Faults:

My Jetta's engine used to arbitrarily shut off while driving. This would occur on a relatively frequent basis, which was especially problematic and nerve racking on the highway. I spent a lot of money on various repairs (plugs, wires, sensors etc.), which never fixed the issue. The vehicle was actually dangerous to drive.

Many other minor and frequent repairs were made. Eventually the air conditioning stopped working and became very loud when turned on. This repair finally put me over the edge and I sold the vehicle. All of the many, many issues were made known to the new buyer, and the vehicle was sold for a big loss.

General Comments:

This vehicle was not fast, or even quick for that matter. The fuel economy was decent, but not worth the poor performance. I babied this vehicle the entire time I owned it, and all it did was let me down repeatedly. The only thing reliable about this car was that fact that it would reliably break down.

Overall, there really is not much I can say positive about the car. It doesn't look good, it doesn't drive that great, it is slow, and the fuel economy is mediocre. I purchased this car for VW "reliability", which is something I have learned no longer exists. In my experiences I have learned that since the mid-90s, Volkswagen reliability has deteriorated substantially.

Do yourself a favor and buy something else. Please learn from my mistake!

Faults:

My son bought his VR6 less than two years ago.

6 weeks after he got it, the crankshaft sensor went out, and left him stranded 30 miles out of town. I made the repair, which was easy if you know what you are looking for.

During the test drive, I discovered that the right front was pulling real bad, then it started making a screeching noise, which turned out to be a wheel bearing. It was a total pain to repair, since the bearing race is two piece, which means the part stays on the hub when it falls out on the ground after you get the axle shaft out. It takes a hydraulic press to get the bearing out of the spindle, which means there goes the alignment. Because the bearing race spun on the hub, it had to be replaced too.

Now here is the kicker, I am having to do this all over again, with less than 30,000 miles on it since the last repair.

General Comments:

The car is faster than a scalded dawg.

Faults:

Rust.

Exhaust holes.

Struts.

Door mouldings peeling.

General Comments:

Great car all around.

Not quick, but nobody buys a 115 HP car expecting agility.

Handles like a go cart, I love it.

Enormous trunk, decent size interior.

Bad MPG (22 city)

Faults:

Besides the usual maintenance items, i.e. brakes exhaust, tires, the car has been great. I have had three what I would call problems that were not expected.

First was the ignition switch, cheap repair, $25.

The coil pack, which was expensive since I did get stuck with the car and had to have it towed and a mechanic fix it, being I was a way from home. That was $400. I found out later on this was a common problem for these years. If I had known, I would have replaced it.

Check engine light came on, but a cleaning of the intake system and a computer rest solved that. $4 for the can of cleaner.

I did the timing belt when bought, the clutch was already replaced by the previous owner.

General Comments:

I average 35mpg with a manual transmission. I have done other work to the car like struts, ball joints and items I would consider maintenance. Not sure what anyone would expect with over 215k miles, things wear out. No engine work, transmission, or CV joints at that mileage is fantastic. I also find the 2.0 Jetta very easy to work on.

Before I bought it, I test drove the Civic, Prelude, and other cars in its class, which all seemed to drive like go-carts. The Jetta at least feels like a car. Not going to win any races, but I didn't buy it for that.

Paid $3200, about $2000 to up keep, which includes 2 of sets tires, brakes, oil changes and $250 of that was for the windshield, after a few rocks from trucks in the interstate.

For that low up-keep over 4 years and 100K miles driven, Can't beat it with a stick!!!