2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLS review from North America
"This car is very reliable, safe and the perfect purchase for a college student!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
My first problem with the car occurred with the glove box not coming down in a smooth manner. This was remedied by replacing the air piston (cost about 15$CAN).
My second problem was that that HVAC unit was not blowing hard enough to my expectations. This was simply remedied by a trip to the local VW dealership to purchase a new H.V.A.C filter for 12.35$ (CAN$). After 15 minutes of installation with the instructions provided by vwvortex. com, the problem was remedied.
My third problem... This was most likely due to my negligence and *stupidity*. I figured a one arm iridium spark plug would provide better performance and economy than the OEM three arm copper sparks. Was I ever wrong! Apparently, the copper sparks light at the optimal temperature for the 2.0L engine. Please! Please! If you own this car and change the sparks, opt for the *cheap* 3 pronged copper spark plugs as they are the best for performance and fuel economy. If you go with the the "high performance" iridium sparks, as I did, you will end up running with a Jetta on 3 cylinders. Fortunately, I had remedied the problem within 300km of instillation. Please do not make the same mistake I have made. More expensive does not mean better!! Go with the *cheap* OEM copper sparks!
My fourth and final conflict with the car was extremely random. I woke up one morning with it being -36C with a windchill of -47C and my HVAC fan was making a very loud sound. After a swift punch to the dash (sorry hunni), and a 3min drive the sound never appeared again, neither did -47C...
General comments?
The 2.0L engine is in my opinion indestructible. Over the past three years my car has gone from +43C to -52C. It has always started with no problems. Unfortunately for me, I had a roll-over accident with this car. I truly believe that the engineering in this car had saved my life as I had rolled at least two times, at a speed of 100km/h or so: coming off a highway. I truly believe that if it wasn't for me being in this car for this accident, I would not be able to write this review today. All in all, the car was quiet, comfortable on long highway trips, had decent power for my needs (no hauling nor heaving towing) and was extremely reliable in the most extreme north Canadian conditions. My next car will most likely be a VW Passat TDI as I would enjoy the fuel savings of a diesel and the larger dimensions of the Passat.
Recommended reviews
| A fun ride with some minor issues |
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| I love it! Simple maintance, but expensive to fix major problems (at a dealer) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0L Manual |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 132000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 182000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 1st December, 2008 |