1996 Volkswagen Jetta GLS review from North America

The Air Conditioning compressor went out at 70,000 miles. Luckilly it will still under a used car warranty and I didn't have to pay the $450 to replace it.

Windshield washer tank started leaking and needed to replace 2 tires at 80,000 miles.

At 85,000 miles, as routine maintenance I needed to replace the timing belt, the water pump and as a bonus found an oil leak in the oil sending unit. All together these things cost $389 including labor.

At 89,500, car lost power, could maintain speed on hills and would start shaking when I accelerated too hard. Volkswagen dealership told me it was a clogged catalytic converter. They wanted $1100 just for the part, I got it done for $230.

Just recently at 91,000 miles it's had trouble starting in hot weather. I was going to get it fixed, but instead it conked out on me and stalled right outside a car wash. I needed to get it towed and it's still being looked at. They're saying it's the 02 sensor or the mass air flow sensor. I personally suspect the fuel pump.

This is a wonderful car if you take care of it. It will last forever if you stay on top of repairs and routine maintenance and make sure to fix every little problem before it develops into something larger. It handles better than my friends BMW, it gets fantastic mileage and I'm merging onto the highway in the blink of an eye.

Interior is nice, but inconvenient. It's OK for me because I'm a small guy, but taller people might have problems. Cup holders are useless and can't hold drinks while the car is in park. It also has no glove compartment, go figure? It's very simple to figure out and comes with decent standard features for it's price.

Let me finish by saying I love this car to death and it rarely fails me. It flies for a 4 cylinder engine, while getting good enough mileage that I can afford to drive it even with these gas prices. If you take care of it, it will take care of you, to 250,000 miles and beyond.