1990 Volkswagen Jetta GL review from North America

The head gasket was blown when I first got the car. Replaced by crummy mechanic who over-charged me.

Head required rust-removal and cleaning. Again replaced and was again overcharged.

Alternator blew at 112,000 miles. Replaced 3 times before finding a good one.

Wiring harness to radiator fan melted, 500 miles later, destroying the relay solenoid and O2 sensor and temp sensor.

Faulty radio wiring caused battery to drain after heaving driving.

Heater core blew at 115,00 miles, took 3 months to replace.

Headliner is falling down badly.

Cheap plastic dash and door pieces are beginning to fall off.

Questionable third-party wiring in engine may be cause of continual wiring faults.

Odometer stuck at 112,000 miles.

This has been a learning experience for me for sure. I bought the vehicle from my former boss for 200 bucks, then promptly got over-charged by a bogus mechanic to fix a relatively minor head gasket repair. After 1700 dollars and 4 months in the shop with 0% communitcation, I was left with a car with a running engine, and not much else.

The former owners of this car as well as my ex-convict boss should be prosecuted for abusing this car as much as they have.

It's a testament to VW Engineering that its even lasted THIS long! I'm slowly restoring it to a decent daily driver, with dreams of it someday becoming a cute little car with a decent stereo.

I can't blame Volkswagen, and I only curse myself for getting suckered and for deluding myself into thinking that this ex-wreck of a car was something I could handle. It's a tough little bugger to maintain, that's for sure!