Anyone drive a 2001 Jetta?

[Mrs. Ciz]

Update in post #30

We are having teen car issues.

The transmission in our 99 Honda Accord that DS17 drives just bit the dust. We are the original owners of the car. My DH drove it extensively for work (highway miles mostly). About 5 years ago, while DH was still driving it, he had it repainted. The tires are relatively new - only have about 12,000 miles on them. 2.5 years ago DH got a new used car and we saved the Accord for DS. When DS got his learner's permit we had a few things fixed - new timing belt and water pump, back door locks, a tune up, etc. We were hoping this car would last at least 2 years, preferably 4 years, until both kids were out of high school. We got 1 school year out of it. It was the perfect kid car, ran great and still looks great until the transmission went out yesterday. Our mechanic said we did very well to get 270,000 miles out of that car.

Our very trusted mechanic gave us 3 options:
1) $2500 used transmission - not recommended because it will be almost as old as what just died.
2) $3500 rebuilt transmission from Honda with guarantee - car will run great, but if a tree falls on it or DS wrecks it, we won't recoup our costs b/c car is not worth as much as the repair. Or what if something else expensive breaks. Mechanic did say everything else on the car is in excellent shape. He should know b/c he's serviced it since it was new,
3) Buy him a new used car - he recommended a 2004 - 2007 Accord which would run about $10,000.

$10,000 is not in our budget right now. So we are looking at every option. To make matters worse we are in the middle of a mortgage refi so we don't want to make any financial moves until we close next month.

A family friend is selling her daughters 2001 Jetta with 158,000 miles on it. Blue book is $2,200 to $2,500 - cheaper than the cost to fix the Accord transmission. Unfortunately I know NOTHING about the Jetta. Fill me in folks!!!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Pulled my 2007 Consumer Reports Buyers Guide of the shelf of our bookcase.

1998- 2002 Jetta is rated as "worse than average" or "much worse than average" for this entire period.

2001 was simply rated "worse than average".

Bad areas include engine, electrical, fuel system, brakes, body integrity, power equipment, and body hardware.

I know you are in a bind, but that car may not be the best choice......even if it was babied by the prior owner.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Pulled my 2007 Consumer Reports Buyers Guide of the shelf of our bookcase.

1998- 2002 Jetta is rated as "worse than average" or "much worse than average" for this entire period.

2001 was simply rated "worse than average".

Bad areas include engine, electrical, fuel system, brakes, body integrity, power equipment, and body hardware.

I know you are in a bind, but that car may not be the best choice......even if it was babied by the prior owner.

Thank you so much BridgetBordeaux! This is exactly the info I needed. You are right we don't want to throw good money towards a bad car. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Yeah, run away. You don't want to own a post-warranty VW.

 

[yoopermom]

DS was given a Volkswagon (Beetle, in his case) for his 16th birthday, about that same vintage, and I was *thrilled* when it was totaled last summer, because it cost us an arm and a leg in repairs! Nothing about that car was simple!

Is there any chance you could shop around for a cheaper used transmission? I know you are loyal to this mechanic, but if you could get one dropped in for a couple grand, and you know everything else about the car (and how much you've done to it), I would probably take the chance. We tend to drive cars until they absolutely drop, and DS knows he better take care of whatever he gets to drive.

I don't blame you for not wanting to spend 10K on a used car for a teen. DS still hasn't found a replacement with the 7K the insurance gave us on his Beetle, because decent used cars with low(er) mileage that are reliable are rare as hens teeth.

Better the "devil" you know, sometimes...

Terri

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

DS was given a Volkswagon (Beetle, in his case) for his 16th birthday, about that same vintage, and I was *thrilled* when it was totaled last summer, because it cost us an arm and a leg in repairs! Nothing about that car was simple!

Is there any chance you could shop around for a cheaper used transmission? I know you are loyal to this mechanic, but if you could get one dropped in for a couple grand, and you know everything else about the car (and how much you've done to it), I would probably take the chance. We tend to drive cars until they absolutely drop, and DS knows he better take care of whatever he gets to drive.

I don't blame you for not wanting to spend 10K on a used car for a teen. DS still hasn't found a replacement with the 7K the insurance gave us on his Beetle, because decent used cars with low(er) mileage that are reliable are rare as hens teeth.

Better the "devil" you know, sometimes...

Terri

Our mechanic called back today with a 4th option. He knows our budget and is trying really hard to stick to it. He is not comfortable at all putting a used transmission with 100,000 miles on it in the car. He thinks it'd conk out way to fast and be a total waste of money. But he did recommend a used transmission from Honda Japan. Apparently because of the tax situation taxes on brand new vehicles in Japan are supper low, but get high the longer you own the car. So people buy new cars every couple of years. He can put in a used Honda transmission from Japan that has only 10,000 to 20,000 miles on it for $2900.

We are also getting estimates from other shops in town and looking at used cars in the $5000 range. You are right Terri - there is not much to choose from. We are going to pass on the Jetta. Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[bumbershoot]

FWIW, as a former VW owner three times over....if that 2001 Jetta is still running, if the owner thinks it's worth anything, if you know anything about that specific car at all....chances are it was NOT one of the ones that had issues. Chances are that it was a good one.

VWs are funny. Some will have electrical problems when you look at it funny; others are perfect. My 96 Jetta went through oxygen sensors like crazy while my parents' didn't have a single issue. Leased at the same time, same dealership.


Funny about the post about the Beetle...I had a late 99 New Beetle and it was awesome. Didn't have problems with it at all, despite it being smashed by a Suburban when it was just an infant-car. (yay for Suburban driver who came and found me in the restaurant we were both at to tell me what she had just done) Only reason I got rid of it was because of a silly thought that it would be inappropriate for a family. Silly silly silly. Especially since we went to the Golf after that.

 

[danygirl]

Go to an independent transmission shop - find out who is well regarded in your area. Ford dealer wanted almost 5k to replace our trani. DH was an auto mechanic for years. We called the trans shop and got a rebuilt with a warranty and saved half

 

[tvguy]

I'd say none of the above. I really think you need to find the money to find something with better reliability than a VW and something with about 200,000 fewer miles than the Honda.
I mean, I keep cars a long time, my family car is 27 years old and has 145,000 miles on it, but at nearly 300,000 miles the risk of another expensive repair is too high, and would cost you close to the $10,000 you don't want to spend.

 

[DOOM1001]

I had a 1999 VW Jetta,put over 300,000 miles on it,couldn't ask for anything more out of it,bought it new and drove it for 9 years putting nearly 35,000 miles a year.The only negative about VWs is that used parts have gotten expensive in the last couple of years.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

Volkswagens are the best when you have a wonderful, trusted mechanic. I've never had any issues with any of the VW's I've had. Epic cars, really. The Jetta is probably the easiest one to work with and fix anything on.

Rarely do you see them broken down on the side of the road. Just saying.

 

[tvguy]

Volkswagens are the best when you have a wonderful, trusted mechanic. I've never had any issues with any of the VW's I've had. Epic cars, really. The Jetta is probably the easiest one to work with and fix anything on.

Rarely do you see them broken down on the side of the road. Just saying.

A co-worker's husband is a VW dealer mechanic. That's why they don't own a VW and why he works a lot of overtime.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I'd say none of the above. I really think you need to find the money to find something with better reliability than a VW and something with about 200,000 fewer miles than the Honda.
I mean, I keep cars a long time, my family car is 27 years old and has 145,000 miles on it, but at nearly 300,000 miles the risk of another expensive repair is too high, and would cost you close to the $10,000 you don't want to spend.

We have started moving in this direction. We saw an ad for a 2006 Nissan Altima with 100,000 miles for $6000. Saw a few other cars on line as well. DH is also going to call a friend who works for a used car dealership. We will be test driving some this weekend. If we find something we like we'll have our mechanic check it out before we make an offer.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

A co-worker's husband is a VW dealer mechanic. That's why they don't own a VW and why he works a lot of overtime.

I recently read that there are more Cavaliers with over 180,000 miles on the road than there are VW's of all models with that kind of mileage.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'd say none of the above. I really think you need to find the money to find something with better reliability than a VW and something with about 200,000 fewer miles than the Honda.
I mean, I keep cars a long time, my family car is 27 years old and has 145,000 miles on it, but at nearly 300,000 miles the risk of another expensive repair is too high, and would cost you close to the $10,000 you don't want to spend.

This too. Never spend $3,000 to repair a $1,500 car. Sell the car for parts and move on to the next one.

 

[tvguy]

This too. Never spend $3,000 to repair a $1,500 car. Sell the car for parts and move on to the next one.

I wouldn't go that far. I think my last 2 sets of tires cost more than my car was worth. But I wasn't selling it, I was driving it. I'm looking for the lowest cost per mile. $1,000 worth of tires on a $500 car got me another 40,000 miles.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I wouldn't go that far. I think my last 2 sets of tires cost more than my car was worth. But I wasn't selling it, I was driving it. I'm looking for the lowest cost per mile. $1,000 worth of tires on a $500 car got me another 40,000 miles.

Tires are a different story. Your $1,000 tires are still worth $800 to someone if the car dies the day after you replace the tires. Your new transmission OTOH is worth $500 the day after you spend $3,500 to fix it.

But, what kind of tires are YOU buying? The 18" tires for my wife's Acadia and the E-range tires for my 1-ton are cheaper than that

 

[hockeygirl14]

I drive a Jetta - 2000 mind you but its great. I have around 190,000 kms - started around 160,0000. I've had a couple problems with the car - one major one due to a harsh winter but otherwise its been good and its great on gas! It's easy to drive and as long as the car has been maintained well, it should be ok - like any old car. However, if your budget is around 10,000 I would look for something closer to 2005 or 2006 - you should be able to find something reasonable in that price range!! I love my jetta though and will absolutely buy another one once this one dies.

 

[Jex]

Volkswagens are the best when you have a wonderful, trusted mechanic. I've never had any issues with any of the VW's I've had. Epic cars, really. The Jetta is probably the easiest one to work with and fix anything on.

Rarely do you see them broken down on the side of the road. Just saying.

You are joking right. Wife bought a brand new gli in 07, it was in the shop more than it was out the first three years.

 

[tvguy]

Tires are a different story. Your $1,000 tires are still worth $800 to someone if the car dies the day after you replace the tires. Your new transmission OTOH is worth $500 the day after you spend $3,500 to fix it.

But, what kind of tires are YOU buying? The 18" tires for my wife's Acadia and the E-range tires for my 1-ton are cheaper than that

Michelin LTX MS 235/85-16 for my 3/4 ton Suburban. Just checked Tire Rack, they want $203 each for them. Throw in $1.75 California tire recycling fee, $20 per tire mounting and balancing and $20 state sales tax, you are right at $245 a tire.

I have never any tire issued on my personal cars, but we run E-350 vans at work loaded to capacity and we finally convinced corporate only to buy the Michelins because they are the only tire we wear out. Coopers the tread comes off usually about 20,000 miles. Goodyear, Firestone/Bridgestone and Yokohama all suffer blowouts long before the tread is worn out (due to the weight of our trucks we are told). Now, we just got 2 new E-350 vans that came from Ford with Kumho tires, but neither of those trucks has 10,000 miles on them yet, we'll see how those tires holdup.