1996 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0 from North America
Summary:
Decent car from A-B, but constant piddly repairs
Faults:
I purchased this car in September 2003 from an uncle who is a local car dealer. I had seen this car on his lot and my father and I were very impressed by the condition of this car and it had 121K, not necessarily a huge amount for a 7 year old car. And at a price of $2300 it was only about half of the bluebook value, so it seemed to be a good deal. For the first 6-7 months this car ran excellent with no problems. I then started noticing that it was having problems starting when wet and at times stalling out when going over puddles, wet ground, etc. After reading various responses I realized that these issues (among other ones below) are very common for VW Jettas in this time frame:
REPAIRS DONE:
Ignition coils replaced TWICE--over $1200 for the two repairs (been about a year and a half since this was done, so hopefully fixed for good)
In addition to the ignition coil issues, had trouble starting the car. Not a battery or starter issue, ignition switch was replaced--over $300 for that.
Noticed rattling under the car and a new muffler was constructed--$380 but done by the best muffler place in my town.
The car had an antifreeze leak that I dealt with for months--this was about $200 but it has never been a problem since then.
Air bag clock spring was repaired--$475, would have probably let it go, but it would not have passed inspection.
Had to unclog the A/C drain which leaked condensation into passenger floor board and over heated the car at times, eventually the new radiator fan blew--nearly $800 in repairs.
Most recently, an oil leak occured. I know oil leaks can be difficult to find, but it took it to the third place to repair this, could have been a dangerous thing, but turned out OK.
Overall, repairs cost over $3600 and maintenance over $900 for brakes and tires/alignment.
In addition to that, power locks are done (not that that is necessary) and side panels have fell off, but have been adequately fixed.
General Comments:
As the running of the car it runs fine. The car does not consume a ton of gas and really does not burn oil either. Relatively comfortable inside the vehicle and a large trunk as well. For a 10 year old car with a black paint job that has stayed in good condition.
No major problems with engine, transmission, etc. so that's good.
Parts can be both expensive and non-expensive (like most cars) but labor can be quite expensive due to the tightness and lack of size under the hood.
For a car that gets you from point A to B with decent gas mileage go for it, but get ready to open your wallet for repairs.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd November, 2006
3rd Dec 2006, 19:32
I have sympathy for him, but at the same time unless you like unique stylish cars and also like to work on them buy a Honda or Toyota. I bought a Jetta, but knew what I was getting into and have my reliable 320k accord as a boring backup.
28th Dec 2006, 05:21
I think the writer is posting his experience as a caveat to anyone buying a similar vehicle, he wasn't whining. To take the patrician tone the first responder did is unnecessary. I have the same vehicle with similar mileage, it ran well for about six months. Had I known, when I purchased the Jetta, that these problems were common, I would have bought something else. Having had bad experiences now with a brand new New Beetle as well, and having the benefit of warnings like this one posted, I will never buy VW's again. They are great cars until the relatively short warranty ends and they ARE difficult and expensive to repair. Currently I am weighing the value of repairing the Jetta vs. the seemingly endless car payments with a better car. Since small cars are getting top dollar, the value of a Toyota or Honda may not be as great any more.
3rd Mar 2007, 16:41
You are paying way too much for what you just described. I just saw one at $4,200 (Canadian). I was thinking of buying it, but I had to check some reviews about this car.
7th Nov 2006, 14:18
I have no sympathy for someone who buys a used car with over 100,000 miles on it and complains about expensive car repairs. You should have known better by purchasing a used VW with that kind of mileage on it. There was a reason why that car was on your uncles used car lot to begin with.
Sorry, but you got what you paid for.
Steve.