1997 Volkswagen Jetta GLX review from North America

When I first looked at the car I was amazed that the couple wanted half of what the book value was. Their reasoning for it being so cheap was due to an engine light issue, broken power window regulators (2), cd changer no longer worked and they thought it needed a clutch.

Well I drove it, and it was fine, the 2nd gear synchro is weak though. Not a big deal.

Engine light was due to the Mass Air flow sensor being bad this would have cost over $1,000 at the dealer. I did it for under $40 with a new part (use the internet for tricks).

Windows were to be $400 each. I did them for $36 each and did it myself.

It needed tires so I got those for about $300 and were w rated.

So for well under $800 I managed to get the car running perfectly. This included, cleanup of engine parts, plugs, wires, coil pack fix, mass air flow sensor, various trim pieces I fixed, replaced or repaired, cd changer issue was a stuck magazine, works fine now. Changed all filters including fuel. Runs so nice and smooth you can barely tell it's on.

Overall the car is great. It rides very smoothly, tracks straight and is fantastic for long drives.

Engine: very smooth, powerful and torquey. Will pull in 3rd gear from 900 rpms.

Trans: good shifting, a little notchy, but has close ratios that make it fun.

Handling: Could use new struts, but even with 83,000 and ten years on the originals, it still handles great and is very stable, even in high winds.

Brakes: Extremely good. Very powerful, great modulation, ABS is great too. Very good system.

Interior: Car has the all leather interior and it still looks new. Very good quality interior.

Exterior: trim pieces are not that great, but easy and cheap to fix. Paint is decent, body structure is very solid.

MPG: city - 21 Highway 27-30.. (30 at 65mph)

Stereo: Has the Bose 10 speaker. Even after 10 years it still works and sounds great.

Put it this way - I've driven the car from Atlanta to new orleans and back and to philly and back. No issues, drove great, great mileage, extremely comfortable even for a 14 hour drive stuck in holiday traffic. Very nice place to spend time.