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Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

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    balticjetta18tbalticjetta18t Member Posts: 146
    You might be able to find the Mid Grade Octane such as 89 or 91 to give a whirl. I used to have a Ford Truck with a 4.6OHC, 16V V8 and found that 93 made the engine too jumpy... 87 was lacking when putting on the power going up inclines. 89 or 91 gave consistent smooth strong power and better mileage than 87 did which was minimum recommended. Try this with your 12V V6...
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    chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    I drove one at the Mercedes Powertrip event last summer side-by-side with a 325i, A4, and MB C230, and it was definitely at the bottom in my opinion. I was uncomfortable in the interior no matter what I did (read: cramped) and the power was way too touchy. I light tap on the gas pedal and the car surged forward, but flooring it did not impress at all. I also am not a huge fan of the tail lights, but that is all in the eye of the beholder...
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    budwhitebudwhite Member Posts: 8
    for the responses. i've been lucky to find a couple of stations in the Philly area that have 93 for 1.499/gal., so i think i'll be able to stick with 93 for a while, anyway. My manual for the vw uses terms like "aki" and "ron" for octane ratings. it says i can use 87 aki or 91 ron for filling up. any ideas on which is which, anyone? thanks for the help.

    bud
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    87 is regular, 91 is premium (93 usually). I use 87 in my 1.8T, and the economy and power doesn't change, I do not notice a difference.
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    justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    you are correct - the IS tail lights are horrendous. a la modded Civic.
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    soslater1soslater1 Member Posts: 1
    I am in the process of purchasing a 2002 Jetta TDI and although the car I found has cloth interior, I am considering having leather installed. I have had a current Jetta owner tell me to stay with cloth, so I now am conflicted. I would like to know what other owner's think. Anyone?
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    8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Get the leather.

    I got the velour in my Golf TDI GLS. It nice and everything, but it is a huge lint magnet. Using a lint roller to remove the lint once a week is too much for me.

    The GL cloth interior, though may not feel as nice as velour, requires less maintenance.

    Are you looking at a GL or GLS?

    GLS spend the money on leather
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    chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    also try out my '99 Pro ES. the rear seats you slightly higher than front seat and with that huge greenhouse...it is simply amazing.
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    ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    So not only is the Jetta back seat bad for anyone who's either large or claustrophobic, but vertigo sufferers better keep out too! What was VW thinking?

    Edit - for Paul's benefit : raised stadium seats = NO NO for vertigo sufferers.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Vertigo sufferers? I don't get it...
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    anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    "...after looking at the problems with the Jetta makes me want to think twice.

    I know there are always some bad cookies in the bunch...As I am sure I will find them with any car I look at."

    I guess you haven't looked in the Wrangler forum then...

    :-)
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    anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    What exactly is that?

    (All that comes to mind is aluminum benches, with someone spilling beer on my back and yelling into the back of my head....Then again, maybe that is a good description of my driver's seat sometimes too!)
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    anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    My old 92 Civic hatchback was funny. All my friends had Fords, either Mustangs, or a Bronco.

    They always made fun of my "little" civic. That is EXCEPT when they sit in the back. They never fail to comment how much room it had back there. It was very deceiving, much like how the SAAB can devour a sofa or whatnot. It was like a small station wagon with the seats down, and could take 3 adults, although not for huge distances with great comfort, it COULD do 2 for a while, or 3 in a pinch (under an hour).
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    8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    You should also tack on the Honda-Acura V6 transmission problems also.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I love the look of the Acura TL-S Type, but have read about alot of transmission problems in the car. Trannies replaced at 2K miles and stuff. I have had problems with rattles (mostly) in my car, but would gladly take that over a transmission replacement.
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    AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    I think you mean "Type S."

    "S-Type" is a Jaguar. :^)
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    saturnfreak01saturnfreak01 Member Posts: 134
    Question, how has everyone's dealership experience been while shopping for a VW? I have been to Honda and Toyota dealers that have basically turned me off those cars for ever due to incrediably rude and uneducated sales staff.

    My experience at one VW/Mazda dealer , wasn't too bad, and the sales consultant let me take numerous cars off the lot with out tagging along to peek over my shoulder the whole time (pretty good since Im 23 and look 19 years old. Thoughts.. Comments..
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    donnabgooddonnabgood Member Posts: 37
    stadium seats means the rear seat bench is higher than the two front and thus almost offers a front seat view from the rear..next time you have a chance sit back there and you'll see exactly what I mean..if you are ever in the back of a volvo s60 they do not have this feature (most cars don't to my knowledge) and your only view is the map pockets and headrests of the front seats..btw they also call the delay of the interior lights slowly going off "theatre dimming"..car companies like to make you feel every time you get into your car you are experiencing a night on the town, therefore these descriptive terms like stadium seating and theatre dimming..
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    balticjetta18tbalticjetta18t Member Posts: 146
    It also keeps your knees from arching up towards your chest and let apt to be pressed against the back of the front seats. In addition, I will usually raise the front seats some more with the ratchet pull handles to give any back seat pax some more foot room.
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    balticjetta18tbalticjetta18t Member Posts: 146
    I generally always use 93... If not available, I use 91... I have always experienced stronger power and 1-2 mpg's better with the 93. I have a 5 speed manual. I wonder if there is less of a difference if one has a 5 speed TIPTRoNIC Trans. I have also found that some gas stations blend of Premium 91 or 93 does not perform as well as other stations. I have found that the lower performing Premium is always several cents less a gallon.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I have had good experiences and bad with VW dealerships. You have to see how they act toward you when you first walk in. First impressions are priceless.
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    justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    while there isn't a difference in power or MPG's between 87, 89, or 93, (in my car anyway)there is a HUGE difference in quality of gas! i always go to the same station (exxon). as much as i love SHEETZ prices, i refuse to do that to my car :)

    i have had bad gas before (that sounds horrible, haha) - made the car "cough" a bit.
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    justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    is your Jetta the Baltic Green color? how do you like it after living with it for a while?
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Baltic: My neighbor (around 3 blocks away) has a Baltic Green Jetta. My friend says it looks like baby sickness. :)

    Bad gas: I know what you mean by having bad gas in a car. I never had it in the Jetta yet, but have in one of my Proteges. The car acted like it needed some Pepto Bismol or something. :) All was good in a day or so, because I did alot of driving to get that stuff out of the car.
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    fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I agree about first impressions. When I brought my Jetta to the service dept to have them look at my car, I got there around 6:35. They opened at 7:00. I saw them all gathered aroung inside the service window talking and they did not open the door until 7:05. Now thats good customer service!!
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    They're probably that way because they had to be raised to accommodate the fuel tank, suspension, or something else under the car. This design probably explains why the car has no room in the back seat for things like adult passengers.

    Meade
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Well then I guess all cars have stadium seating in the rear then...

    The rear seat room is one thing I would change about the car. It's not that a big a deal to me though, I drive the car from the front seats. If someone can't fit in the back, they can scrunch a little or take their own cars.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    But I see you constantly saying that a $25,000 European sedan should not rattle. I wholeheartedly agree.

    I also feel that a $25,000 European sedan should be able to accommodate four adults (if not five) comfortably. If they're not going to offer a rear seat that actually can be used as such by grown people, then they shouldn't advertise that the car has seating for four (or five, however they advertise it).

    I don't just have problems with the Jetta in this department. My old Corolla ('78) left you eating your knees if you were forced to sit in back.

    I'd expect such cramped quarters in a $12,000 Kia or Hyundai ... not in a prestigious European sedan costing twice as much.

    That's where I'm coming from, and I really expected you'd agree -- since you don't give your car any benefit of the doubt and frequently use the "it's a $25,000 car, for pete's sake!" judgment.

    Peace.

    Meade
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    chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    Justin: I have a Baltic Green Jetta and I love the color. I always get compliments from people, and its rarer than the other colors.

    mdaffron: The price has nothing at all to do with back seat room. You can get a large cheap car, or an expensive small car. This tends towards the latter. If you need more backseat room, then you need a bigger car, i.e. Passat. It is not a design flaw that there is little room, its just because the car is small. I want a small car, its more fun to drive!

    Also, the Jetta is not by default a $25k car. I believe the starting price for a 2.0 GL is like $16,800 or something like that. The only reason it would cost $25k is if you want it to.

    Look in the back of a Mini Cooper, that costs $16-23k and the front seat was almost touching the back with me sitting in it (6'1"). I am not blasting the Mini, I actually wanted to get one, but it just wasnt practical.
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    justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    whoa! now VW is prestigous? since when? what makes you say that? not even 10 years ago they sold a car called the Fox. and, they are the best selling car in Europe, and the best selling European make here in the U.S. I don't think a best selling anything qualifies as prestigious, do you?

    what people keep forgetting is that the Jetta/Golf models are actually BARGAINS. the best value for the dollar out there. these cars are cheap in comparison to most others when you take into account insurance and resale and standard equipment.

    there is a back seat. it works for normal sized people. be happy!!! :)
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    justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    re-read my post. want to make sure people don't think i am yelling :) it's all good. just curious.....

    J

    and, i do like the baltic green color (being Polish and all), but i don't think i could live with it. yes, it is unique. :)
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    blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Well then I guess all cars have stadium seating in the rear then...

    Huh? Most cars have the passengers rear seats LOWER than the front seats.

    Who stadium seating was a foreign concept. don't you people go to the movie theater or plays or even stadiums for that matter? Tiered seating with each row getting progressively higher...sheesh
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    So what do you all think about the newly available 2003 1.8T GL model? You can now get into a Jetta 1.8T for about $19K with both automatic and ESP (once you "work" with the dealer a little). Also, it's good that the ESP is available, since it's not available on any other small car on the market yet. That should really be helpful to VW sales.
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    8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Not counting Minivans and some SUV's

    what's underneath the rear seat bottom cushion.....some sheetmetal, the gas tank, and some suspension componets and/or axle

    what's underneath the front seat....basically sheetmetal.
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    chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    Actually, the Focus has been available with Ford's version of stability control, Advance-trac. That was their claim to fame for a little while, it was the only economy car on the market with stability control.
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    8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Saturn's claim to fame for a number of years was the traction control system on the SL2 and SW2 with automatic tranmission and the optional ABS (which the traction control came with, 5 speed manual ABS cost $50 less with no traction control).

    All it did was modulate the power going to the wheels and proved to be very effective. I think it was introduced in 1994, and was superior to most traction control systems which primarily used brake modulation at that time.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I was using the terminology, erred as it is, that I so frequently read here. I got called down from some of the people in this discussion for calling it by its correct term -- ECONOMY SEDAN -- a few weeks back.


    Funny though, not everyone disagrees with me ...


    http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/mostwanted/2002/47581/article.html


    ;-)


    Meade

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    chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    I think the best description would be "Premium Economy Sedan." It kind of splits the difference between economy and luxury, although it seems to get closer and closer to the latter every time they redesign it.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Forgot all about the Focus. They were the first with stability control. One of the things that did NOT get recalled on the Focus! :)

    And you are right about Saturn, it was 1994 when they introduced the traction control system on the S Series cars.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Funny that Edmunds says the Jetta is an economy sedan. In one review of the 1.8T Jetta when it first came out, they said there was no reason to get the A4, to get the Jetta 1.8T instead. That's what I did, and I agree. Why spend more for the Audi? See link below.


    http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/firstdrive/43976/article.html

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    anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    "Question, how has everyone's dealership experience been while shopping for a VW? I have been to Honda and Toyota dealers that have basically turned me off those cars for ever due to incrediably rude and uneducated sales staff.

    ...

    (pretty good since Im 23 and look 19 years old. Thoughts.. Comments.. "

    Well, I hope you are not a female. My wife was asked by a VW sales guy what color underwear she had on. He also made some other rude remarks to her. If I had been there at the time, he would have matching black eyes.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I am surprised he didn't at least have a knee in an unfriendly place. :) If that would have been my mother, she probably would have slapped the snot out of him.
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    anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    "I think the best description would be "Premium Economy Sedan." It kind of splits the difference between economy and luxury, although it seems to get closer and closer to the latter every time they redesign it."

    How about "Economy Sedan at a Premium"?
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    chmeeeechmeeee Member Posts: 327
    Not so much. I love what I got for my money.
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    galogvigalogvi Member Posts: 41
    >>5847 of 5871 RX300 Rattles by gcrim21 Aug 25, 2002 (11:29 pm)
    Believe it or not I really do like my 1999 RX300. However, in addition to the AM Band ignition noise this vehicle drives me up a wall sometimes with rattles. (It rattles all the time, up the wall is sometimes.) Vibrating rattles, plain old loose parts,(tire well area) rear seat area, right side of vehicle rattles, dash rattles, you name it, it has them. It and my wife's 1997 Toyota Avalon run a close race for winning top prize for rattles. The Avalon has top honors at present. This RX300 is our fifth Toyota product and Toyota just hasn't found out how to build a vehicle without rattles, except for a 1996 4Runner I had. It didn't rattle. When I purchased the RX300 I thought I would be leaving rattling Toyota products in the past and was I ever wrong. How do the other owners of RX300's cope with rattles?<<
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    That is too funny! A Lexus with rattles? That would just be something that would happen to me.. :)
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Well, the Audi's a nice economy sedan too ...

    :D

    Anonymous ... Congrats, my friend, you echo (pun intended) my thoughts EXACTLY!!! (When was $25K "economy" anyway???)

    If you still believe that Paul, I've got a 16 oz. bottle of Premium Economy Spring Water I'll sell you for only $4.99. It's basically the same as the Dasani that runs $1.09, but it's charged up with a really cool exterior and a sport cap ...

    Meade
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    There!

    ;-)
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    blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Are you guys actually trying to say an A4 and Jetta are comparable? ROFL

    Keep living in the dream world. A fully indie suspension, 4 years of free service, more interior space, better interior, infinitely better handling, better exterior, far nicer color selection, a TRUE sports package and Xenons. Yeah, I'd say you can get all of that on a Jetta...in a dreamworld.
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    anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    fully independent suspension is not so big nowadays, and who cares about xenons (those are lights, right?).

    color selection is ok.

    NOW, better handling, exterior, interior, more space, are all good things.

    What do you mean by 4 years of free service? If it means that is part of the purchase price, it might make it more worthwhile right there. What is the warranty? If that 4 years transfers to other owners, it would be a good reason to get one as a used car.

    Please define TRUE sports package (versus whatever VW offers).

    Just trying to clear things up for myself for future purchasing considerations.
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