1985 Volkswagen Jetta GL review from North America

Mostly the usual items, but the diesel does not need 'tuning up', per-se.

The diesel fuel pump konked out at 410,00 and the repair was so costly (even with used parts) that in the end I have decided to retire the vehicle.

I think these vehicles are reliable up until they move into self-destruct mode, like mine did at 410,000km.

At this age, it was starting to exhibit many of the little signs of aging, like failure in trim and door handles and such. I was tolerant of this.

The car is best-suited to someone looking for very low fuel consumption. I have driven 1000km on one fill-up, and diesel in most places is substantially cheaper than gasoline, and has more stable pricing.

1980s interior styling feels more spacious than late-model cars with more sculpted cockpit-like interiors, in my opinion.

Not particularly quiet, and smokes a bit when starting cold.

Excellent highway vehicle. Handles well, with a much more solid feel than most Japanese cars. Ours had no power-steering, which I kind of liked for the solid feel.