1997 Volkswagen Jetta Trek review from North America
"Expensive upkeep and no longeviety"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
- Door locks malfunction when switch is pressed (either they work, don't work at all, or lock when told to either lock or unlock)
- Horn does not work when I got it.
- Moonroof doesn't always work since I have owned it.
- At 122,000 miles the exhaust downpipe blew out.
- At 123,000 the drivers side window stopped working.
- At 124,000 the distributor cap and spark plugs needed replacement.
- At 125,000 miles the starter needed to be replaced.
- At 126,000 the A/C system died.
- At 127,000 the parking brake cable needed replacement.
- At 128,000 the clutch was showing heavy wear (not replaced as of yet due to expense of replacement)
- At 130,000 the waterpump went out for the cooling system.
- At 131,000 the coolant sensor has gone out.
- At 132,000 the brake lines ruptured.
- At 133,000 the cooling system developed several leaks, as well as a problem with the thermostat.
- At 133,000 the brakes (I have disc on all 4 wheels) on the left front passenger went out.
- At 134,000 the rear suspension and front suspension went out at the same time.
General comments?
- This car was an upgrade for a Ford Escort station wagon. It was a good upgrade for the price at the time. However it has been a problem from day 1.
- This car handles really well when everything is working. The front wheel drive is a plus in a winter state.
- The car is very comfortable and has a nice interior. The sound system is the premium and works wonderfully.
- The car is speedy for being a 4 cylinder, and accelerates quite fast.
- Car gets around 30 mpg when nothing was wrong with it, and around 25 when it has mechanical problems.
- Now the bad. As you can see above I have had nothing but problem after problem with this car. I have heard about VW gremlins before, but this has to be the worst case of them. I have never had a car with so many problems before.
The worst part about it is that every repair job is around $200-500. For being a garage kept car before I owned it, it was not kept well. VW's tend to run great until around mile 130,000, and then everything goes wrong with them. My previous cars were a Ford Escort station wagon, a Plymouth Duster (6V), Ford Windstar van, and a Mazda Protege.
I help out a mechanic friend of mine periodically, and VW's tend to be reliable until they hit around 100,000 miles, then everything on them dies at once.
I would not recommend this car to anyone who wants something with cheap upkeep.
Recommended reviews
| Practical yet nervous little car |
|
| Wish it lived up to the reputation of my previous VWs |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9L Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 120000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 135000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Escort |
| Date of Entry | 2nd January, 2009 |