Shortly after I bought it, small electrical problems like the panel lights not working, problems with the power lock motor not shutting off for 30 seconds.
Passenger-side lock broke at 70,000 miles.
Sun roof track parts broke at 70,000. Out of necessity, it's closed permanently now, but leaks into the car.
New timing belt and distributor cap at 100,000.
The molding will not stay on the doors. An aggravating and consistent hassle.
Minor leak in the fuel line at 100,000.
A very solid car. I bought it at 60,000 and it has served me well. Consistent, but minor electrical problems throughout, but little maintenance done so far.
The III series Jetta is very solid, We have a '98 GT. The door molding shrinks slightly on all these cars and they fall off. The new Jetta IV has different door moldings that don't fall off, but they have other problems that are far more serious!
Buy some 3M brand 1/2" wide molding tape at the local parts store and remove the old tape adhesive by rolling it off. Clean with Alcohol, let dry and re-apply the molding with new tape.
I did all four doors in about an hour.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site