1989 Volkswagen Jetta review from North America

The exhaust system fell apartment somewhere around the 100,000 mile mark. Pretty much everything from the catalytic converter back just rotted away and had to be replaced.

At 110,000-120,000 miles or so, the rear struts got so bad that the wheels would literally bounce off the ground.

At 135,000 miles, plus or minus, the exhaust system started to go bad a second time.

The seats were really high and straight-backed, which gave a good view of the road, but also made it feel a little like you were driving a tractor.

It was by no means a performance car, but it kept up well enough with most traffic. It was a little too rickety-feeling to drive at high speeds anyway.

It got pretty good gas mileage - in the 25-30 mpg range.

It was fantastic in the snow. Extremely surefooted, despite its light weight.

Being basically a smallish-to-midsized box, you could fill it to the gills with whatever you wanted to carry -- band equipment, boxes of books, tag sale treasures, you name it.

It had a really cool two-tone blue tweed interior.

If it weren't for the fact that the exhaust rotted out from under it a second time, I would have driven it a lot further. There was nothing particularly special about it one way or another, but it was a real good car, all the same. It sort of marked an end of an era for VW; before long they'd become hipper, faster, flashier, pricier. This was a real Volkswagen: a good, but most importantly, cheap, car you could count on.