vw jettas

[aztec12]

Im starting to look at jettas in general years 2001 to 2003 .
does anybody have any comments or sugestions on their engines?
Ther's a TDI model, regular jetta 1.8engine 2.0 engine ,whats the best one out of all of them ?

 

[Nick R]

TDI. They aren't too awful fast, but they get 45+ MPG highway.

 

[Thermo1223]

TDI unless you REALLY like to mod & go fast then 1.8t all the way.

TDI's tend to have their quirks though so for more info if they are the right engine for you, read.

www.tdiclub.com

The FAQ will answer all your questions and then some.

The 2.0 will being simple & slow isn't really IMO what belongs in a MKIV Jetta. The MKIV's are too heavy for it.

O ya VR6 for smoooooth torque and hp.

 

[Quattro Pete]

VR6 baby!

 

[GMBoy]

Quality is sub par on those model year Jettas. It's not if, but when your windows will fall in the doors, for example. But, they are very nice German cars (built in Mexico) and handle well, have lots of standard features, interior is very nice (love the dash lighting) and they are good looking. My female friend has an 2001 1.8 Jetta GLS. She dogs it, rareley changes oil and it gets beat on due to her city lifestyle. It uses about 1qt every 1500 miles.

Nice car, but a few quality issues in the early ones.

 

[Ike_Clanton]

This question was asked in some other forum here (I don't recall which), and I and another guy wrote quite a bit. Use caution and understand what you're buying with these cars.

 

[ARB1977]

Our 97 2.0 has been great. My wife is pretty agressive. I change the oil fairly early.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Quality is sub par on those model year Jettas.


The irony in that statement is that's what people have been saying for as long as I can remember. "Oh the new ones are great but the previous generation was full of problems..."

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Quality is sub par on those model year Jettas.


The irony in that statement is that's what people have been saying for as long as I can remember. "Oh the new ones are great but the previous generation was full of problems..."


But his point is true. 01-03 IS the problem-prone date range. All sorts of known electronics, materials, etc issues. Friend had a GTI which was prone to many of the same. All the same, 1.8t engine ran perfect and currently has over >175k miles on original timing belt!

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: css9450
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Quality is sub par on those model year Jettas.


The irony in that statement is that's what people have been saying for as long as I can remember. "Oh the new ones are great but the previous generation was full of problems..."


But his point is true. 01-03 IS the problem-prone date range. All sorts of known electronics, materials, etc issues. Friend had a GTI which was prone to many of the same. All the same, 1.8t engine ran perfect and currently has over >175k miles on original timing belt!



Thanks for the support. You are also correct in that the engines are wonderful - just the car around it had issues.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
But his point is true. 01-03 IS the problem-prone date range.


Guess I've been lucky. 102K miles on my 2003, no real issues to date. Just like my '98 and my '88 before that.

robert

 

[Audi Junkie]

Skip. Best used VW is an older Passat. 1995-6

Buy new if possible.

If you can bear, I think the Audi TT is one of the best used car values.

 

[dishdude]

Partner has a 2008 Jetta w/50k on it. 2.5/manual. It's been solid, only issue was an airbag sensor that turned on the SRS light.

IMO, it is light years ahead of the previous gen, but like all german cars you'll find everything is over engineered and if you are used to more straight forward american/asian cars, you'll be in for a surprise.

My advice - do lots of research and know what you are buying!

 

[sciphi]

I am looking at a Jetta TDI idly. I'll wait a few years until the bugs with the North American TDI get worked out.

 

[gonesurfing]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I am looking at a Jetta TDI idly. I'll wait a few years until the bugs with the North American TDI get worked out.


They never get the bugs worked out. VW rarely goes a year or two without doing some major change which resets the problem count. Even though the 2009 and 2010 TDI engines are pretty much identical, some irritating issues popped up when the 2010's first hit the streets.

If they went 4-5 years on each platform/engine between changes like other automakers, they might have a chance.

We have a 2009 TDI, and have had a few issues the dealer has been unable or unwilling to fix. (won't get into those here). That being said, the car is still an amazing piece of machinery and fun to drive. Oh, and 40mpg helps too.

 

[robertcope]

My experience with VWs has been great. They're well engineered, well build cars that are affordable and fun to drive.

My '88, '98, and 2003 Jettas have all worked pretty much flawlessly. The 2003 has been to the dealer a couple of times for recalls on the brake light switch and coil packs. Oh, and the rain sensor was DOA when I got it.

We bought a 2008 Rabbit for my wife, which has about 33K miles on it now. It has had zero issues up to this point. Wish we had been able to hold out until the TDIs arrived, but she needed a new car more or less immediately.

robert

 

[artificialist]

If someone had a 1.8T, you must be absolutely sure that nothing but full synthetic was run.
I have dealt with so many of them that have been destroyed by sludge.
Usually in those instances, the turbo fails first.

I have almost no experience with VW diesels because they were not popular, so turn to someone else for advice.

 

[Vizzy]

I too have had very good luck with my two VW purchases..The first was a 84 Rabbit GTI never had any issues with it until it was stolen at 11 years old and 112k miles on it.

My current car is an 96 Golf GL...one of the most trouble free vehicles I've ever owned and my family has driven many Hondas and Mazdas in the past.