26th Jan 2008, 18:30

Listen, those who say the car stalls or won't shift after you start-and-go.

I own a 2002 Jetta 1.8t, and it's a great car 95,000+ miles and it still works like a charm!

Cars just can't be started and then immediately afterwards, just go. You're asking for trouble and the car will not last you as long as it should.

YOU MUST WARM THE CAR UP FOR AT LEAST 5-10 MINUTES!!

I have treated every car I've owned the same way, and you get better over-all performance. Although probably 99.99999999% of humans with vehicles don't warm thier cars up, you should do it anyways. You payed thousands of dollars for it, why not treat it properly?

22nd Jun 2008, 12:01

I am about to purchase a 2002 VW 1.8t, and I really hope it will hold up. I will treat it like a baby. I am buying used, so it might start out with problems. From what I've heard on this, I might buy a 2003.

3rd Sep 2009, 13:35

Do NOT buy a newer Volkswagen, regardless of the price/model. You will in fact regret it.

22nd Oct 2009, 22:41

I own a 2003 VW Jetta 1.8T and have been happy with it... I have not had any issue since I purchased. I got it when it had 47,000 miles. It has now a 145,000. I took care of the maintenance as it is recommended. The car still runs great. I took it nearly to its top speed 135 mph so far and it could actually go faster, I just did not push it to its limit!

I just have a minor issue with the back lights going out often that's all... I'm loving this car and enjoying the drive everyday! I have owned 3 Golf GTI's (2 were 16 valves), 2 Jetta's including the 03). I am a true V dub lover, and would recommend certain models more than others...

6th Jan 2010, 21:50

I drive a 2002 1.8T automatic. I love the car, looks sexy, and is fast. But one day, I was off to work in the afternoon, and I get out of the driveway, and the car won't shift out of first! I tried it in Tiptronic, and it was telling me I was in third, but it wouldn't shift out of that. I had it towed to a VW specialist, and he found that part four of the shifter assembly went bad, and was bunching up in the gear box. Then tonight when I was driving, the car started to do that again, but soon fixed itself, and drove fine. I haven't had too much trouble with it, I need a new catalytic converter, valve cover gasket, CAM adjuster seal, and serpentine belt. But it has 118,500 miles on it. So I cut it some slack :-). If you guys have had some problems with it shifting, let me know!

12th May 2010, 19:32

I have a 2002 VW Jetta. I am having problems with the car shifting hard from 2nd to 3rd gear. It has 90,000 miles on it. I took it in to get looked at by a 4 star rated mechanic that deals with Volkswagen. I was told today it needs a new transmission. Anyone having the same issue at 90,000 miles with the transmission? This shouldn't be happening so soon.