1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLX VR6

Summary:

A great sports sedan with high maintenance costs

Faults:

Blown tweeter on delivery (warranty).

Sunroof came off its rails at 10,000 (warranty).

Steering column replaced at 16,000 (warranty).

Mass air flow sensor replaced at 32,000 (extended warranty).

Throttle control replaced at 33,000.

Annoying rattles, increasing over time.

General Comments:

I have enjoyed the car overall. It handles extremely well and for a V6 the gas mileage is on par.

The maintenance costs are expensive compared to other cars in its class.

It is very roomy and has a large trunk.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th June, 2001

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 Liter

Summary:

A must buy!

Faults:

My driver side molding kept falling off. It took 3 tries for VW to fix it and it still wouldn't stay on. I finally fixed it myself.

General Comments:

This is a great car to have. The only problem with it is that it's too small for a family of 4. Two baby seats in the back are a tight fit.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd April, 2001

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GT 2.0 L 4 cylinder

Summary:

A double edged sword: a fun and versatile car, but a budget buster

Faults:

* Replaced an airbag.

* Replaced the front brakes (normal wear and tear at 46,000 miles).

* Replaced the right rear brake and rotor (brake bad, "broke" into 2 pieces while driving).

* Steering wheel clock spring.

* Distributor.

* Ignition.

* Air conditioning control panel in the dashboard (because the light burned out).

* Strut mounts (twice).

* Serpentine belt at 26,000 miles.

* Normal maintenance.

General Comments:

I love the way that this car handles and looks. Also, the configuration of the cabin and the huge truck are nice. It makes this car very practical as well very fun to drive.

However, the cost of ownership has been relatively high for this car. While fuel and insurance are reasonable, the maintenance is unbelievable.

While the powertrain warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, the normal bumper-to-bumper is only 2 years/24,000 miles. I drove out of that period very quickly, which is when my problems began.

Some things, like brakes and belts, are parts that are going to wear out on any vehicle with time and that is normal. But I have never had to replace the strut mounts on any of my cars, and on the Jetta, I have replaced them twice as normal maintenance. I was told by 2 different VW repair experts that the strut mounts go every 25,000-30,000 miles. That is unacceptable in my opinion.

Also, lot's of little things have gone wrong since the car's normal warranty has expired. Most (but not all) are listed in the "What things have gone wrong with the car" section.

The scheduled maintenance is scheduled frequently, at least for someone who drives a lot like me and really depends on the availability of the car. Also, the scheduled maintenance is not cheap.

For example, the most recent two I have had are the 30,000 and 40,000 mile services. The 30,000 was approximately $350 and the 40,000 was approximately $750. That's a lot of change to spend in addition to everything that has gone wrong.

The dealer service, though, has been phenomenal. I have nothing but good comments about the dealer. But, since they are getting a lot of my money, I don't expect anything less.

Overall, I love this car, despite all that has gone wrong with it. But, it definitely has strained my budget planning, and for that reason, I can not emphatically recommend this car to someone. Perhaps VW has fixed many of these issues with the recent redesign.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 1st December, 2000

5th Jul 2001, 22:26

Sometimes, people get crappy cars. My '98 Jetta GT has 57k miles, and has never had anything as major as a strut mount. My service was done by my uncle, the VW mechanic and Transmission Expert, and has never cost more than $200. However, I did look at one when buying mine, that had the entire exhaust system replaced at just over 30k miles. I have also heard of many Automatic Transmission problems with some of the cars, and I understand that some of the Manuals were made in Germany and assembled in Mexico, but the ones that were made and assembled in Mexico have many problems. It seems to me that it is hit and miss with these cars. I however would not trade mine for very many cars anytime soon.

1998 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9 turbo diesel

Faults:

Leak in original battery which lead to a leak in the power steering fluid reservoir and a broken gear linkage.

General Comments:

I love the car. It handles better than any I have owned thus far. It is very reliable, economical and fast enough for any situation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th June, 1999

1998 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9 turbo diesel

Faults:

The fuel cut-off valve needed to be replaced in the first 6 months, and the plastic shields under the engine needed to be replaced after 12 months.

General Comments:

I hope to run this Jetta over 150,000 miles then I want to get another one, I am just impressed with the level of performance and comfort from this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th June, 1999

5th Jul 2001, 22:32

150k miles? That 1.9L Diesel will go 200k easy. Even our 1985 Jetta GL went over 150k, welt 185 k actually. Just thought you'd like to know.

7th Mar 2003, 01:28

My 1997 Jetta TDI has 113,000 miles and performs better than when I first bought it. I expect to get 200,000 miles or more from this car.

6th Mar 2010, 11:39

If you take care of the VW properly, you should get upwards of 350,000 miles or more from the Gas engine (1.8 8valve). The diesel I have heard of going upwards of 550,000 miles, again if taken car of properly. Keep driving it...

Just my 2 cents

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