1985 Volkswagen Jetta review from North America

Everything started going wrong right around 200,000 miles. It got a new clutch, an engine rebuild, new front struts, needs new injectors, and the exhaust mount broke loose. The roofing is falling out, the driver seat just busted, it's a pain to get into 1st gear. But what do you expect after 200k on the odometer for a $500 car?

We sank about $900 dollars into it at 200,000 miles for maintenance. The head was still smooth as if it were new. All I can say, is that nothing drives like my Jetta, no other car has the same feel. It lived to 200k, before needing a rebuild, and that's not bad. Of course when it broke at that point, everything broke :) The car runs really stout, and doesn't have much trouble getting into traffic, until you turn on the AC which sucks its power. No rust whatsoever. The door handles stop working. Jetta's are a pain in the neck to work on, and parts are expensive. Even changing the oil is a headache. But I love them all the same for the way they drive and their general reliability.