1998 Volkswagen Jetta GL from North America

Summary:

Smooth ride with some initial headaches

Faults:

Air conditioner was broken upon purchase. Very expensive to fix.

Leaking oil flange upon purchase. Covered by dealer's 3,000 mile/3 month warranty.

Factory radio unit was faulty upon purchase. Replaced with third party CD deck.

Throttle body cleaned at 78,000 miles.

Distributor cap replaced at 78,000 miles.

Cruise control only works when it wants to.

General Comments:

The Jetta is very quick and responsive, even on the low end GL model.

Love the large trunk space.

I don't like the seat adjustment mechanism.

Very nice looking car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th August, 2004

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GT 2.0 from North America

Summary:

The most reliable car I have owned

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car. The only thing that needed to be replaced are the normal wear type parts. I have replaced the suspension, brakes, exhaust, and tires. These I consider parts that had to be replaced from normal wear. I did have to replace the alternator, the ignition coil, and water pump, but these were replaced after 120,000 miles on the odometer. I hardly consider this going wrong.

General Comments:

I love my car and I actually don't plan on getting rid of it until it finally falls apart on me. I have already added performance parts on the car which only extends the life of the car. I drive this car daily to work and also use it to go into NYC. And if any one knows about NYC, we have the worst paved roads. This is just a testament to the quality of the car. Everyone else's negative comments and experiences I consider to be no different if it were with a another car manufacturer.

People talk about the lengthy warranties they get, but they don't seem to realize the number of times they bring their car to the dealership. I have not once brought mine in for any part failure.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th July, 2004

7th Feb 2005, 19:44

All I have to say is that NYC doesn't have the worst roads out there if anybody has ever been up to Canada and specifically to Winnipeg, Manitoba (where I live) will agree with me that they have to be some of the worst roads next to something a rock crawler would go on!! Aside from the N.E. corner of the U.S.A I have been all over North America and I would like to think I have good idea what a bad road is like!

P.s. kudos to the American military even if its wasn't the best decision by the government to send them there. Way to keep the rest of the world safe!!

15th Jan 2006, 11:36

Where in the world did that come from!?!?!?!?

How do you get from talking about poorly maintained roads to the us army!

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 4.0 from North America

Summary:

My very own lemon

Faults:

My Transmission box needed to be replaced at 120,000 Kilometers.

My trim around the car started to peel off at 115,000 kilometers.

I needed a new exhaust at 130,000 kilometers.

New oxygen sensor at 130,000 kilometers.

I neeeded a new CV shaft at 145,000.

I needed the ball joint replaced at 145,000.

The wiper motor seized at 155,000 kilometers.

Ongoing trouble with my transmission shifting since I have purchased the vehicle. Nobody seems able to fix the problem.

General Comments:

I like the look and feel of the vehicle.

The maintenance problems are continuous. The vehicle seems to have a new problem once every 2-3 months.

Dealers are no help, but they seem to be the only ones who can fix your car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th June, 2004

29th Jun 2004, 18:38

I had my 03 passat in 5 times for service on a eng lite being on. So far it cost me about $500.00 to get nothing none. The car is only 14 months old & has only 28000 mils. Now they say I need some type of fuel system service for another $500.00.IS there anyone I call to help me.THANKS.

24th Jul 2004, 07:42

I own a 1998 Jetta GLS and I like it. I have noticed a kind of odd/ off shifting pattern and I was told that the automatic transmissions are just like that. I put a performance exhaust on mine and it helped the car open up a lot and it performs a lot better.

C.

9th Mar 2007, 16:12

Owner of 'My very Own Lemon'...

Just get rid of this car. When I wrote the review, I thought I had a lot of problems with this car...It's now 2007 (gears have just gone on the transmission) and I've kept pouring money into it because I figured that eventually I would have built a 'whole new car!' Let me tell you, the best thing to do is run far, far away from this car. Dump it before it drains you. I'd love to kick myself for all of the money that I invested in the car, but I wasn't in any position to buy another one. Well, with all of the money that I've put into it... I could've owned a Ferrari! Dump it and move on. I hate the car and I hate the way that Volkswagen treats their customers. I wish I'd never met 'My very Own Lemon'...