are out of my price range, I don't like the Suburus, and I won't buy American. Every person I know that has bought American has had problems. In the 6 years I've had my Toyota I have had none. Also my friends have different foreign cars and they are just as good maintenance wise.

 

[CraigRT]

to be perfectly honest, if you think your Toyota stood up well, get another one.. they are the best you can get for dependability
if i wanted a car to last, and not have to fix.. i would absolutely NOT get a VW.. it's a nice looking car.. but they have more problems than a Japanese car that's for sure. electrical problems especially are known to be bad on VW's. I don't trust those cars, "but that's just me".... crap, that should be my sig!

 

[Stifko]

I guess for that money, you are looking at a new one. If I were in your shoes, I'd also consider a TDI. VWs are gret cars and a you will be happy w/a Jetta, IMHO. I'd take German over Jap any day of the week.

 

[SALvation]

The TDI only puts out about 90 horseys. That is just too weak for me.

The only Toyota I like is the Celica and I already have one. I wanna mix it up a bit

 

[aphex]

I had a 2000 Jetta and i absolutely LOVED it!! The only complaint i had was that i got the weak engine, but you will LOVE the 1.8t. I have the same engine in my 2002 Passat and it ROCKS!

VW has problems just like any other company, but ive never had more than little problems with my Jetta, the Passat has been perfect... As for what Yield said, just to provide a counterpoint, my moms toyota camry was in the shop once every other month with different problems. Eventually she just had to get rid of it.

First off, go test drive it. German cars are amazing and so much fun to drive.

Lemme know if you have any other questions...

Hope we can welcome you to the fam!!

BTW, check out VWVortex forums....

 

[yakko]

Go with the Jetta. VWs are great cars and even though a lot of people here spout off about all these electrical problems I never have seen anything out of the ordinary. Granted my experience only comes from owning 4 different VWs and being a VW mechanic so I probably don't know as much as the others who have probably never owned one. They will also probably warn you against the Mexican made ones because they say the Mexicans can't build worth a crap but my Mexican made Jetta has 111,000+ miles on it and I am hard as hell on that car. I only have to do normal repairs to it that any car would need.

 

[Doggiedog]

My sister's 92 or 93 Jetta caught fire and burned up but I think VW fixed that problem.

 

[vi edit]

You're getting an engine that's in a $27,000 + car, an interior better than most cars twice it's price, a heated package that would cost you 2-3 mores from any other company...if they even offer it...and one of the best crash ratings of any compact car on the road. Oh, the warranty on the '02's rock too!

Only thing I would suggest would be to skip the monsoon system(over priced), and make sure you can live with the back seat space. It's really cramped.

Besides those though, they are excellent cars!

 

[SALvation]

Well I realized there is a VW dealership only 1 mile from where I work so during lunch I went and took a test drive. Wow that car kicks ass. You can really feel it when that turbo kicks in. It turns out that the exact car I want, color and packages, was being loaded off the truck literally minutes before. I went ahead and put a security deposit on it and will most likely pick it up in the next few days.

 

[mithrandir2001]

<< Every person I know that has bought American has had problems. In the 6 years I've had my Toyota I have had none. >>


And you want to buy a Volkswagen?

Buy another Toyota. Or a Honda. Or maybe a Protege or Impreza. Volkswagens are for trendy folks who want a trendy car and plan to flip the thing back on the market in a year or so before the problems get out of hand. The Passat, maybe, is in a different position because it's made in Germany, but the Mexican-built Golf/Jetta/Beetle are in the Chrysler Crap segment. Sure, these VWs LOOK all fancy and nice, especially inside, but have fun taking care of the myriad electrical problems (oh, those wonderful power windows) and dealing with a small dealer network who make you wait weeks to get parts from Germany. $23K is a lot of money for a small non-premium car that has a decent chance of being an ownership nightmare. Heck, I'd think you'd have a better ownership experience from Hyundai and you'd pay half the price.

 

[aphex]

<< Well I realized there is a VW dealership only 1 mile from where I work so during lunch I went and took a test drive. Wow that car kicks ass. You can really feel it when that turbo kicks in. It turns out that the exact car I want, color and packages, was being loaded off the truck literally minutes before. I went ahead and put a security deposit on it and will most likely pick it up in the next few days. >>



AWESOME!!! Good choice!! Welcome to the family!

Isnt that turbo just sweet? The best is when ya roll down your windows with the music off and just listen to that baby spool

 

[CraigRT]

Junk.

 

[vi edit]

<< Junk. >>



And you drive what...a dodge? Have any of you naysayers ever owned a veedub...or is it only second hand "scientific" knowledge?

 

[Doggiedog]

Had a 86 VW GTI 8V back in 88. Absolutely a blast to drive. Loved that car but tons of problems. Sister's car had problems right off the lot. But I'm sure VW has improved alot over the years.

My best buddy had a 99 Passat 1.8T that had some transmission problems and stereo blowout problems (went through 2 of them). He got an 01 Passat V6 with no problems so far.

 

[vi edit]

Doggiedog, I know you owned a GTi

 

[aphex]

<< Junk. >>



Why dont you crawl back into the hole ya came from? We have 2 vw's right now, and had one 2000... Theres a reason we bought 2 more...

 

[Doggiedog]

Doggiedog, I know you owned a GTi

And I absolutely loved that car, problems and all!

I would love to have a V6 GTi now but my college days are long gone. Minivan time for me!!

 

[DNMonty]

<< I had a 2000 Jetta and i absolutely LOVED it!! The only complaint i had was that i got the weak engine, but you will LOVE the 1.8t. I have the same engine in my 2002 Passat and it ROCKS!

VW has problems just like any other company, but ive never had more than little problems with my Jetta, the Passat has been perfect... As for what Yield said, just to provide a counterpoint, my moms toyota camry was in the shop once every other month with different problems. Eventually she just had to get rid of it.

First off, go test drive it. German cars are amazing and so much fun to drive.

Lemme know if you have any other questions...

Hope we can welcome you to the fam!!

BTW, check out VWVortex forums.... >>



Hate to be picky, but isn't the Passat an Audi engine? Just so happens the Jetta and Passat both use 1.8l 4 cyl w/turbo.
BTW, I went from a 88 Jetta to 98 Golf to 00 Passat and still climbing. I haven't had ANY (knock on wood) problems with any of them. Which was also why my ex wife had a 97 Jetta followed by a 00 Jetta. Although, since we divorced, she traded in the 00 Jetta for a 02 Civic. I knew she didn't deserve such a sweet car!!

 

[aphex]

<< Hate to be picky, but isn't the Passat an Audi engine? >>



Audi = VW

The 1.8t engine that the passat and the A4 use, is also the same one found in nearly every VW. Their all chipped differently from what i understand though.

 

[StageLeft]

I don't know how the options are in the Golf but you could consider a golf 1.8t instead. It's basically a jetta that is cheaper with the exact same cargo volume but given its hatchback shape a more convenient cargo area for carting stuff like TVs. I know the jetta does look better though.

People who don't like VW's just haven't driven one.

 

[aphex]

<< People who don't like VW's just haven't driven one. >>



The understatement of the year

 

[pcmodem]

Yo,
Note that Jettas are made in VW's Mexico plant.

According to Consumer Reports, reliability of the Jetta has improved from below average to average for the 2002 model year. This means you can expect more unscheduled maintenance than you experienced with your Toyota.

Too bad there isn't a 4 Motion version of the Jetta like the Passat.
-PCM

 

[Pliablemoose]

Test drive a TDI for the heck of it, you might be surprised @ where the power is in the torque curve...

 

[MajesticMoose]

I know the vr6 is fun to drive, never tried the 1.8t Acceleration in it is awesome, but the handling leaves a good bit to be desired. Definitely go for a sport pakage. Also I'm not sure If I'd get that stereo upgrade. My dad's has the bose version (below the one you specified IIRC) and it sounds pretty bad (duh! its bose). As with just about any car, you will get a lot more stereo for your money if you buy aftermarket and put it in yourself.

 

[MazerRackham]

<< Test drive a TDI for the heck of it, you might be surprised @ where the power is in the torque curve... >>



Don't flame me, but is the TDI a turbo diesel? I haven't seen any of those on the road, just the VR6 and 1.8Ts around here (SoCal, Irvine area)...