Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

roninjouten

As I told someone else, fire off e-mails to every VW dealer around you (within say a 100 mile radius). Tell them precisely what you want. You will get jerks who try to push you into other cars. Be firm and stick to what you want. Eventually you're gonna hear a number that you like. Get it in writing too, if possible.

verdugan

Thanks for all your help. I went to a dealer I contacted through carsdirect.com. (Carolyn Burrows at www.fairfieldmotorcars.com). It was a great experience.

I ended up getting a Silver GLX manual, w. sports suspension (no 17"), and single CD for $24,400.. Not too bad at all, and just a little bit higher than Edmund's TVM, but I got the color I wanted. I also got a good price for my trade in.

I can't wait to pick it up and get that grin on my face you guys keep talking about.

Angel

downbylaw

see my earlier post. i'm going to pay 21050 for a 5-speed gls with leather and luxury. you should be able to get a gls w/out those options for a little under 19000, considering the lux and leather add over 2000 to the invoice. the salesman you talked to is an idiot, you shouldn't have to pay over msrp. that's insane.

vwguild

Congratulations!!! Enjoy!!!

jettatdi4me

Having worked as a "lot boy" for the local VW dealer in my youth, most Paint Protectants are garbage and not worth it. This dealer sold "Ultra Seal" and it was applied by mixing with water and hand applying (as thoug you're washing the car.) We used to make it last 2-3 cars. We sprayed the "Ultra Seal Fabric Protectant" (read Scoth Guard) on the interior and charged about $295 in early 80's dollars. I did get the 3M Invisible Nose Cover (or whatver it is called) based on many recommendations.

plugbug

Jetta owners-

I'm a few days away from picking up a galactic blue VR6 w/ luxury, cold-weather, and Monsoon. I have just a couple questions that I hope someone can answer:

-Is the sport suspension worth it? Does it make any difference?
-I've read a lot about the Monsoon and the in-trunk changer. I'm thinking I'll just eat the cost and get the dealer-installed. Any thoughts here?
-Can one get an in-dash CD player with the Monsoon? Is that exorbitantly expensive?

I guess that's it. I'm jazzed like a mutha about this car...

roninjouten

Depends on your driving skills and style. Personally, I feel that the standard Jetta is a mushy ride with far too much body roll and dip. I also feel that the extra 120+ lbs of the VR6 in the nose execerbates this problem, making the Jetta VR6 essentially undriveable for me. With a VR6 and the standard suspension I feel like I'm piloting some huge boat-like car, such as a Solara or Crown Vic or LS400.

The sports suspension helps, although a lowering kit from Eibach is still necessary, as the vehicles sits about an inch too high. Dropping the car also improves the ride and handling.

You can do aftermarket on the springs and roll bars on your own. It's well worth the investment if you like to drive.

You can get the monsoon with VW's cheesey tape player, with a single disc head unit or with the changer mounted in of all the poorly engineered places, the trunk. Can't grasp a company selling a 20k car with a cassette player or a trunk mounted CD player...very old school. But then again BMW does that same stupid stuff with their cars. Guess Germans just don't like music.

tjmcgraw

I just got a call from a dealer for a Black V6, Cold Weather, Luxury, Monsoon - same as yours - what kind of deal did you get? I'm worried about not getting the sport package, have you driven a jetta with and without it?

bmbaker

I recently bought a GLS VR6 with luxury, cold weather and monsoon...I didn't get the sports package...

I find the car and absolute joy to drive...maybe it's because I'm female, so I don't feel the things that roninjouten explains...maybe I'm not that "type" of driver...

but as far as I'm concerned, the VR6 drives beautifully without the sports suspension...as for feeling like I'm driving a boat of a car...nothing could be further from the truth!

tjmcgraw, I paid $200 over invoice for my car...
silver GLS VR6 with luxury, monsoon and cold weather...

plugbug

Tjmcgraw -- I haven't gotten the point where we're pricing specific cars, although I'll tell you this: Last year, I got pretty serious with one dealer about a new Jetta with Monsoon (I don't think it had the luxury package or cold weather package), and got him to $23,900 out the door, including taxes, title, and everything. I heard that was pretty decent, although it included a junky trade-in that they offered me $900 for, which was actually a pretty generous deal. What did your guy quote you?

tjmcgraw

That's great info. I don't drive often or very far (I take the train to work). However, when I drive on the weekends and after work, I really like a good handling car. I think for my purposes, I can live without the sport suspension. I have a RW drive car now and I was just worried that a FW drive car would be a let down and that it would need some help (sport suspension). But after driving the VW I think I'm sold. Thanks for the advice!

tjmcgraw

I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer. I will certainly post the quote when I get the call.

plugbug

Given that two people in this Town Hall -- myself and TJmcgraw -- are just about to buy Jettas, do any of you Jetta owners have any last-minute tips for us to know before we head into the shark tank... I mean, the dealership?

roninjouten

Try one with a sports suspension before you buy. I'd be shocked if you find the standard setup reasonable after that. For instance the WE with the 16 inch BBS wheels and the sports suspension feels like a completely different car from the standard 4, standard 1.8T and from the standard VR6. Heck, even the 17's v. the 16's provide a very different car.

BMbaker...I think we have different wants and expectations of cars. I'm used to cars like Audis, Bimmers, Miatas and other cars known for exceptional handling characteristics - ie. nearly no nose dive on corners and next to zero body roll. If a car, such as the standard Jetta, leans in a corner or I feel the front dip, I'm immediately writing it off as either something to fix through aftermarket parts or it's a car to avoid. I didn't buy a 1.8T last year (2000) because the car came with the standard suspension only. The sport suspension this year corrects part of the problem, though the car still desperately needs lowering. To each his own.

tjmcgraw

Well, I haven't actually driven the non-sports package jetta yet but I really liked the loaded GLS I drove. HOWEVER, every dealer I spoke to told me that it would be impossible to get a non-leather GLS, sports package, cold weather package, monsoon so now I have to start cutting options. In fact, I don't think I'll be able to get just the sports package with the non-leather. So it's either the options I listed above or going to a loaded 1.8 which I really don't want to do. I really had my heart set on a v6. In fact, I'm still considering the 325i with the leatherette but I'm having trouble justifying the extra cost. If I could just get the loaded GLS without leather I'd buy it right now. Life is not easy!

balticjetta18t

I drove a 1.8T with reg susp. and 15" wheels and felt that it lifted and dived during heavy acceleration and braking. Then I drove a sport suspension W/E with the 16's and felt that the torque steer was on the wild side. That confirmed my decision for the sport susp. with the 17", 45 series tires. This group handled the torque and the tires kept the power on the pavement with greatly reduced torque steer. Has to do with that centrifugal force thing I guess. I find that lift and dive are minimal with the tighter susp. Yes the 17's perch the car a tad higher and yes to each their own. I like the bit more height as I hit a lot of dips and ramps and slopes and can drive into them while the tighter suspension takes it all in with a bit more ground clearance. I am impressed with this as I came out of an F-150 V8 Supercab hitting the same stuff day in and out. All JMO. Test your combo's for your best choice...

venus537

hey, I'm not the only person posting at this time.

ggeckoiii

I was at a party and someone told me they obtained a vehicle delivery list on the Internet for the local VW dealership. Anyone know where I might find this? I would think if a person knew what vehicles, types and how many were arriving then he/she would have an easier time negotiating.

vwguild

What you were told, how do I say this?...Was a lie!
It is a closed, proprietary system that is password
protected.
He may have received an Email of a hard copy of the Store's
*Order Production Status Report*.

roninjouten

I was and still am very keen on a Jetta 1.8T, but for me it's gotta have the leather and the sports packages. Tough to find around here. Every dealer in So Cal claims it doesn't exist and probably won't until 2002.

And I'm also a big fan of the 323i. I love that car, but I can't convince myself it's worthwhile to spend another 5-7k on a car.

That said, I'm either gonna wait for the 2002s or look at other options. Last night I test drove a Maxima SE, fully loaded with 5 speed and I must say the feel of that six and the engine and the room blew me away. I'm already a nissan fan so...

I gotta take off now. I'm going to look at a used 99 A4 with sports, moonroof and 5 speed.

pat

Pardon the interruption - I want to explain the name change of this discussion.

Since we have moved to our new platform, we no longer have the requirement to stop and restart discussions after the numbers of posts exceed a certain limit. Since this discussion can continue as long as anyone has anything to say about Jettas, there is no longer a need for the "Part 3" that has been included in the discussion name. Down the road, that could confuse our newer members so I have removed it.

I've altered the name slightly of the original Jetta discussion in the Archives to indicate that is where it resides.

Please continue...

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

balticjetta18t

I was informed by our VW Guild person chatting here that the Wolfsburgs are a 20K unit production run so they are hogging up many many of those 1.8T motors from otherwise being shoehorned into many varieties of GLS's (cloth or leather) In addition TJ, the W/E does have the Moonroof, Monsoon and Cold weather packages as options with the sport suspension standard. I saw a cloth sport seat W/E again today and was impressed. I can understand the more limited color choices and 16" instead of 17" wheels being your stickling points in addition to the MF steering wheel.

saxonii

Is there anybody with the TDI vesion of Jetta. I would love to hear from you. anything to look out for? Negative/positive comments welcome. Thanx Saxon II.
P.S. Is it true that GTI cannot be bought in NY and California because of th emission standards?

emilyk

I own a 2000 Jetta GLS VR6, Manual, no leather, sport package & monsoon. I don't know if it's the same now but when I bought my car they said that getting the heated seats w/o leather was like finding a needle in a haystack. I decided to go without the heated seats. I am now in the market for a BMW 330. I drove the 325 and based on my experience with the Jetta, I think that you will be happier with the 325 in the long run. Besides the performance and luxury differnces, the resale of a BMW is much higher than that of the Jetta. I know from personal experience as I am now trying to sell my Jetta. Many dealers would only offer me $17,500 for a car that I paid $23,500 for one year ago. They said that its because there are so many Jettas out there, both new and used. Also, VW offers a 2yr/24K mi warranty vs BMW who offers a 4yr/50K mi warranty. Since Jettas depreciate so quickly, perhaps you could consider getting a slightly used one? You could save a lot of money that way.

akangl

I think that Jettas do quite well. I paid $19875 for mine in February and have driven it 5000 miles, I was recently offered $17,000 for it by a used car dealer that is usually doesn't pay much for cars. I know I can get close to $18,000 for it from the VW dealer where I bought it. I don't find that bad at all. Some cars you drive off the lot and they lose $5000.

As for heated seats without leather, that's what I had to get since they didn't have one with leather and heated seats. In fact the GLS that I got was the only one that they had that was a 1.8T.

gperr

tjmcgraw,

Last week, I picked up my 2001 Jetta GLS VR6, 5-spd, Sport Lux (Roof, 17" wheels, sport suspension), cold weather package, velour seats (I did not want leather- personal choice), side curtain airbags, NE emmissions, In-dash CD (No Monsoon), Galactic Blue/gray.

I love it.

I had the same problem, finding a GLS VR6 without leather. Not an easy find. I found a dealer who ordered it for me from the factory. I was more than willing to wait for it to come in. Ordered at the end of January, arrived at dealership March 26th, Picked up the 27th.

The big question was wether I would hold out for the 201 HP VR6- but then they announced the new engine would not be around until at least February 2002- so I went for it.

$300 over actual invoice (in other words, I also paid the $150 ad fee, $92 Floor plan reserve, and $25 port prep fee since they were on the invoice). But $300 over for exactly what I want and nothing extra. I did not want leather, nor the Moonsoon.

Lease rates were decent in March, 27 months, 12K miles/year, 64% residual, .00285 MF (approx. 6.84%). $300/month, with $2381 actual cash down (includes tax, docs, tags, fees etc) plus first month.

I did have to travel a bit, I live in Southern NJ and traveled to Easton PA to get the car (Young VW- Ted Cowell- Sales Manager/Internet Manager, Glenn Piazza Salesman).

I could not be happier.

I have already been pulled over going a little too fast (92 ) by the NJ State Police.

Well worth the wait---get exactly what you want. When you are spending over $20K you should get what you want.

Gregg

vwguild

Congratulations!!!! Go to Bookbinders and have yourself a lobster and a nice
bottle of wine!!!

PS

seanblue

Plugbug-

You asked for some advice before you go to the dealership to square the deal.

The following worked for me:

1. Use the Edmunds information and calculate exactly the price of the car, add-ons, fees (you are willing to pay)etc.

2. Take your calculation further and add the taxes & tags to get an out the door price.

3. Come up with a sound/fair amount for your trade-in.

4. Take your edmunds invoice amount - the trade-in amount and voila= $$ tell them this is the amount of cash you bring to the table.

4.5 Tell them that's the car I want, this is the car I want to trade-in and this is the cash I bring to the table. Tell them if they can make it happen - you'll sign the deal today.

5. Don't budge, and let them do what ever number crunching - this keeps you out of the haggle mode.
And in the driver-seat of the deal.

It worked for me and - now I own an awesome VW WE!

tjmcgraw

Wow, congrats on the purchase. For me, I think it's too late in the game to do ordering. I think I might just hold out for the 2002's if I can't get what I want. I can wait. I just didn't want to go through another winter with my rear wheel drive car.

I live in NJ also. Perhaps I'll give your Easton, PA dealership a call to see what they have in stock.

Thanks for the info... it's a great help.

seanblue

Woops!

Plugbug - also be sure to calculate a fair profit for the dealer. I calculated 3% on the invoice amount.

Good luck

balticjetta18t

Did you really pay 23,500 for your car or did that include taxes, tag and a payoff from your trade in? Also, what is the mileage today on your Jetta? I saw a 2000 GLS, Leather, Monsoon, CD Changer, 2.0L engine, 5speed with 21,200 miles in person today in great condition with moonroof for 16,500 from a small retail dealer. And yes a BMW better hold more value per dollar since it does cost more dollars...

roninjouten

Fair profit for a dealer = holdback. I'll be damned if I'm gonna give them $600 extra dollars over invoice. They're just the intermediaries and evil ones at that. If I could order directly from a manufacturer at invoice, I would. I have ZERO use for dealerships.

bbuns

Hi VW experts,

Is that true that next year VW is bring tiptronic transmission in all models? OR is that true that next year VW is bringing 6 gear transmission for jettas...

thanks.

Bab.

blackjetta18t1

yes, it is true that tiptronic will come to the jettas in 2002. Also, the power upgraded 1.8T with 180hps will be in it to replace the 150hps 1.8T. Howeve, the power will be advertised as 170hps not to upset sister companies, this is all from VWVORTEX, the VR6 will have a power boost up to 201hps with a 6speed manual std.

blackjetta18t1

hey, i was wondering, what do u know about the Goodyear Eagle LS' 15' size, ive heard that they wear early. Overall, do u know of any serious problems with them? I took my car to a local Goodyear center but the guy helping me seemed like a real sleaz ball and he said my tires are good, but that there is no tread wear warranty on them, and for 40-50 dollars i can get this protection plan where they will rotate my tires and change them or fix them for free, and if they cant be fixed will be replaced, is this something i should spend my money on?

vocus

My roommate has a 2000 Neon, and it has Eagle LS tires. He has 24,200 miles now, and they are still in pretty good shape. But one of them does have a bubble in its sidewall. Of course, that could happen to any tire. Can't vouch how long they last on a Jetta, but they last pretty well on his car.

vwguild

Best advice...go to www.tirerack.com

All tires rated and you can talk to a Rep about your specific driving
habits and needs...

nuride

i just recently ordered a black 1.8t with leather luxury package automatic. I am being told that i must wait until june? We negotiated a deal of 22.823. This includes cd changer. Is this a fair deal and is it worth the wait. I did not sign any contract, just the "order" with a small refundable deposit. Please help

roninjouten

Build the car on Edmunds. Additionally, if they're making you wait for an order...they are making money off the holdback instantly and doing nothing to earn your business. Push them for invoice plus $50 and try to settle for invoice plus $200. No way they should make $800 for passing a car to you.

downbylaw

although i think ronin's attitude is a little more "aggressive" than mine, i do think that the quote you received is high. i ordered the same car, but manual, for $21,000, i believe. your should be no more than i grand over that. and i wouldn't go with the factory cd. any audio components bought through a dealer ARE highway robbery. you can buy a panasonic changer for 1/3 of the price and install it in 30 minutes. your car is prewired and everything. you just need special brackets you can buy from the delaership for like 20 bones.

bluejetta

Answer: Yes. Source: http://www.vwvortex.com/news/index_2002_1.html

-Jim

tjmcgraw

Thanks for that link above. I was going to get a v6 this month but after reading that info., I've decided to wait until the 2002's come out next year.

Many thanks!

bluejetta

I don't blame you a bit. That beast should be a cooker. Just imagine it chipped!! See, for 2002, the VR6 will be the preferred engine, IMO. The 1.8T will be the same thing as this year, except with a different ECU, which people are doing now with their current 1.8T's.

The 24v VR6 will be all new and fresh and ready to chip/turbo/super-charge ;-) But, IMO, it'll be hot to trot right out of the box.


-Jim
http://www.jettaownersclub.org
http://www.bluelagoonjetta.com

darlynn

I'm planing on buying a new car in the next 2 months and I am leaning heavily towards the Jetta Gls 1.8t. Anyone who has the car or knows if it will be good for a 180 round trip commute daily? And how I can get the best deal? Also I have the option of getting the Wolfberg Addition, is there any difference besides the sporty look?
Thanks..Darlynn

arjay1

For that many miles of a commute, the 1.9L TurboDiesel mated to a 5speed tranny would be an ideal choice for the high MPG's along with a long mileage extended warranty. You can get the TDI in the GLS too!

downbylaw

Yeah! That'd be the best bet there. Not to mention that you can chip and tune, get that baby up to around 150hp and STILL get the same mileage!!!

I'd definitely check out the TDI there, Darlynn.

-Jim
http://www.jettaownersclub.org
http://www.bluelagoonjetta.com

balticjetta18t

For that many miles of a commute, the 1.9L TurboDiesel would be an ideal choice for the high MPG's along with a long mileage extended warranty. You can get the TDI in the GLS too!

bluejetta

Yeah! That'd be the best bet there. Not to mention that you can chip and tune, get that baby up to around 150hp and STILL get the same mileage!!!

I'd definitely check out the TDI there, Darlynn.

-Jim
http://www.jettaownersclub.org
http://www.bluelagoonjetta.com

ineedacar4

I really liked the Jetta and Passat I test drove this weekend. During the test drive of the Acura CL the salesman mentioned that VW's were great out of the box but after four years the suspension systems were shot.

I do recall my daughters Cabrio (87?) had horrible suspension.

Any counter arguments from VW fans?

vwguild

This is not a slam dunk!!!!!! Wittereaurer no longer does them...
there are some smokin ECUs for the TDI out there, and they
have walked away...check out TDICLUB.COM