Faults:

"Check Engine" light has been on a few times; various oxygen sensors and mass air flow sensor replaced. VW dealer required to accurately read OBC data.

Heated seat element in driver's seat burned through seat cover (and my jeans) while driving! No serious injury, although to have this happen at 75mph was a bit of a scare. VW dealer wisely replaced for free. I don't use them very often anymore.

Numerous plastic trim items in interior have cracked: cup holder, center console lid hinges, one hinge of glove box. Finish on interior plastic like center console, door panel arm rests has worn.

Trunk-mounted CD changer play is erratic during very cold weather.

General Comments:

The car's mechanical systems have been nearly flawless over 113,000 miles and almost 8 years. The clutch, suspension, brakes, exhaust and air conditioning systems are all 100% original. I've had the brakes checked half a dozen times in the past few years and they keep telling me "they're OK". No engine or transmission work has been required. AC still blows cold.

Almost 8 years on, I still love driving this car. It provides a very enjoyable ride and corners well. It accelerates well, but it's not as quick "off the line" as the VR6 model my brother owns.

Monsoon sound system sounds great. A lesser concern than some of these other points, but what the heck.

Faults:

-Temperature gauge needed replacement.

-Fuel sensor needed replacement.

-The lights would not turn off when I turned off the car. This happened before VW recalled the cars for this malfunction.

-The dashboard lights for the fan system inside the car will not work anymore.

-Cup holder is broken-very badly designed.

-Arm rest latch broken.

-Driver's side window fell into the door and I am using tape to hold up the window.

-One of the 2 plastic latch arms of the glove compartment snapped and the glove compartment loosely hangs on the remaining latch when I open it.

-The check sensor light just turned on at 81,000 miles and will not turn off. I hate having to pay over $80 just to get it looked at.

-The rear trash/coin box will not shut. They need to learn from the Japanese and the Koreans.

-The engine makes the sound of someone trying to turn on the car when it's already on, when I turn on my car for the first time, occasionally. This is unnerving.

General Comments:

-As fun as the 2000 Jetta VR6 is to drive, it's a piece of trash. I'm sticking with a Japanese car for my next purchase.

Faults:

Replaced the mass airflow sensor because the car had difficulty accelerating.

Replaced a valve in the air conditioning system because the a/c ices up and stops working. Still ices up and stops working!

The inside trim molding falls off and frequently needs to be glued back on.

The center armrest is broken.

The rear cup holder is broken.

The glove box door is broken.

The trunk release latch is broken. After repairing it with epoxy twice, I have to open the trunk manually now.

The micro-switch that activates the brake light and allows you to shift out of park failed while I was on vacation and had to be replaced.

The service engine light is now on all the time.

The brake service light started coming on last week every time I stop and the brakes are noisy now.

General Comments:

I bought this car in 2005 with 91K miles on it to get back and forth to work and save some money in improved mpg. My old truck gets 13mpg and this old car gets 36mpg. Even factoring the higher cost of diesel fuel and repairs (some of which I have done myself) this car has saved me over $5,050.00 in fuel and will have paid for itself in fuel savings sometime this year. So far only one repair has been serious- the brake light switch that won't let you shift out of park- and that was eventually repaired under recall.