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Comments
for me, the extra performance and refinement from the 1.8t is well worth the extra money and corresponding insurance costs. the jetta's safety features should help with the insurance. the 2.0l engine seems out of place in this car's character.
i have not been a fan of leather, but i'm starting to become one. the smell and feel are becoming more appealing. i'm a very neat person and the maintenance to keep the cloth seats lint free is manageable for me. but yes, the cloth seats are good lint collecters and in black would require lots of attention to keep them looking clean.
I pretty much agree with what John (venus537) has just said. The posts on this board speak about velour seats is that they are very hard to keep clean especially, the black. I have a two month old 2003 GLS Jetta 1.8T (the 1.8T is a very smooth purring kitten), Tiptronic with the Leather package (This is my first with leather and it is very comfortable), Sport Suspension, Monsoon Sound and ESP. If you are able to afford leather at this time you'll get it back when you sell it later. The Cold Weather Pkge depends on where you live. I live in the Chicago area so I got it, for sure. The ESP (Anti-Skid Feature) again, depends on where you live. The heated seats and washer nozzles were also worth it for me. Out insurance went up about $20 more a month. That also depends where you live and your age.
There will be others posting their opinions on this board and you will benefit greatly from all of them. You have come to the right place.
Good Luck and Happy Shopping!!!
I'm less convinced the stuff you get with the GLS package (alloy wheels, sunroof, armrest) is worth the $1500 or whatever it is, but you can't get leather with a GL.
If you do with the leather I'd think about getting black. I have the beige and it picks up a bit of soil, especially on the armrest (which is probably vinyl). It comes off fine but you have to stay on it.
I tried to get ESP with my Jetta wagon but they don't seem to have stuck it in too many cars. I think it's probably worth it, but then again, I'm not quite sure what it does, either. Like, would it help take you out of a spin on ice?
- Anthony
The 1.8T gets about the same economy as the 2.0 does, and has a LOT more power. Also, you get ASR (traction control) with the 1.8T that doesn't come with the 2.0
We live in NY and after the winter we have been having I must say that the cold weather package is well worth it. If you want to have some fun, put an unsupecting friend in the passenger seat and turn the seat temp to 5.
I have stated before that my fieance's Jetta had a scrached windshield. From looking at it is abvious that the wipers caused the scratch. I originally thought that someone turned on the wipers withoout the rubber parts being installed. Now I am not so sure.
When the wipers are turned on you hear a "squeek". My fiance said she thinks the scratch is getting worse. She told me this late last night and I could not see anything in the dark. Did not have time this morning to check. I am taking the car in tomorrow.
ESP - is an option on the GL, GLS and standard on the GLI and GLX.
Almost 12K miles and I have not had a single mechanical problem with my Jetta. Only an occasional noise here and there.
I never drove a V6 Jetta until after I bought my 1.8T. The 200hp VR6 was very smooth, but added weight to the front end and felt 'lazy' on the throttle to me at some points. I am used to the turbo I guess, although its (smidgen of) lag gets on my nerves sometimes.
I do agree with you. The 2.0 is underpowered. Hopefully VW will address this with the next Jetta redesign.
The weight of the car and its gearing will impact its performance numbers.
If VW can lower the bloat (sub 3000 pounds please) and aggressively gear for 0-60 while offering a true cruising gear for 60+ then you can figure on increases in 0-60 runs. In reality, VW will probably add weight to the car, make it bigger and keep the gearing as is.
Not that it matters to me. I'm so sick of getting reamed at the pump...$2.10+ for regular, 2.30 for premium that I'm seriously considering one of those economical appliances from Honda. Maybe buying a hybrid will encourage more carmakers to take the leap. 40-50 mpg sounds real attractive...twice the mileage, and lower fuel costs.
Blue: How about getting a TDI model? You will still have all the Jetta comforts and luxuries, but your diesel will get about 50mpg. I personally can't see myself in a hybrid vehicle. I test drove a Prius back in 01 when they first came out, and hated it!
Justin: Some of us are on a budget, so these gas prices are a real pain in the wallet... I have been paying 1.68 a gallon for 89 octane for a couple weeks now, so hopefully it stabilized.
Justin, I made a case that if one buys a car and that car requests a specific formulation of gas, then put it in the car. If one is paying $2.10 a gallon, then $2.30 a gallon isn't that big of a deal considering the gas mileage is the same.
Now in the case of my Jetta I go 15k miles a year at 24 mpg (that's what I get) each gallon costing $2.30 for a total of 1438 a year.
Juxtapose that to a Civic Hybrid that gets 44 mpg (below the actual city rating 46/51) over 15k miles at $2.10 a gallon for a total of $716. That's two to three payments a year!
Well the big issue comes from the fact the TDI is a VW. If it were a Mazda, Nissan, Toyota or Honda, I'd consider it. But another VW? And a grossly poluting one at that? No thanks. I've done my time with the Teutonic mechanics of doom. I can't see it happening again.
Somebody needs to make a diesel hybrid...then we've got some serious magic: 70-80-90 mpg.
At the very least I'm thinking I should switch to something that least has the potential of breaking 30 mpg - that nixes all the cars I really like.
I see a reliable 28 mpg out of the 1.8T. The eco-disaster SUV gets 17 so I'm pretty happy with my fuel economy. Around me, the spread between 87 and 93 octane is only about $0.12 at the discount gas stations so a tank of premium only costs me an extra buck or two.
Any particular reason why VW's 4-cyl. engines don't get that great MPG?
On another note, I just got a new statement from my insurance company. I was pretty worried, because I know my speeding ticket has gone into the system by now, but get this: My rate went down by $90 per month! I am a happy man now.
The way it works is that companies only check every so often with the MVA. They couldn't possibly check all their insured all the time. So sometimes we get off lucky.
Vocus, I drive mostly freeways (65%:35% or so). I tend to shift north of 4k rpm consistently. On the freeway at 90 my car is turning 4k rpm. I think the poor gearing and my penchant for spooling the turbo hit my gas mileage hard.
BTW, in CA it seems insurance companies check all states records each year. My only official ticket was picked up out of state and both of my insurance companies over the past 5 years have known about it...and charged me for it. AAA tried to take me to $1800 (from $900) when I picked up my 1.8T. Thieves. I bolted.
Could be that the complaints were not warranted.
You might not get an accurate reading until 1000 miles, but it's worth a shot, eh?
The 1.8T gets economy car mileage (at least mine has been, at 26-27mpg), but has power when you want it. The drawback is a little lag...
Leather...
Wears for years and years with little to no signs of breakdown. It's tough to stain. Tough to tear or fray. increases resale value. carries a measure luxury. and cools down quickly when faced with even decent AC.
I have cloth in my Jetta. I detest it. My AC on level 4 with recirculation on still doesn't keep the seats cool enough for my liking...even on moderate 75-80 degree days. It causes me to sweat and I'm not real keen on sweating ever. For the record, I'm five-seven and 145 lbs, so I'm not even close to overweight. Quite simply, the cloth seats don't allow the passenger's body to breathe. It traps in heat and exacerbates the problem.
In 20 months of ownership the car looks like it's been owned for 20 months. I will do my best to avoid cloth ever again. i didn't want it when I bought my car (had no choice if I wanted the 1.8T in 2001) and I still don't want it.
on the other hand, i have yet to see any leather seats that look like new after a years time.
- Anthony
I have 33K miles on my 02 1.8T, and the leather still looks new. Just treat it every month or 2, and it's fine.
I had a rental with cloth seats in the winter, and they were very cold to me. I love having the heated seats with the leather. Also helps on long trips to turn on the seat heaters to relax your back muscles.
Do NOT get the velour.
Lint lint lint lint lint lint lint.
45 minutes to vaccuum the interior. Somewhat cleaner, but still linty after all the effort.
I HATE my velour. After I get my suspension, I'm buying some seat covers or maybe see if I can find someone on VWVortex who is selling their leather seats.
Only get the velour if you love lint.
Seriously.