Faults:

Not too much has gone wrong with my Jetta, aside from regular maintenance items of course. Timing belt at 90,000 Km; recently had the passenger side door lock break off and fall out; I've had oil leaks repaired by the dealer a couple of times; oil pan, and the seal between the engine and transmission. A small patch of rust has now appeared, drivers side, rear wheel.

General Comments:

Good car. Drives and handles well in mostly city driving.

What I do want to comment on is that recently I installed a hitch to tow my new 8 foot tent trailer. I took the trailer over the mountains this month, June 2008, and got 19.2 mpg with a full load. The worst spots got me down to third gear (on a 5 speed) but kept the speed up to 80km/hr; that's 50mph for most of you. All in all, it was an impressive performance for a 14 yr old vehicle with a 4 cylinder engine.

Faults:

Minor problems with A/C and power windows regulator.

NO problems in the engine, run smooth and 26 mpg average; 24 city & 30mpg highway.

Routine maintenance:

Engine oil every 5,000 miles (synthetic blend).

Tires.

Battery.

Premium fuel.

Other maintenance:

160,000 miles - change the head cover gasket and spark plugs, (very easy to do; I do it) only requires wire puller ($35) & 6mm hex key ($6).

155,000 miles.

Suspension bushings + ball bearings.

About $120 in parts + labor $100.

I know that this is a high mileage car and requires more work but this car runs great, and never leaves me in the highway.

General Comments:

The car is great, this is my third VW, first an '88 VW Fox in 1999, in 2002 I changed for a Jetta GT with a 2.0l engine, later I bought a Chevy Silverado 1995 because I was need a pick-up for hard work, and now I have this car that is the most fun to drive ever. It is a car with comfort, performance and a huge trunk space. My girlfriend bought a 2001 Jetta, and my car is larger in the inside leg room.

I only do great maintenance record, change the engine oil every 5000 miles, good tires, maintain with no oil & water leaks and runs great.

I run about 1,500 to 2,000 miles monthly, and the car runs hard.

Faults:

Head gasket blew at 140,000 miles.

Replaced clutch at 200k miles

Replaced brakes 3 times or more since owning.

Ignition switch replaced at 205,000 miles.

AC stopped working around 120,000.

Struts replaced at 170,000.

Replaced exhaust/catalytic converter 2-3 times.

Many sensors and belts replaced throughout past 8 years.

Water pump replaced around 200k miles.

Coolant has been steadily leaking for last 20k miles.

Check engine has been on for the last 3 years.

Drivers floor mat wore through at 180k miles ;D

I'm sure there have been many others things over the years.. you have to expect to spend anywhere from $300-$600 every year to keep it going, but it's worth it. At 213k miles, mine is still going strong and I expect to get another 30k miles out of it before its death. I recently bought a 97 Jetta GT to take its place when I'm ready to switch

General Comments:

Decent acceleration and great handling.

Beautiful inside and out. Still has a great interior, which is just starting to fall apart after 200k miles.

I've had no problems with exterior, other than rust from the damage others have inflicted.

Huge trunk and great options.

Most mechanics don't like this car, because they need special knowledge and tools to work on it, so maintenance can be expensive and tricky. Find a good specialized VW dealer and stick to em.