1996 Volkswagen Jetta GLS review from North America
"A piece of junk"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Broken front coil spring
broken rear coil spring
replaced starter motor
rear shocks
power steering rack starting to leak
exhaust system
exhaust manifold cracked
stuck door latch had to be replaced
2 power window motors failed
1 power window regulator failed
worn out front seat mountings
windshield defroster
electrical problems.
General comments?
About the only good things I can say about this car are it has a nice clean design, doesn't use a lot of gas, decent factory radio and speakers, and spacious trunk for the size of the car.
However this over-hyped econo-box has been expensive to maintain and is not worth the money. I've spent almost $2,000 on repairs in the last 8 months since I bought it. If you are over 6' you will feel cramped when driving.
It has a weak suspension that bottoms out easily when driving on gravel roads.
The miniature storage bins that are molded in the center console and door are were too small to get my hand into. The tiny drink containers are next to useless.
The factory alarm system sucked and never worked right.
The car I had didn't have a glove compartment. I hated that.
It was noisy on the highway over 60 MPH...
I've finally gotten rid of this lemon.
Recommended reviews
  | Fun to drive! |
| Economical for a 6 cylinder, fast and fun, but not cheap, and almost unreliable sometimes |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 gas Manual |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 2/10 |
| Comfort marks | 5/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 94000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 104000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Plymouth Grand Voyager |
| Date of Entry | 27th April, 2002 |