1992 Volkswagen Jetta 1.6 turbo diesel

Summary:

A great economical car that's fun to drive!

Faults:

I had the starter replaced at the dealership.

The head gasket was replaced at 220,000kms.

The original alternator was rebuilt at 330,000kms.

General Comments:

This car is not a fast car with approximately 68 horses, but it's quiet once the engine is warmed up.

The car tends to rattle a bit during cold startups, but this only lasts about 10 minutes in very cold Canadian winters.

It gets great fuel economy and the most I have achieved on one fill up was just under 1100 km

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th February, 2002

1992 Volkswagen Jetta GL 1.8L gasoline

Summary:

This car is cheap to run, reliable, and a blast to drive!

Faults:

The valve cover was rusted, and it got repainted.

The windshield wiper motor seized up and had to be replaced.

The primary and secondary transmission linkages broke and were replaced (leaving me with only 3rd and 4th gear for a 45 minute drive).

The radiator has rotted out and needs replacing.

The rear doors were rusted, so were sand blasted and repainted with the factory paint.

General Comments:

This car gets phenomenal gas mileage, averaging about 40 miles-per-gallon.

It handles like a dream. I am not an easy driver, and I have never felt unsafe at any time, during any maneuver.

I am a gear-head/customizer and this car has a great deal of potential to become a high performance car.

I love the factory sunroof that came with the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd November, 2001

26th Feb 2002, 13:10

I recently acquired a 92 Jetta GL, it has treated me fairly well with one exception. It will be running well and it will misfire and lose power intermittently. Then it won't do it for a month or so. This happens more during winter.

The following have been replaced: computer, cap and rotor, spark plug wires, O2 sensor, and plugs all replaced. Have run injector cleaner through it also. I would like to keep it, if I could figure out the problem. ANY suggestions?

14th May 2002, 10:23

Fuel filter!

4th Jun 2002, 16:00

My Jetta has an intermittent buzzing sound somewhere by the speedometer. It is worse in cold weather and often gone in warm weather.

26th Jun 2002, 18:41

Make sure the odometer isn't getting stuck. The buzzing may be the trip odometer getting stuck on a certain mileage. Give a solid push on the reset knob, that may be where the buzz is coming from.

3rd Nov 2002, 21:05

The buzzing sound coming from the speedo' may be an insufficiently lubricated speedo' cable. Try disconnecting it and spraying inside with teflon or silicone lubricant.

Hope this helps.

23rd Oct 2003, 08:26

I was changing my belts one day and when I was done I pulled it out of the garage and drove it around the house and parked it. when I went to start it back up nothing happened. I had to start it by unhooking some wires and putting a wire from the starter directly to the battery. and now I have a toggle switch to start my car. Any suggestions? What do I do?

15th Mar 2004, 19:26

I own a 1984 Audi 5000 S, which can be closely related to any Volkswagen product, such as crappy door handles and problems with electrical components, such as power windows, bad heaters...lol. But, in regards to the buzzing speedometer, mine does the exact same thing when it's cold. I have no idea what it is, but I don't really let it bother me too much because I still haven't got a speeding ticket!!!

23rd May 2008, 23:33

My 1992 Jetta's wipers and blinkers quit working, and the headlights, but the parking lights still work. I checked the fuse box, but nothing was wrong. What could the problem be?

1992 Volkswagen Jetta ??

Summary:

Would recommend anyone to buy one! Excellent!

Faults:

Fan switch broken.

Dash lights keep blowing.

Oxygen sensor makes it rev very high when in park.

General Comments:

Excellent little car! Very reliable! Has never broken down on me aside from the usual repairs all cars go through! The heater is like a furnace which you really need in Newfoundland and it starts when it's -20 outside without a hitch!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th January, 2001

5th Jul 2001, 20:04

Good point mentioning about the furnace for a heater the Jetta has. Here in Winnipeg (aka Winterpeg) it heats up from freezing (ie -30 with a 40km wind from the north) to nice and cozy in only minutes.

It is very dependable and boy does this car handle! Very tight precise cornering. Also the trunk is ENORMOUS! I can only dream how many 2-4s... erg I mean Sub-woofers I could fit in there.

7th Aug 2001, 08:39

All in all my Jetta is a great car, but on long trips I have problems with the starter. Best to get a standerd transmission. No problems with the starter. I recently drove from Hamilton to Halifax and had to replace 2 starters. Really difficult to get to them too.

15th Aug 2001, 17:40

I had so many problems with the starter, this is not even funny. I had the starter changed, timing wheel (which is pretty expensive).

I have a 92 Jetta.