1991 Volkswagen Jetta GL review from North America

Leaky head gasket when purchased.

Black plastic trim falls off regularly.

Rear wheel bearings replaced.

Exhaust system replaced due to holes rusting through the muffler (in Texas).

The headliner is falling down.

A great riding car that is fun to drive. Excellent handling for a family sedan and nice steering feel. I look forward to driving it.

It has nice styling that I like better than the current Jetta.

Not much power until over 4000 RPM though, but 30 MPG around town makes up for it. Getting onto the freeway can be scary at times.

The front seats don't adjust back far enough.

Don't even think about trying to do major engine or transmission work on these cars though. I am in the process of replacing the clutch with only hand tools and it has turned into a week-long adventure. The transverse-engined, front-wheel drive setup leads to a cramped engine compartment with no space to work and hundreds of "how did they get that there?" bolt locations. Other than that it is a very simple car to work on compared to other early 90's cars.

The interior on this car (minus the headliner) has held up nicely considering that it has spent all its life under the Texas sun. If you take care of these cars, they will last forever. Or until some idiot runs a stop sign and totals it (my previous, mint 1987 Jetta).