16th Sep 2008, 08:03
I have owned my 02 Jetta GLS for 6 years. I bought it with 11K and now have 115K miles. Yes, I've had minor issues - i.e. the seat springs, the center console latch (it is only the matter of a spring - which will break if you overstuff your console). The radio malfunctioned when I first got the car but the dealer took care of it for me without hesitation.
My car takes a "beating" in that I drive it A LOT and am in & out of it all the time. I love my car. It has been one of the safest vehicles for me. Someone hit me at 65mph in a sideswipe/bump and I had a minor "ding" while the other car, a pontiac grand am, was badly beat up.
I also keep my car maintained. Just now, has the speed sensor failed. But, to me, that is something that is bound to happen. I also use synthetic oil and have found my car does excellent with it.
One thing is for sure.. I will never go back to a small chevy. The 99 cavalier I owned was a death trap.
20th Sep 2007, 10:10
I have had my 2002 VW Jetta for 5-1/2 years now. It has been the best car I have ever owned. I bought it new - it had 3 miles on it when I drove it off the lot. It now has 88,000 miles on it, and yes, I have had some very minor problems with it, such as my center console latch has broken once, and occasionally my radio doesn't want to turn on - very easily fixed by removing the positive terminal of the battery and putting it back - that resets the radio. There are certain things that are considered normal "wear and tear" on a car - such as brakes/batter/tire/filters/headlights/tail lights replacement. I agree it sounds like you are very rough on your car. I keep my car serviced at the specified intervals and keep synthetic oil in it to keep the engine clean. A car is a mechanical piece of equipment which must be maintained - you don't put in the effort to maintain it and you will hate it because it will undoubtedly give you multiple problems. Take care of it, and you can put 150k on it.