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Comments
You wont beleive how many Jettas I have seen in parkinglots that HAVE seatcovers right over the inseat-airbags. This could be dangerous!! It may break somones back if the airbag 'deploys' and the seatcover diverts the airbag to ones sholder-area from behind.
Anakin, if it were that simple, i would. Two obstacles stand in the way. 1. At this moment I could get maybe 12-13k for my Jetta and VW still wants over 14k for it. I attempted to negotiate a new buyout (considering they're not gonna get 12-13k for it wholesale in another year) but 4 calls and about 2 hours on hold have kept that conversation from even taking place. The hit isn't unbearable, it's just annoying.
2. My search for a replacement isn't bearing much fruit...just as it was miserable settling on the Jetta last time.
BMW, Mini = unreliable, though a 3 series euro-delivery always seems enticing as one can resell the car for at least cost.
Lexus, Toyota = nothing worth owning.
MB = not too big on the styling, lack of non-AMG performance or the association with Mopar.
Jag = bland, overpriced
Honda = Accord coupe V6 is smooth but needs major suspension work and ideally a better body.
Nissan = only the Z roadster raises my eyebrow but that's impractical.
Mazda = Miata is the same as the Z Roadster for practicality, plus half the performance. Mazda6 is fun to drive but way underpowered.
Subaru = WRX is fun but too unrefined.
Mitsu = lol
Audi = A4's a sweet looking and feeling ride, too bad it's a VW.
American car companies = ROFLMFAO (every rental I touch reminds me why american car companies should go out of business).
Acura = nothing I find enjoyable or attractive.
VW = Jetta's fun, just not reliable.
Infiniti = G35
I've only seen one G35 at a price I found reasonable, unfortunately it was located in AZ, I was leaving for a business trip and by the time I returned that G was long gone. If I can scoop up a used G35 for a price I believe is fair i'll jump on it. But for now people are asking ridiculous sums for year old Gs and I believe buying a luxury car new is an incredible waste of money. 3 years the car drops to 55-60% of its value, so buying a brand new 34k car means taking a massive hit. No thanks.
So, until I see Gs going for prices I agree with or my lease runs out, it appears I'm stuck with my miserable, unreliable little blue car.
I like a handful of cars and I admit that freely. Money no object I can think of several I'd like to own. Strangely, all are German (M3, 911, M5, E-Class).
Cars to me are like movies...you have an idea of what perfection is and very, very few attempts will ever come close to that zenith. most fall into that middle ground of the 40th-80th percentile, which is in my view failing.
Some people are just never happy.
You don't need to take it to VW though as ANY ASE certified mechanic can perform the maintenance and possibly at a lower cost. Just make sure you keep the receipts and mark off the service in your manual.
BTW, all the VW dealers in my area offer a 10% off coupon for scheduled service. My last trip cost me less than $60. I can deal with that as most places would charge me $40 just for the synthetic oil change.
vocus has a 1.8T, so he has 5k oil changes.
I definitely agree that it is very different, I was used to going 3,000-4,000 miles in my previous car, so 2.5 times as long almost begins to feel like you aren't taking care of it anymore.
When I read his first post, I was about to say "We need to build a blueguy car."
....If that is even possible.
No point on being here just to bash the car, it's a losing battle and not worth your time. Trust me on that.
Does anyone know if he did buy his Miata?
We are not here to talk about each OTHER, we are here to talk about the Jetta. There is no rule that says "only positive comments are allowed."
All are welcome to share their experiences with the subject vehicle - good bad or indifferent - as long as the messages conform to the terms of the Membership Agreement.
If you don't like what someone else has to say, just skip it - it's really that easy.
Thanks.
have had great weather - love how easy it is to take the top down, and love that, seriously, it is as quiet with the top up as my Jetta was. no rattles in this car! and i was going to tolerate rattles in a convertible. they will come, for sure.
anyway, loving the Cabrio so far. of course, every girl i see loves it, and even some guys at work have privately told me they like it, though in a group in the kitchen, no one admits it, haha. it IS a girly car....haha.
it now was 8700 miles on it - was built in June 02, in service date of 9/02. it must have been the last one built!
anyway, good luck with the Jettas.
BLUE - hang in there. a friend just bought a G sedan with nav and sport package. sweet. decent lease deals here on the East Coast. the leather is so soft, though i hate the green/yellow interior gauge lighting - so 1993 Camry. i don't see how you live in SoCal and don't have a droptop though....:)
interestingly enough, i read an article that said that for about a year, RWD has been the "new" trend, and that Nissan and others have all these cars in development on RWD platforms, and now the RWD sales are already on the decline. so, just like the mid 90's say bye to the Z and RX-8 in a few years probably....
And talking about each other is part of talking about a car, since the car doesn't drive itself. I mean it will be hard to hold a conversation with a car.
- Anthony
And you like the 2.0? You have gone mad, my friend!
Good luck though... I know a hot girl with a cabrio!
Girly car! Girly car!
oh wait, I have a girly car too.
*walks away quickly*
Anakin: Congrats on the seat covers. You must be estatic over them.
Meade: I have been busy working and I don't have 'net access at my new job.
Everyone: All VWs are girly cars. But I have used this 'girly' car to whip many unsuspecting peoples' butts...
Oh yeah the infamous list. sigh...it could be worse the Jetta could come with rainbow decals too.
Anakin, i do praise my car. I continually return from rentals and praise my Jetta's sturdy feel, spritely engine and tossability. It's a fun, safe, luxurious ride. I often consider crossing my fingers and trying again for a new one with some of the features missing on my Wolfsburg (180 hp, leather, in-dash CD, a long warranty). You have no idea how sad it makes me that my comfy, shiny, fun little car causes me so much concern. If I had as much confidence in VW as did in my Stanza (what a trooper that beast was) I'd never own anything but VWs. Oh well...
Justin, miata to cabrio. cabrio to miata. whoa, chief you really lost me there. It's a convertible...so it's got that big element of fun. Can't blame ya.
As for me and convertibles...don't remind me. I dearly loved zipping around in my sister's miata; still enjoy visiting my parents and taking out the only convertible I'm allowed to touch (the 2000 miata, not my dad's 55 T-bird). My dad was just in town and he kept mentioning I should go buy a 350z roadster. When I was in high school the last gen Z car launched. I lusted after the Z like you wouldn't believe. He still remembers how much I'd go on and on about the Z cars. I actually enjoyed driving the ZTT more than a 95 RX-7. I was hopelessly in love with those cars (still find them sexy over 13 years later). Every few hours he'd say, "So have you called the Nissan dealer to reserve a Z roadster?" Personally, I think he just wants to drive it.
Justin, enjoy the heck out of that cabrio.
It may be a different story for fish, where he's not using a synthetic 5w40, but perhaps a conventional 5w30. Then I see his concern for the 10k interval. An oil analysis will tell the tale
and yep, all VW's are "girly" cars. but, i would rather dress up in drag and drive my feminine Cabrio than drive a "butch" convertible! a Firebird? Mustang? kill me now....:) the 350Z and TT ragtops are not very "masculine" either...not that i could afford either one.
car is getting a 6 disk changer put in it today, and a washer jet adjustment, so i am driving a beat down 03 Jetta GL as a loaner. still fits me like a glove.
Meade
What maintenance do you folks recommend I use now that it has reached 30K?? Plug wires changes, tune-up? I much rather have the advice of other Jetta drivers rather than my VW dealer.
Thanks,
Drumm
Brought my US spec VW Jetta to Germany, and will be in Germany for two more years before returning stateside. But my radio is set up for US FM radio broadcasts. The tuner only hits stations with the last digit (after the decimal) as odd numbers only, ie. 89.5, 95.9 and so forth. Many German Radio stations broadcast with even last digits, ie. 89.4, 101.8 and so forth.
Is there a way to set a US Spec VW radios to pick up European FM radio, or is it permanent.
Thanks-
Well, I had been considering buying a Jetta--great features, great safety for the money--until I started reading reviews, the vast majority of which are neagtive. Can it really be that bad? Would I be foolish to buy one after what I have read? Is it likely it will spend more time at the repair shop than on the road or in my driveway? Or will I not have a driveway because I'll have to sell my house to pay for all the repairs? Is it worth the risk?
Thanks for hearing me and for any input.
if you want safety, some measure of luxury, a little bit of sport and you're willing to maybe put up with weird problems, the jetta's perfect.
if you're more interested in reliability and don't give a hoot about luxury or performance, I'd suggest looking elsewhere in the 25k and under segment.
If you are a DRIVER that likes the feel of the road and some excitement while getting to your destination. Then Honda and Toyota must be crossed off of your list of prospective vehicles.
For me, it is the 12-year UNLIMITED MILEAGE warantee of the VW that really caught my eye. I dont mind an occasional repair... I do mind if the body rusts so badly that it fails state inspection.
Oh... the 52 MPG on my new Jetta TDI is nice too!!
And not all honda's and toyota's are boring... the S2000 is awesome, and the Supra's and even the new Celica's are fun to drive.
In regard to the sports package if you DO NOT plan on doing any spring and shock change for 50-100k and are ok with an in between rated spring and shock combination then the sport package to me is slightly pricey for what you get, but a lot less hassle. If you ARE going to switch. I WOULD NOT bother with it. Then it is PRICEY and you are going to switch it out ANYWAY. I have a 2003 VW Jetta TDI GL.(for what that is worth)
To keep the Black paint swirl free. The real secret is to touch the paint as little as humanly possible AND as lightly as possible. The tools and detailing products are possibly as important as how you use them. So my drill is:
100% cotton (quality USA brands) wash towels and or sheepskin mitts. (I use sheepskin mitts) with a separate wash towel or sheepskin mitt for wheels, tires, bright work,
While you are at it it is better to have a two to three buck of water system. If I am doing more than one car I actually use a 4 bucket system.
100% cotton drying towels or synthetic "absorber" materials (I use 4 "absorbers") I know this sounds wacky but you may want to give serious consideration to a high speed (CFM) leaf blower. (The theory here is that you are not touching the paint.)
Zaino polish in my opinion lets me give a very high gloss polish and lets me touch the paint job AS lightly as any product out there. Also when you apply and take away ANY polish that you chose, if you do not know what light pressure is use a foam pad wrapped by the 100% cotton applicator or get a 100% cotton applicator with foam already in it. Also, with the polish removal towel, double up on the layers so you dont have hand pressure on the towel against the paint surface and shake out and switch toweling surface positions frequently.
I have a garage and between washings I use the CA duster and on my Z06 Corvette I sometimes go up to three months without washing just by garaging it and using the CA duster in between.
The care of the washing mitts and towels is equally as important. Do not use powdered soap!!!! When you dry in the dryer DO NOT use fabric softener!
If you have specific questions fire away.
Upkeep on wheels and tires should be more often than even the body. Since most wheels are clear coated, I personally treat the wheels like body paint.
I have one midnight blue vehicle (moon glow pearl) one reflex silver and the rest WHITE.
You have to be careful with the tire rubber products. I personally like as little "gloss" as possible. I use one or both products Zaino Z16 (I think) and Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. The Zaino product seems to last longer than most. I particularly dislike the products that spin off onto the body paint, which you have just spent serious time cleaning and Zaino for some reason does not tend to do that. Outside detailing can range from 50-150, obviously done by someone who will do a fantastic job but the problem is FINDING a shop that does a fantastic job.
wow, 1-3 months! A friend of mine is fanatical about his Infiniti and Lexus cars and I don't thinki he does it even that much. That's an insane amount of time to spend buffing a car. I've never waxed my car in the two years I've owned it. don't see much point - partly because it's a lease, partly because I won't do it out of shere laziness and a bit because it's obnoxiously shiny after a wash anyway. Even if I did like my car, once a year seems like more than enough...
as for auto v. stick...again it's all personal preference. VW sells a crazy number of sticks, so their market definitely will want a 5 speed used - thus deflating that silly salesmen angle of "it's harder to resell a manual." if you want off the line performance, the stick's gonna give you more than the automatic. the tiptronic is nice and sometimes in traffic i wish i had it, but most of the time when I'm cruising around the stick engages me far more in my driving. i've waffled on stick v. auto but my heart still lies with total engine control. in fact, today I'm probably going to test drive a manual G35 sedan.
also, besides turbo lag, what, if any, are the drawbacks to a turbo engine compared to say the 2.0? thanks.
Some people contend even a light boost turbo like the 1.8Ts is much harder on an engine and thus requires more maintenance. could be. you have to wonder about the decision to cut the warranty.
As for turbo lag...um, compared to the anemic 2.0, there is no lag. Keep the RPMs over 2k and the engine pulls like a V6.
BTW, i think for 2002 they also changed the gas requirement now stating it's suggested you use premium (so the engine will run at peak levels) but not required (ie, the engine retards itself, giving you less power).
don't worry about coils in 2k3 models. that was a 2002 and earlier issue.
Know this, if you buy a 2k3 Jetta in May/June, you've got maybe 15-16 months before the 2k5 models hit. If that's not a new version i'll be shocked considering the current model is now 5 model years old (6 when the 2k4s hit in August/September) - 99, 00, 01, 02, 03.
I just don't get your mind set.....I think that is a good thing!!!!!