1996 Volkswagen Jetta GL review from North America
"Bad customer service combined with high maintenance and bad transmission make this a terrible buy."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission control unit replaced several times starting in the first month.
Transmission problems never ceased.
Oil gasket and pan replaced at every service since 20k.
Rotors went bad several times.
Transmission needed to be replaced at 50k.
General comments?
Bought this car brand new thinking I would be problem-free for a long time. WRONG!
Auto transmission is weak and car does not perform well even with a 2.0L engine.
When transmission died, the VW dealer and Corporate customer service did nothing to help and made me wait for weeks without a car or even offering me one. Had all service papers since the day I bought it yet they refused to warranty it. Had transmission problems since the first month of ownership.
Bad and weak parts make this car unreliable.
I got a lemon and should have got rid of it long ago.
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| Comfortable, Cute, Mechanical Money Pit |
| Economical for a 6 cylinder, fast and fun, but not cheap, and almost unreliable sometimes |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1996 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 50000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 21st January, 2005 |