2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 5 cylinder

Summary:

Great car so far, despite bad reviews

Faults:

Nothing really has gone wrong with the car as of yet. I had heard bad things about the previous (MK4) Jetta models, so I was a little scared to buy this one. The only things that have been fixed so far were covered by a recall, and I had the plugs & wires replaced while they were fixing the recall items.

My only problem is sometimes the driver's side window fails to go down when you depress the switch.

General Comments:

Love the safety features on the car. Some of my friends with the same year don't even have side airbags or the inflatable curtains, ABS, ESP, etc.

The rain sensing wipers are awesome.

Self dimming mirror makes night driving easier.

XM radio is awesome! My model came with the 10 speaker sound system, and even at this age and miles, all the speakers work and it sounds GREAT.

The multi-info display is very very useful, especially the distance to empty. It also will tell me if a bulb is blown, exactly which bulb blew (never owned a car that did that). You can also adjust the settings on the car within the menu itself.

Climatronic keeps the car at comfortable temps.

Love heated seats! (even in south Florida winter)

Immobiliser system I like (neat anti theft feature).

All the windows have the anti-jam feature, which is good because I have a 6 year old.

Had to have a spare key made, which is costly, and the dealer discourages you from buying keys off eBay, because if it doesn't cut right or program right, you're out the labor and the cost of the key itself (which completely sucks!).

The car does start up in the morning a little loud, but I've heard the same from Toyotas, Fords, etc.

Car has some rattles, but I've never owned a car (new or used) that didn't eventually develop a rattle, so I live with it. Also, there is noticeable highway noise when the car is in motion. Next set of tires will be more quiet haha.

Overall, I'd say that so far this Jetta has been a good car. It's packed with a lot of features that not even my 09 Honda had. It's fun to drive, the engine has pretty good pick up for only 150hp. I know a lot of people have dogged the Jetta, but I think maybe you can get a bad one out of the bunch.

Before the 09 Honda I had an 03 Maxima SE. Really nice car, but still had problems. I think no matter what you buy, German, Japanese, British, etc... you can always have the chance of getting a lemon.

Prior to this car, I owned a 2009 Accord EX, which I bought brand new. Mechanically the car was OK, but the interior noises were awful, the driver's seat had some squeaky noise (I'm not a heavy person). There were rattles in the doors, and a rattle in the center somewhere. I had issues with the remote keys from the very beginning. The dealer refused to make new ones; they'd just ghetto fix the ones I had for the car. I think Honda/Acura dealers in general can be snobby, because they think that nothing can go wrong with their cars, but by reading reviews of the 08-09 Accords, it's obvious people have experienced the same. I went to the beach with my son, and took the valet key just in case I got the master key wet. Turns out when I had brought the keys in to be fixed, they only programmed the two master keys, and so by trying to start the car with the valet key, I could've been stranded. They of course offered no apology.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th April, 2012

2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5

Summary:

Good car, but very poor quality workmanship

Faults:

Interior hardware is fading, cracking and peeling. Radio buttons are all peeled off and are rarely ever touched, and car is garage kept. It looks awful, and it started to crack and peel in the third year. This was clearly faulty materials used, and should have some recourse for repair.

This is also a 2005 1/2, and was a limited edition top of line. This is pathetic, and would never happen with a Lexus.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th February, 2011