2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8 turbo from North America

Summary:

I loved my car, and it saved my life (twice). I miss it dearly

Faults:

I never really had any problems with this car that weren't covered by the warranty. Under the warranty (which was increased from 35,000 to 50,000 miles for 2002 & beyond cars), the springs underneath both seats were replaced, the engine coils were replaced per a recall, and the battery was replaced (after the car sat idle for two months). The only thing that ever went wrong that wasn't covered by the warranty was some creaking sound in the suspension, which they said all jetta's had - it's some deficiency with manufacturing, and they just go bad, but it's an annoyance rather than a safety issue.

General Comments:

This was a great car - with the 1.8 turbo and a five speed manual transmission, this car really moved. It got me in trouble a few times though - and I almost totaled it when it was just about a year old, and then I totaled it for good just recently. The airbags didn't go off either time - the first time was a major accident too - ran into a brick wall head on and the bags did not deploy at all. It was supposedly the safest car made in 2002, but after the car was oblitterated this year in another major front-end collision, with again, none of the eight airbags deploying, I have to wonder if there was something wrong with mine. The car was such a joy though - never really had any trouble with it. Very comfortable - heated seats were fantastic, but hard to adjust. Rear legroom was inadequate, and there was no arm rest in the back. Loved the car though - miss it dearly. Was the perfect car for my mid-20's.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th January, 2006

12th Mar 2006, 07:07

Funny, my friend was in an accident which t-boned the vehicle. A 2002 Jetta 1.8 Turbo, which completely smashed in both doors and it all came into the drivers cage, as it was on the drivers side. It was probably about 45mph - the two side airbags did not deploy...

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 from North America

Faults:

I bought my VW Jetta as a "certified used car" at 22,000 miles. By the time I hit 30k miles I had it taken in to have the entire air conditioning unit replaced. Minor things have happened hear and there such as a turn signal that wouldn't turn off, center arm rest broke, CD changer stopped changing cd's and a spring fell out of the drivers seat (i only weigh 125 lbs.) As of right now my car is at the dealer having a new transmission replaced at 50k miles. Brakes are extremely expensive to replace $750.

General Comments:

Nice car, held up well in a minor car accident (compared to the other car). Extremely expensive to maintain and has too many issues. Will be purchasing another honda civic as my next car. I've already owned one and it has proved to be very reliable, cheap to maintain, and didn't give many problems. It ran great when I traded it in at 145k miles.

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

Review Date: 10th January, 2006

2nd Feb 2006, 12:38

AS the original writer, I just wanted to make an update. My car is now on its 3rd transmission which is still slipping. Now on my 4th suspension. VW did fix the spring in the seat, but they also found that the entire seat frame was loose, and replaced that aswell. I have no confidence in my car. Feel that I over paid for this headach.

15th Feb 2006, 19:22

I have had the same problems with my '01 Jetta. I just had to have my transmission replaced at 47K. That was 2 weeks ago. VERY EXPENSIVE! When it has such few miles on it! Plus, on top of that my O2 and temp. senors are broken, my trunk has stopped working, it will not pop open with the button. Which means I have to use the key. The CD player only works when it feels like it. Seriously. Random lights on the dash randomly come on for no apparent reason. Consistently replacing rear tail lights every other month or so. My arm rest is broken, was replaced. Awful smell when I use the AC in the summer, which causes the car to smell like crayons. Had way too many recalls on this car as well. They should have made this car a LEMON! I have only had this car for a year and am getting ready to also buy a Honda Civic. They are not my fav. cars, BUT they do last and very low maintenance so I have heard.