1999 Volkswagen Jetta GL review from North America

The automatic window gearing makes a horrible sounds when pulling the window up.

The light on the dashboard blew out.

Battery leaked. Battery acid ate a hole in the power steering fluid tank, necessitating the replacement of both units.

Faulty intake hose (possibly as a result of a shoddy mechanic who "repaired" the previous problem).

Front right light blew out at 70K miles.

Very fun car, although a bit underpowered for the performance-minded enthusiasts. I would recommend this vehicle in the VR6 trim, as it has sufficiently more power.

The cockpit of my Jetta is extremely comfortable in both front seats and in the back. However, do not expect to comfortably sit in the back with two other, large people for a long period of time.

The manual transmission is extremely responsive, while the suspension is willing to zoom through corners. At 87 thousand miles, there is no signs of this car slowing down. The clutch is due for replacement, although that has lasted far more than I could have imagined, considering this was my first manual-transmission car.

The suspension still feels as stiff as the first day I bought the car, while the steering wheel is still firm. My previous car, a 6-Cylinder Mazda 626 EX was almost like a Yugo when compared to a Jetta.

The 6-Disc trunk-mounted CD-Changer kept the music running, the moon roof kept the sunshine in, and the bucket seats kept my 200-lb body well contained and in control of the vehicle.

I have never regretted buying this car, and would recommend it to anyone. My next car will probably be an Audi or maybe a Porsche (all within the VW family), but I don't suspect that to be for at least another 100,000 miles.