Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

blackjetta18t1

my cousin got that exact car in NJ at the price somewhere between 300-700 over inoice, but thats also cause the dealer had made like 4 sales because of me.

regfootball

why did the dealer call you ten times?

pat

Edmunds.com has posted "First Drive: 2002 VW Jetta GLS 1.8T" - if you haven't seen it, you can follow the link in the Additional Resources box on the left sidebar of this page to check it out.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

lise526

He has called me 10 times to try and sell me a car. The sad thing is that if he would have spent the time that he has calling me on something more productive like prices or info about the car instead of telling me how valuable his time is and if i wasn't serious about buying then he didn't want to waste his time i might have considered buying a car from him.

regfootball

10 calls-maybe the sales guy is trying to get a date. You must be very attractive! ;-)

He's trying to tell you his time is valuable because he wants you to think he's a big hot shot "player" in the car biz.

blueguydotcom

I ended up buying my Jetta in San Diego, but a really nice guy in LA, Michael Coupland (coupie@users.ccleads.com) from I believe a dealership in Long Beach (maybe not, can't recall) gave me a sensational price on a Jetta. I just couldn't rationalize driving all the way to LA for $100 savings. He was a pleasure to communicate with and had I been in LA, I definitely would have purchased a car from him.

obmot

Well, a week ago I was at a friend's apartment for 4 hours, and came out to find that some idiot had smashed into my parked car, and left the scene. The entire rear left passenger door is pushed in and all the door glass broken.

I've taken in to the repair shop, but I know it will never look right again. I am SO pissed, as this is the first "blemish" I have so far (2600 miles) and of course it was a doozy done by some low life yellow-faced Texan who didnt even have the b-lls to leave a note. Jeez I'm glad to be paying nice insurace premiums to help support scum like them.

vocus

Sorry to hear about your car. I know how you feel. My car was 3 weeks old with a little over 1500 miles on it when someone wacked it in front of my house. I only had a scratch though, and was still upset. I think I would have passed out had I found what you did. You definitely have my sympathy. And the car will be the same again. Find a good body shop (if not the dealer) to take it to, and everything will be fine.

beachneedle

I just purchased (2 days ago)a 2001 GLX with automatic, VR6 and steering wheel controls. It had 80 miles, brand new, perfect. Its a nice baltic green. I paid $21,777.00 and upped the warranty to 5 years 60K for only $884.00 more. I think I got a sweet deal, they had only 2 left, and I took the lost leader dealer ad, and got it! What do you all think? By the way, I love it. I hope it's a strong car, as I know it's either perfect, or a lemon, but it feels strong and out of the box, perfect so far.

newcar31

That stinks really bad. Those people are truly scum. We need some singapore laws for those kind of people. That happened to my car also with 5000 miles on it. They just ran into the bumper and dented it, not as bad as your incident.. I won't feel different about you if you find that fool and throw him/her off a bridge. The world will be a better place. Seriously though, people who get caught doing a hit and run should be put in jail for a couple years and lose their driver's license for LIFE.

balticjetta18t

I would be pissed off too. Did you have the police do an investigation on the h and r? After all, it has to be someone who lives there and there possibly would be some paint rubbed off from the [non-permissible content removed]'s car/truck. I would have your friend check out the scene too. Maybe hire a PI to check into it and do some snooping around there yourself based on the time of day and position your Jetta was in to recieve the violation it did. Get some justice out of it. Be cool about it and get some answers... Good Luck!

vtwaters

$21,777.00? That's a steal. I wasn't crazy about that color though, but for about $3,0000 less than I paid, I'd say that's pretty good. Was there some kind of rebate or something, because I bought mine in May.

BTW: Did you get the 17" wheels?

rantfx

Sitting in a Jetta at the VW dealer and a salesman came up. After the usual initial pleasantries, we had this exchange:

me: so where is this car made?

him: it's a German car, of course ...

me: right, so it's made in Germany. [I said that as a categorical statement, not a question.]

him: and this is the new VR6 [quickly moving on to another topic]

me: i'm right about that, aren't I?

him: about what?

me: it being made in Germany.

him: it's made in Germany but actually partly assembled in the Americas.

me: the what?

him: designed and engineered in Germany and partly assembled over here.

me: well, where over here - in Canada?

him: no, in Mexico.

me: [feigning shock]: WHAAAT!!?? Why would they do that!

him: for efficiency, like a lot of other makes, just like some Mercedes are made in Taiwan.

me: made in Mexico is not something VW advertises very heavily.

him: no.

me: are all Jettas worldwide made in Mexico?

him: all of them, yes - even all the Jettas in Europe.

me: are you sure of that?

him: oh, yes.

me: do they even sell the Jetta in Europe?

him: oh yes, it's very popular there.

me: and they're all made in Mexico?

him: oh yes.

me: ever heard of the Bora?

him: uh, yeah, that's a VW model sold in some parts of Europe.

me: is it like the Jetta?

him: well there are many differences, each car line for each market has to be different ...

me: yes but the Bora is the same car as the Jetta, isn't it?

him: well, basically, it is ...

me: in fact, the name "Jetta" is used only in North America - in Europe, that car is called the Bora, right?

him: as far as I know, yes.

me: where's the Bora made?

him: in Germany.

me: not Mexico?

him: no, no.

me: I thought you said Jettas in Europe were made in Mexico too.

him: they are! All Jettas everywhere are made in Mexico, including all of them in Europe.

me: except that you don't have Jettas in Europe, you have the same car called a Bora, and it's made in Germany.

him: I'm still right when I say all Jettas whereever they might be, have been made in Mexico.

me: when you told me that earlier, you knew that the very same car in Europe was called the Bora and was made in Germany - you knew there are no Jettas in Europe.

him: so did you, it seems.

me: if I want a burrito I'll go to Taco Bell, and if I want a deceptive car salesman I'll come back here.

nwvw

rantfx!!!! You like so busted that dude man! Totally busted him. I'm embarrassed for him. He should have been upfront with you from the start. Just goes to show that lying never pays.

BTW: On my 2002, both the engine and tranmission were made in Germany.

-Jim

rmtrader

Rant fx,

Read your post and I laughed so hard I almost 'peed' myself. The unfortunate thing is many potential new car buyers run into salesmen like this. It clearly pays to be an informed shopper.

nwvw

That it should be obvious to everyone that not all car salepeople are like that. It's a tough living sure, but no one is holding a gun to their heads. It's just too bad there are seemingly so many of them that are [enter your favorite term here] and give a bad name for the ones that really do care about their customers.

-Jim

fischda

rantfx - At first I'm thinking that you were a jerk for reeling in that salesman like a fish on a hook. You knew all the answers and had no intent to buy a car - just wanted to screw with his mind - how cruel!

BUT THEN I thought, what if you really were just an average customer trying to make an informed decision about a very large and important purchase? That salesman would have fed you as much bull as you could eat, just to get a sale, truth be damned.

So good for you, rantfx, for making an unethical salesman eat his own shorts!!

rantfx

Thanks for your comments.

But I should correct one impression I might have left. It's not quite right to say I "had no intent to buy" a VW. I was there to seriously assess the Jetta in light of everything I know about it, including the very useful info on this board. The main thing that gives me a very queasy feeling about the Jetta (a car I otherwise think highly of) is its reportedly lousy reliability. My questions to the salesman were admittedly aimed at detecting duplicity, but at the same time if the guy had been altogether honest and forthright I might have put some weight on whatever he might have said about the reliability issue. As it was, we never got that far.

fischda

Very well then. But what does the fact that the car is built in Mexico have to do with its reliability? Search way back in this topic for the link to some consumer-guru's visit to the Mexican plant. Enlightening.

I say, and so do many others, this forum gives good evaluations, but the population is small. With most cars these days, quality is way up since the last few decades. Lemons come off the line with any make. With any car, hope you don't get one of those few. If you like the Jetta for what it is, buy it!

blueguydotcom

Follow your brain when it comes to a purchase. Following your heart on a car purchase only leads to two things breaking...

BTW, I've seen the Mexico-plant-is-great thing. Read it before I bought my car. Almost believed it enough not to buy an extended warranty. Almost. There's a reason companies build cars in Mexico...the labor is ultra-cheap. VW didn't erect a plant there to construct quality cars.

fischda

You got the lemon, and I got the near-flawless Jetta. Why do you insist that Mexican labor builds quality deficient cars? What about supervision, equipment and training? Can you honestly say the Germans are skimping there?

I never said to follow your heart, just two things: cars in general are built pretty well these days; there's no such thing as the perfect car. Your bitterness is still showing.

blueguydotcom

There's a reason labor is cheap and Mexico remains a third world nation...

Yes, I believe VW is skimping quite a bit considering they're having cars built in Mexico.

Oh, and I didn't get a lemon in the view of the law. Not by a longshot. I've got what many, many own and put up with in a VW... a car that squeaks, buzzes and rattles. There is not a mechanical defect in the car. By law it's not a lemon. It's just a poorly assembled, rolling pile of rattles.

lise526

I was reading my owners manual of my gls, and I noticed it says that it needs to be serviced at 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, etc. Now does this mean that I need to wait until 5,000 miles to get an oil change or do I do it at the standard 3,000. But if i change at 3,000 and at 5,000 it's too soon. I should probably know all this but hey, I'm a girl and this is my first car that I actually care about. Also my car is a 2002, and I was wondering if anyone knows if any oil changes are included. Thanks

moparbad

Is your Jetta a 1.8T, 1.9L TDI, 2.0L, or VR6?

nwvw

All Jetta engines require the first oil change at 5,000 miles. The so-called '3,000 mile standard' is something set by the oil service industry and is a total waste of good oil. 5,000 miles is fine. Now the subsequent oil changes do depend on what model engine you have, Be sure and follow that carefully, but we can also help you with that too.

There is much controvery over the issue that VW does use a special 'break-in oil that needs to be in there for 5,000 miles. Nevertheless, your car does not need an oil change before 5,000 miles no matter what anyone says. ;-)

-Jim
http://www.jettaownersclub.org

dudka

could it be that the car is poorly designed? if not, lets just extrapolate the qulity issue into lets say surgery. would you rather be operated on by low quality doctor, or someone who has his heart in the field. same with cars, low quality labor doesn't care if they dropped metal shavings into the cylinder bore, or squieeze too much glue in the panel. you would not go out to buy burritos from a sushi place, would you? or vise versa. unfortunately even honda's suffer from cheap labor problems, american built hondas are somewhat inferior to japan built hondas, and we will not talk about british built hondas. quality of labor does play a role in cars integrity. but a good design can minimize the descrepancies.

coolwhite_we

I called VW and asked about the special "'break-in" oil. They said that there isn't a "break-in" oil and that the 1st fill oil is the same oil that the dealers will use when an oil change is performed. They also said that for the 1.8T the oil should be changed every 5000 miles or 6 months whichever comes first. I will have no more than 2500 miles after 6 months. They said it would be OK to get my 1st oil change at that time.

nwvw

Yes. 5K miles OR 6 months, whichever comes first...Thanks for clarifying.

-Jim

lise526

thanks for the info, my engine is only 2.0. Wish I got a better one but i like the mileage it gets.

nwvw

The maintenance schedule is fully covered in your manual. I suggest reading it as there is a lot of other valuable information in there.

-Jim

Anakin

Hi Everyone,

I just traded in my 1998 Honda Accord LX-V6 Coupe for a new 2002 Jetta 1.8T Inferno Red with black velour interior.

My Accord was a very reliable car, and I had no problems with it in 3 years and 68000 miles.

My wfie and I decided to go car shopping, because both our cars were nearing 100k, and we wanted to have one low mileage car.

Part of what attracted me to the Jetta was the pure quality feel. The car is SOLID. Everything feels solid and substantial, like you could whack it with a hammer and it wouldn't hurt it (not that I'd do that to my new Jetta :0 )

Another thing that sucked me in was the new 180hp turbo. This car MOVES when you put your foot down. With max torque at 1950rpm, it really flies off the line. I don't know if it's really any faster than my Accord, but for around town driving, it sure is more satisfying. The Automanual is really fun, too!

When I initially looked at the sticker, I didn't think I could afford this car. The dealership showed a $1000 markup above MSRP. But I went inside to talk with the sales manager, and he offered me 700 below MSRP, plus the 5.9% financing for 60 months deal that VW is running right now. They gave me 11,000 for my Accord, which isn't great, but not too bad either.

So I bought it! I got the 1.8T with automanual, heated seats, moonroof, and Monsoon sound system with 6CD changer. I wish I could have had the sport suspension, but the car handles great even without it. It might roll a bit in the twisties, but the tires never squeal or break loose. My Accord held on nice on corners, but the tires squealed like stuck pigs.

Anyway, I'm just in love with this car. I think I've put about 50 miles on it today. :^)

If you're thinking of buying a new Jetta, now is a great time, with the low financing and all.

Glad to be here. Can't wait to drive it tomorrow. :^)

asimpson

Thanks for the previous info about the Panasonic changer. Now the tough part: installation. Is this something that the average person can do? I notice a slot in the back covered in plastic. The cover looks like it would pop off and the CD changer attach?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

nwvw

Try here: http://www.vwenthusiast.com/cgi-bin/kozmic.cgi?technical/changer/tech.changer&tech.bot

Also, this site is an excellent MKIV resource: http://mkivresource.com/ Hence, the name! ;-)

To add to the instructions though: The larger plastic piece just pops off. The smaller, rectangular piece, is screwed to the changer mounts. Just remove that. The larger piece you'll pop back on after you install the changer. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me.

-Jim

http://www.jettaownersclub.org

jettajeff

Is the "sport suspension" option a physically different suspension system or do they just tune the existing system differently?

nwvw

The sports suspension is the addition of sport springs, which lower the car about an inch. The sports luxury package is the 17" wheels, wider tires, and heavier sway bars.

Anakin

I wanted the sport lux package, but they didn't have one in the car I wanted. I decided it really wasn't that big a deal for me, so I skipped it. I have noticed that the car doesn't feel as confident going around corners as the sport lux did, but it still doesn't squeal or break loose.

nwvw

You can always add the sports packages aftermarket. Tires, wheels, springs, sway bars. I had a 2001 GLS with no suspension add-ons and traded it for a 2002 with the sports add-ons and it's worlds apart from the 2001. Night and day.

All Jettas are a ton of fun anyway...

-Jim

vwrules

I have a 98 Jetta with 45,000 miles. The muffler is rusting and about to fall down. Is this normal?

nwvw

vwrules writes:
I have a 98 Jetta with 45,000 miles. The muffler is rusting and about to fall down. Is this normal?

Depends on where you live. There are too many variables to answer yes or no. What kind of warranty does the 1998 Jetta have?

-Jim

vwrules

I don't live in the snow belt. So the rust is surprising.

The 98 Jettas have a 2yr/24000 mile comprehensive warranty and a 6yr/unlimited mileage corrosion protection warranty. However, the corrosion protection is only for body parts.

Is there any benefit to getting the muffler replaced at the dealer than at an outside shop?

Thanks

nwvw

The exhaust is one of the most vulnerable systems on our cars to fail, but that's a pretty short life of only 4-5 years. But, now's your chance to upgrade! I definitely would not take it back to the dealer. Shop around and get one of the high-performance systems like Techtronics, Remus, Magnaflow, Nuespeed, SuperSprint, etc, etc. There are many difference systems out there and no better time than now!

-Jim
http://www.jettaownersclub.org

shawn325i

in C&D's latest comparison test. Would have finished 1st if only VW along with many others would build a suspension that is equal or better than the engine.

The testors loved the engine and fit and finish, but were not all that thrilled with the performance once cornering and turning came into play.

No doubt, I will be happy with the Jetta's (still waiting for delivery) straight line speed, but I'm sure I will wish that it could keep up that speed when hitting the corners.

Why is that BMW seems to be the only manufacturer that builds a suspension that is faster than it's engine, this is why BMW's continue to lead, in most cases the competition.

nwvw

I can live with third considering the price we pay. Not to mention that for under $1500 you can beef up that 'so-called' sloppy VW suspension and really crank it around the corners. Third is a great performance considering +the Jetta 'econo-box' is being run against the 'legendary' BMW... That's quite an accomplishment and great praise and respect for the Jetta. Excellent!

Is there an URL for that information somewhere? What other cars were being run? Let's get some details out there...

-Jim

shawn325i

BMW was not included in this test. The Jetta used had the sport suspension (I think), the cars that beat the Jetta, Mazda Protege, Nissan Sentra. Yikes!!!!

shawn325i

I think it's great that you love your VW, but maybe you should take a serious spin in a BMW 3 series so that you can see what real cornering is all about. From what I've read the sport suspension in the Jetta does not make it a serious threat to cars in it's class let alone cars like a 3 series.

Perspective, all cars should be put in to it.

nwvw

I've already mentioned that my brother has a 330Ci and it's very impressive. But, it should be at $42K. I have also driven a couple of 320 series cars and they are also impressive, but (again) should be for the price. But, then again so is a Ferrari 512TR, Porsche Carrera and a Acura NSX, which I have driven them all, so I am well experienced about cornering. That's perspective.

But, this is a VW forum and we're wasting these people's time yakking about these cars, so I am ending this non-Jetta, off-topic discussion immediately. (Sorry, Pat. Sorry, Members)

-Jim

venus537

If the Jetta finished behind the Sentra and Protege then that's more of a reflection on how far Car and Driver is out to lunch.

justin

Justin is getting ready to join the VW family again. I used to have a 99 Gen IV Jetta GLS-VR6. Loved the car, no problems except for stupid cosmetic ones (leather and hoodliner issues). I now have cheap Civic, and am getting another Jetta. I miss my Jet sooooo much. I am seriusly considering forgetting the VR6 and getting the 02 Turbo. I drove one - with tiptronic. I am not sure, but that car feels faster than my auto VR6 did. Anyway:

Am I doing the right thing by getting the turbo? It is a small engine, yet really powerful. Have the Audi/VW 1.8 turbos been reliable? Economical? No way to use regular gas, correct? Am I safe to assume that the 2002 Jetta are even more reliable than my 99.5?

Input, please.

Thanks!

blueguydotcom

How can a Sentra SE (or was it an SE-R?) best a Jetta? Have you guys driven an SE? Man is it tail happy. The thing squeals taking left hand turns from a stoplight!

As is always the case with car mags, I give the ratings a grain of salt. I may not like the handling on my Jetta WE, but I know it outhandles a Sentra SE with PP. Now an SE-R, well that's a different story.

acroyear

In the Car and Driver test, the cars that beat the Jetta were a Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 and a Mazda Protege MP3. The Jetta beat the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V and the Neon RT.

As you can see it was almost a tie between the Subaru, the Jetta, and the Sentra:
Mazda MP3 - 90 points
Subaru RS 2.5 - 88
VW Jetta GLS (w/Sports Luxury package) - 87
Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V - 86
Dodge Neon R/T - 83