Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

silverbeauty

Just thought I'd throw a little update in here. I've enjoyed catching up on the comments since I was last on the site. justin and bluejetta, I'm still wearing my perma-smile. I'm starting to think that it will never go away Choosing to buy my Jetta was the best decision I have made in a long time. I know that I wouldn't have been as happy if I had bought any other type of car. Except for a 4-Runner....I always wanted one of those. Oh well....maybe I'll get one once I'm promoted to senior engineer in like 7 years . bluejetta, I'll be checking out your tint job...I think my baby will be getting one sometime in the very near future. Lots of VW love to all!!

-Lisa

jericho1

i have a 91 cutlass supreme now, and its a true piece of crap. the engine is great, but everything else is pretty shoddy. and i'll check out that dayton dealer. one in indy tried the high pressure crap on me, and i have no patience for that. i told him i wasn't ready to buy, and he still tried to force me into putting down a deposit.

boodrow

If you really want to save money on a new Jetta buy it in Canada. I compared prices at vw's site: http://www.vw.com and built my own in Canada instead of the US. A GLS TDI with winter pac and upgraded sound came to $19700 in the US. The same model in Canada is $16796 in US dollars after considering the value Canadian dollar at $.64. The current exchange rate. The federal tax in Canada is refundable if taken out of the country. I'm not sure about provincal taxes. The car itself is exactly the same except km and miles are reversed on the speedometer.

To price on the vw site the postal code I used was t5j2p4 which is in Alberta. There are a few hassles buying in Canada but at $3000 off I'd do it.

boodrow

jericho1

wow. sounds wierd, but i'l look into that. those crazy canadians, what will they think of next?

fischda

I have 8300 miles on my silver 1.8T now, and I just did a road trip of 700 miles one day and 530 the other. I normally hate drives that long, but they were a snap in the Jetta! I did 80-85 mph mostly, and the 10 hours flew by. My voice is hoarse from singing to the stereo and CD changer though - boy, am I a great singer! I should be in a band. I had a full load and bikes on a trunk rack, so the bikes especially sapped gas milage. Only 22-23 mpg. I get 30-32 without the wind resistance.

jericho - you should get good service at Frank Z. Tell them a guy who services his VW there refered you, and keep me posted. You won't regret buying a Jetta!

whacko

I drive a Ford Ranger truck and don't know too much about them Jettas. But I have to admit, I'm sick and tired of those dumb Jetta commercials that show how proud Jetta owners are when they first buy their car. I mean, let's face it. The Jetta really isn't that nice of a car. Maybe VW knows this and so they make fun of their own car.

justin

I am sure you are right. The Jetta is not really that nice, and VW knows it. Those commercials are really fooling the American public.....

sully26

does anybody know a good place to buy aftermarket alloy wheels for my new jetta on line? can you only get the vw 17" long beach wheels thru the dealer? I really want those, but they are way too expensive.

bluejetta

Board changed and a large chunk of posts were lost.

Cooper

Couple of good sites for after market wheels and tires are: www.tirerack.com and www.ec.tires.com.

Tire rack is neat, as you can see how the wheels look on your car.

At work during lunch, I went from one site to another and accidentally left an extra letter in "tire rack." Took me to a born site.

Cooper

Make that "porn."

yousjunior1

i am looking to replace my 1994 Mitsubishi, and I am used to and expect good gas mileage. I looked at a Toyota Prius, and although the car was almost perfect, no manual and no cruise control was enough to dissuade me from buying one. how does a standard enginge Jetta do for gas mileage based on your experiences? I mostly drive highway, so please help me out here

bluejetta

Three words: Get a TDI

Okay...TDI isn't officially a word. Anyway, the Jetta TDI is in the 45 mpg range if I remember correctly. easy enough to find out here at Edmunds.com or VW.com. You'd have to get a 'green' car to get much better than that. And yes, the TDI is not the horsepower king either, but for less than $500 you can be pumping 150 horsies or so and be zippier than a gas-based 2.0 (Stock) and up there playing with the 1.8T stockers.

I have the 2.0 and I'm not a gas mileage freak, so I don't keep track. I know I should but I don't. My wife says we get 32-35 on the highway and 25-27 in town, when she keeps track.

yousjunior1

blue jetta,

i tried to get a TDI a while back. Because they (diesel engines) cannot meet NY emission standards, i can not purchase one as they are illegal to register in New York. This means that diesels let out lots of dirty emissions, but they get good gas milage. to me that is an oxymoron because why get good gas milage if the pollution levels are SO much higher?

yousjunior1

blue jetty,

I tried to get a TDI a while back. Because they (diesel engines) cannot meet NY emission standards, I can not purchase one as they are illegal to register in New York. This means that diesels let out lots of dirty emissions, but they get good gas mileage. to me that is an oxymoron because why get good gas silage if the pollution levels are SO much higher?

bluejetta

I have heard that VW is working on that one and should have a greener TDI in the near future. How soon is anyone's guess. As to the diesel pollution rating? Well, I guarantee if it was a truck, it'd be clean enough to be on the road.

668

The TDI is 50 state emissions legal right now. The TDI has 20% lower emissions of greenhouse gasses. They meet tier 1 specs. This NY thing was a VW decision not NY, from all I have been told if you buy a diesel you can register it in NY. The TDI is not like the city bus or 18 wheeler you see on the road, it has a catalytic converter and other emission control measures. It also gets real world 50 mpg right now and with a 14.5 gallon fuel tank you get 700+ miles of driving range.

fish8

I do not own a Jetta, but I wanted to let all you Jetta owners know you have a VERY nice car. I am currently leasing a '99 Mercury Cougar V6(which I love) and I have a little more than 2 years left on the lease. The VW Jetta will most likely be high on my shopping list when the time comes to shop. When will the Jetta be redesigned?

Enjoy your rides!!!

bluejetta

668: Thanks for the TDI update. ;-)

fish8: Well, I wouldn't expect a major body redesign for a few years as the current one is only in it's second year. You might see options such as 4-motion (All-wheel-drive), tip-tonic and a 20-valve V6 within the next 2 years. Yea, baby!

Just in time for when your lease is up! ;-)))

fischda

C'mon, there's got to be someone lurking out there who has a TDI registered in NY or CA. Speak up.

1.8T drivers - what are you getting for gas milage? On the sticker, it's supposed to be the same as the 2.0. I owned a 2.0 first, but my 1.8T seems to be doing slightly poorer - 24/25 city vs. 27/28 for the 2.0. As for the highway, I don't know because my last trips was with a couple of bikes on a trunk rack which killed the milage (22/23).

vocus

I HATE this new software thing! I want my Placemarks back!!!

How are the Jettas in the snow with and without ASR?

fischda

Vocus, how's a '99 Mazda Protoge in snow?

The Jetta is very sure-footed both with and without ASR. My 1.8T has ASR and if you forget to turn it on, and the computer detects wheel slip, it blinks the ASR sysmbol in front of you to remind you - pretty nifty. Overall, I'm very impressed with its winter handling!

vocus

I drove my Protege last year in up to 8" of snow. It was pretty good, but then started to get stuck a little bit. Only thing I hated was that the wheel covers held snow inside the openings, which froze and became ice. It unbalanced the wheels and made the car shake badly when driving at highway speeds. I had to get it "defrosted" at the dealership and then it was fine. But how dumb is that??

fischda

Don't you live in DC area? I was there last winter for the two big snows. I had a 2.0 with no ASR then, and had no trouble in the stuff, although I didn't drive through 8" of unplowed powder. That would have come over the door sill. I guess the alum wheels don't trap snow like some covers do - hey, engineers can't think of everything, can they?

vocus

I live in the Baltimore area, but work in the DC area. I drove in the one 22-inch snow when it was just 8 inches. But the car just started to get stuck, so I parked it and used my mother's Pontiac Bonneville. That thing plowed through anything short of an avalanche.

fischda

in high school, it was a '71, and not good in snow without studded tires because the 455 had so much power. We also had a '75 Volvo wagon, rear driver, and it NEVER got stuck anywhere!

vocus

Her Bonneville (at the time) was a 1994 SE model. The one I bought for her to replace it is a 1993 model, but it's an SSE and has less mileage (67K vs. 150K) than the 1994 did, thanks to me. I used to love driving that car. It was so big, rich, and powerful. Of course, then I discovered the fun that can be had driving a small, nimble car and also the money that can be saved.

I really want my next car to be a 1.8T Golf GLS or GTI, but am worried about the quality problems of late. I know everyone says to bite the bullet because anyone can sell you a bad car, but I guess I am just anal with it. And it also bothers me that VW only covers their product to 24K. My current Mazda is covered to 50K. But of course, they do make extended warranties, and no one but Hyundai can touch their powertrain warranty. I guess I just want to wait to see how the batch of 2001 models turn out. Of course, Cons. Reports said the Golf has average reliability of late, so that is a good sign.

fischda

It's been a long while since I've seen a reliability rant on this topic. Mostly new Jetta owners really enjoying their rides. Consumer Reports is okay for baseline info, but they're not all-knowing. I once bought their top-rated cell phone and it was crap!

vocus

But also, the short warranty period bothers me too. It's only 24,000 miles and I drive that much within a year (30K actually). That sucks if something breaks on the car after the first year, and then I have to pay for it.

michigan_jetta

Hi people, just wanted your opinion on this. I just got my demo 2001 gallactic-blue jetta 1.8t. It has lux. package, sports suspension, in-dash CD. It also has 3600 miles on it. The price that I was able to beat the guy down to is $20000 out the door (not including tax). According to the dealer "That's a savings of $1650 over M.S.R.P.). Good deal or not? The state is Michigan, the city is Ann Arbor if that helps. Also, what is a good ECU reprogram chip that will give another 40-50 hp?

bluejetta

Hmmm...Last time I checked my Jetta has a VW supplied 10/100 drive train warranty. True it's only 2/24 bumper-to-bumper, but the 10/100 is pretty comforting to me.

Michigan Jetta: I would have expected a bit cheaper on that deal, but that's not too bad, and who cares? You got your car and that's what really matters! ;-))

There are quite a handful of chips out there. I'd do some reading at VWvortex.com's forum before deciding on that one. Not to mention there's also warranty issues regarding tuning, but that seems to be dependent on what dealer services your car.

bbuns

I own a White Jetta TDI GL and i am very happy with it.

MILEAGE: It all depends on your driving habbits. The maximum I got was 66MPG and the worse i am getting write now in winter blitz is 48MPG.

DIESEL?: I have had deisel cars in the past. This AUDI Turbo Direct Injection is the best so far. In Germany they use the same motor in Bora, passat, and TT if you prefer deisel. This car does not vibrate much. Does not stinks. Starts right away. Today, I started easily at 2F and wind chill -20F. I burn less deisel for a mile than a gasoline counter part in a same mile... so who is poluting the environment?

In 4 months I have put 20,000 miles with no problem. I do not believe VW is reliable when it comes to electronics, other luxuries. I love this car for the look, style, and engineering.

After, waranty 24K, I will purchase HP chip for TDI and will boost upto 150HP with out sacrificing MPG!

Bab.

vocus

Sounds great! I looked at a Jetta TDI myself, but was concerned about the power output with the automatic tranmission. Do you have stick or automatic? I would have gotten the same you have, GL TDI but with automatic and probably have a sunroof installed later. Also, how much did you pay?

fischda

I've heard that you can run a HP chip and then switch back to the old one when you need warranty service. The mechanics at the dealer aren't supposed to be able to tell you've been running an after market chip. Anyone heard this? There may be some pin on the ECU box that you have to break to get to it though, and that's how you tell, but I'm not sure. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd go to vwvortex, but I find that board harder to navigate than here.

Vocus - I know we've already accosted you, but once again, get rid of the Mazda, upside down or not, and just do it, man! I know the Protoge is a great car and will last you 10 years, but you're one of the main characters in this topic - you WANT a VW! Didn't you ever see Risky Business? Sometimes you just gotta say, "What the F***!" How about Dead Poets Society? "Carpe diem, brother!" Drivers [like Vocus] Wanted...

vocus

Yeah, you are right. I want a VW badly. But I also want to break even on my trade. If my 1999 Mazda was falling apart or a total piece of crap or something like that, then I could see getting rid of it for the VW. Be it as it is, I cannot see throwing good money out the window and a good car as well just because I want something different. I just bought a new house and need to get things straight with that first. The new car will come for the 2001 or 2002 model year.

blackjetta18t1

Hey people, I'm a 16 year old male and I'm getting a VW Jetta 1.8T in black with leather package, luxury package, auto transmission and monsoon audio. I'm planning on getting the car in February and for the last year and a half all I've been doing is researching this car. From what everyone says, this car is awesome, but my mom is afraid because she says it is to tiny. What does everyone think about this car as being a teens first car? Also, does anyone know how the Monsoon audio is? And I live in NJ where the snow never gets to high but it gets bad enough sometimes, does the EDL and ASR real;ly work well enough to prevent slipping? Finaally, I know everyone says rear leg room is horrible, but is it really that bad for like having 3 teens back there for at most a few hours?

lbihn

One of the most reputable chip makers is Wetterauer at www.chip-tuning.com. You can expect better than modest HP and torque gains for $500 - 1000. Other modifications are likely to cause damage, maybe not right away, but in several thousand miles

vocus

I personally don't recommend such an expensive car as a young driver's first, especially one with the power of the 1.8T enigne in it. The car is very safe and has gotten good crash test scores, so your mother shouldn't worry. Also, the car is about the size of comparable vehicles too, not really small like a Geo or something. But I would seriously think about insurance costs, maintenance costs, and fuel (premium required) costs before purchasing something to impress my school friends.

bbuns

I payed $18K and made them install single DC in it. It is a stick shift and what I have seen they do not cut down prices...

TDI engines requires Synthetic oil. Dealers put Castrol syntec - which is not completely synthetic. I buy MOIL DELVEC-1 which you can buy at any moil truck stop. This engine oil ($25-gallon) so advanced that not only I get better silage but also longer time intervals. I know some people installed by-pass filters and with mobil-1 they could up to 40,000 miles before oil change.

I think it still cost cheaper to go to dealer and get 5000 miles for $35.

cab.

btw, there is a good web site for TDI lovers: http://www.tdiclub.com/
Over there you can find some information on CHIP.

wonderwall

maybe your parents should put that money towards college or something more worthwhile than buying you a brand new car. you are young and inexperienced as a driver and the likelihood of you crashing it is pretty high. nevertheless, maybe you'd be better off going and flipping some burgers and earning money to buy yourself something reasonable. i think maybe your parents have more money than brains.

whacko

I was so excited when I bought my new Jetta, that I wanted to show it off to my best friend. So immediately from the dealer, I went to my best friend's house. I pulled up to his apartment and started honking and yelling out his name, "Cooper...Hey Cooper!" You know what that sucker did? He walked up to the window, looked down at me and my brand new Jetta, and just walked away. Moments later, he came back with a gun and blew my tires away. That's the part they didn't show you in the commercial. The moral of the story is, nobody really cares if you're driving a new Jetta. Afterall, it's only a Jetta. Big deal...

drybean

Hi All - My girlfriend and I are about to trade in her '97 Montero Sport for a 2001 Jetta 1.8T. This one has the luxury pkg. and the monsoon sound, and is an automatic.

We have negotiated a drive out price of about $21,600. Does this sound good to you guys?

bluejetta

We're all grateful that *YOU* care that all of us here either drive Jettas, or are getting ready to buy a Jetta. No. Really. We do appreciate that *YOU* care. Afterall, why else would *YOU* take time to post messages in the Jetta section?

bluejetta

That's an okay price. You didn't break VW's bank. Check on the Edmund main site and you can check for yourself on the pricing.

All that aside: Welcome to the Jetta club!!! Isn't the Jetta just a kick to drive or what?

lbihn

Blackjetta, if you can afford it, get the Monsoon audio system. I didn't want the option initially, thinking it was a gimmick. But since I bought off the lot I reluctantly ponied up the extra money. I bought the 2001 TDI diesel (which should be inherently louder), but the tight seals on the Jetta mask out most of the engine noise. And with the great fidelity of the Monsoon system and a bit of volume, the car sounds more like a recording booth, drowning out what little noise creeps into the cabin. You shouldn't really buy the Monsoon to have a louder stereo, (although at 200 Watts it does crank). You should buy it because it boosts the frequency ranges which would ordinarily get lost in most car stereos. In short, it offers incredible sound and clarity, and will meet or beat any luxury car stereo system like those $1200 systems in BMW and Mercedes. In short, I am extremely pleased.

TO ALL:
Also, if you get a CD changer, BUY THE VW ONE for $350. After an exhaustive search and several dead-end e-mail requests and phone calls for information from both Monsoon Audio and VW, I bought an aftermarket Panasonic 8 disc changer and conversion cable for $289 OTD at Circuit City thinking I 'beat the dealer' by paying less elsewhere and avoiding the factory markup. What I got was a changer that takes repeated disc button presses on the console before it finally loads the proper disc. Also, you can only access the first 6 discs out of 8 on the changer. The volume only goes so low before it abruptly cuts out completely. It is hard to keep a conversation even at the volume’s lowest setting. Furthermore, I get an annoying, random BEEP every 5 minutes or so where the stereo reads 'CD Error' on the LCD display, interrupting the song. I am not ripping on the Panasonic changer, it is just that the communication protocol between the units via the trunk harness is not perfected. If you want to avoid these Pains, VW has got you cornered. Despite the annoying beeps, the CD sound through the Monsoon is awesome otherwise, very crisp and clear like a good home system. Maybe get the single disc CD in dash radio? From what I remember though, it is about as expensive as getting the base Monsoon and a trunk changer.
Good Luck

bluejetta

Hmmm....I don't recall that nick here.

Well anyways, I am already well aware that the 8-disc changer will not work with the Monsoon and I cover those facts on my website at www.bluejetta.com

I found out the facts the hard way and have shared them with all fellow Dubbers I meet.

You need to get the 6 CD changer and the correct adapter and it will work. I did end up getting the VW changer and I love it! Fortunately, the dealer gave me an awesome price after the crap I went through trying to get the 8 CD changer to work.

So, VW does not have you 'cornered' if you follow the proper procedures and get the right equipment.

lbihn

Sorry bluejetta, I was answering #587 blackjetta18t1 above.

fischda

Tell me more about your monsoon. Did you initially get the standard deck, and then buy the monsoon afterward? I've been thinking of the same. What did it cost you? Did dealer install, or did you do it yourself?

While the standard radio rocks compared to amy other stock system I've heard, 200 watts would sure sound a lot crisper! Is the power in the deck itself, or does the monsoon system work in concert with an amplifier mounted someplace?

fischda

Don't get the monsoon - don't even get a Jetta, because you'll probably just crash it, and you sure won't appreciate it since daddy and mumsy are buying it FOR you. Besides, no teen has any business in a new car. Get something less powerfull and more practical like a '94 Accord or '96 Jetta 2.0. And don't drive like an idiot to impress your friends - an insurance statistic says teens are 4X more likely to get into a serious accident when other teens are in the car! Don't be a statistic yourself, pal. Drive easy until you're more experienced. Buy the Jetta yourself, after college, and you'll appreciate it and treat it much better!! You may be a very responsible and intelligent guy, but the numbers are against you...

wonderwall

well said.