1991 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8

Summary:

I love it

Faults:

Well for 200,000 miles I have had new tires, a clutch and a water pump.

All are normal wear and tear parts for a car of this age. It handles like it's on rails. Awesome handling, quick and sporty. A blast to drive!

General Comments:

I love this car. It's super fun to drive, looks good and it's reliable. It pretty quick for the low GL engine.. Love that torque!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th December, 2001

1991 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8 gas

Summary:

A surprisingly sporty sedan that will last forever

Faults:

Leaky head gasket when purchased.

Black plastic trim falls off regularly.

Rear wheel bearings replaced.

Exhaust system replaced due to holes rusting through the muffler (in Texas).

The headliner is falling down.

General Comments:

A great riding car that is fun to drive. Excellent handling for a family sedan and nice steering feel. I look forward to driving it.

It has nice styling that I like better than the current Jetta.

Not much power until over 4000 RPM though, but 30 MPG around town makes up for it. Getting onto the freeway can be scary at times.

The front seats don't adjust back far enough.

Don't even think about trying to do major engine or transmission work on these cars though. I am in the process of replacing the clutch with only hand tools and it has turned into a week-long adventure. The transverse-engined, front-wheel drive setup leads to a cramped engine compartment with no space to work and hundreds of "how did they get that there?" bolt locations. Other than that it is a very simple car to work on compared to other early 90's cars.

The interior on this car (minus the headliner) has held up nicely considering that it has spent all its life under the Texas sun. If you take care of these cars, they will last forever. Or until some idiot runs a stop sign and totals it (my previous, mint 1987 Jetta).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th June, 2001

4th Mar 2004, 11:11

Hey there, I just bought a 1991 VW Jetta Wolfsburg, I also need my rear wheel bearing replaced! How much did that cost you? Was it a difficult repair? Thank you! E-Mail me at jaridtaylor@hotmail.com.