I had to have the ignition coils replaced, as did many of the reviewers on this site.
My biggest annoyance with this car (and it's not that big of a deal) is the "dials" that you must turn in order to adjust the back-rest on the seat. You have to crank on these big dials that are very hard to turn and one turn hardly moves the seat at all. It is a pain in the butt to adjust your seating position. In fact, if you have to share the car with a much smaller or larger person, plan on spending a full minute getting the seat where you want it to be.
Overall, I have loved this car. I have the sport package with the cool-looking 17 in. wheels. This car corners unbelievable well.
Also, the stick-shift works well with the turbo. I can smoke people from a dead start, but the engine really shines at highway speeds. Very often I downshift and go by people like they're standing still. I feel like I can place the car exactly where I want to be on the highway and I save a lot of time that way, especially in heavy traffic.
The interior is also top-notch (except for the seat dials). I have the leather, sunroof, etc. I feel like it's a BMW. The Monsoon stereo is decent, but I wouldn't rave about it like others here have. I believe it has way too much treble sound and not much base at all, and I am not the type who likes to listen to booming base, I just find the Monsoon slightly week in this area.
Overall, I have loved this car, only problem was with the coils and that problem was an easy fix. I would recommend the Jetta to anyone.
Hello, just wanted to see if the original writer of this comment checks this. I have 2002 jetta turbo. standard. everything seems pretty good. I got it at a great price and that makes me nervous. also. yeah they speed is really there, but... I'm not used to turbo. they car seems to really get up and go if I just give it a little gas,, 2 to 3 inches on gas pedal. but when I really want to smoke.. and floor it, it not only isn't proportional to what I would think it should accelerate, but just might not accelerate as fast as when I barely press it. could it be my ignition coils? how can you tell? email is donnyLfisk@hotmail.com if you could drop a note if you have any answer. plz advise.