1999 Volkswagen Jetta GL review from North America

Heck! I love this car... But it has been expensive to maintain. Right one week after I got it from the dealer, had to replace the actuator on the driver's side lock, as it broke and the alarm would toggle on and off randomly.

At 64k, the stereo went bad... it 'ate' a cassette. Had to replace it (eBay, $100)

At 70k the A/C compressor had to be replaced, as some clicking noises were coming out from the engine... dealer charged $1100.

At 70k also, the started broke. Dealer charged $250.

At 78k there was a weird noise in the exhaust system... the catalytic converter was broken. Thankfully the 'federal warranty' covered that... otherwise it would've been a $1700 bill.

Now at 93k the headlights are not on all the time as it used to be... they work if you explicitly turn the knob, but they're not on during the day (this is just minimal... but it's a problem anyways)

Also, the light in the trunk does not light up all the time... It's a crap shot. I think it is some sort of sensor that detects whether the trunk is open or not, as I've had the alarm go off when I open the trunk with the key (car doesn't have a wireless key entry system).

Car does not have many things rattling, which is good... but it has been expensive to maintain. I'm looking forward to trading it for a Toyota, Honda or Acura...

My advice: do not buy VW. They are nice looking and nice to drive cars... but they'll surely make a hole in your wallet.