Question for VW owners

[Jenny3]

I'm looking to buy my DD a car in the next few months and have pretty much decided on a used Volkswagen Jetta. I know they last forever, but thought I'd ask and see just how long

If you drive a VW, how old is it and how many miles are on it?

 

[hsmamato2]

My DH (is a car guy) loves VW's,but won't buy one. says they're unreliable to the extreme. Don't know if that's true, but he's sticking with it!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

My sister has had 2 VW Jettas and has had transmission problems with both. The first one she traded in when the trouble started, the most recent one she just had the transmission replaced. VW Dealer wanted $4,500 for a new trans, $3,200 for a rebuilt trans but she took it to the mechanic we take our Honda to and he did it for $1,580. She bought both Jettas new and swears that she'll never buy another one again.

 

[KBW]

I had a 2000 Jetta that I bought new. It had tons of problems that started after about 2 years. Most were relatively minor, but would still cost $300-400 when I had them fixed. It also had 4 or 5 recalls, which meant they were fixed for free, but cost me half a Saturday or a day of work. I would go to Edmunds.com and take a look at what people say about the car....I found the reviews there very accurate.

 

[PSU]

I have a passat - about 10yrs old 80K - fun to drive but had some recalls early on - nothing major but german engineering is finicky....would i buy again? probably not...buying new is supposed to eliminate hassles -- going back to the dealer to have this stuff fixed was a pain- the other car I bought new right out of school was a honda civic - no problems 120+k before it died - but that was years ago, before they started to have quality problems..next car -leaning towards a ford - the my DH got a truck last year and we love it- all okay so far - think the company has made a turnaround of sort recently...

 

[LA PIG]

I had a 2001 VW Jetta. Early on, it went through oil like it was going out of style. I never had to fill up oil in my other car. With my Jetta, I frequently had to do this. Apparently, this is a normal problem with the car. It righted itself after about a year or so. I do have to say, I loved my Jetta. I was in a bad car accident (hit twice by an 18 wheeler and hurled into the cement guardrail. I walked out of the accident with no major injuries.

I currently have a 2009 Passat and have had no issues with it whatsoever. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I have to sell it because we no longer need three cars and we need something larger than a Passat to comfortably fit three booster seats. I would purchase another VW in a heartbeat.

 

[1Mouse2RulethemAll]

I'm looking to buy my DD a car in the next few months and have pretty much decided on a used Volkswagen Jetta. I know they last forever, but thought I'd ask and see just how long

If you drive a VW, how old is it and how many miles are on it?

Run, run, run the other way. My Jetta stopped working in the middle of the highway. I had transmission problems from day one. Jettas have one of the worst reputations when been bought used.

I would recommend a used Honda or Toyota and definitely research the specific year and model online before buying.


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[Jenny3]

Very helpful info, thanks!

I was leaning towards VW because of the safety factor. I had a VW Golf that I crashed badly, then completely totaled a month later. The 2nd accident was very bad - a U-Haul truck crossed the road in front of me and I hit him dead-on at at least 45 mph. I walked away with some bruising from the airbag and my 8 mo DD in her carseat had one minor scratch.

I will definitely read reviews on the maintenance issues; I never experienced any of that with my Golf. The one I'm looking at buying has a very extensive maintenance record through Carfax.

 

[1Mouse2RulethemAll]

Very helpful info, thanks!

I was leaning towards VW because of the safety factor. I had a VW Golf that I crashed badly, then completely totaled a month later. The 2nd accident was very bad - a U-Haul truck crossed the road in front of me and I hit him dead-on at at least 45 mph. I walked away with some bruising from the airbag and my 8 mo DD in her carseat had one minor scratch.

I will definitely read reviews on the maintenance issues; I never experienced any of that with my Golf. The one I'm looking at buying has a very extensive maintenance record through Carfax.

If it has an extensive maintenance record, that means it was in the shop a lot. Also, all maintenance is not reported to Carfax.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[rsschneck]

I have a 2007 VW Bug and LOVE it! I only have 45,000 miles on it and do all the maintenance on it like clock work. I love my VW and would buy another one.

 

[LJSquishy]

VWs tend to have a lot of issues, actually. I would opt for a Honda or Toyota instead.

 

[Halbleib1]

My husband has owned nothing but vws. He traded in a 1995 Jetta with 189000 miles on it in 2002. He had no major problems the three years he owned it. He put most the miles on it driving 4 hours every weekend to come visit me. He traded it for a brand new 2002 jettawagen that we still have today with over 150000 miles on it. Again no major problems just wear and tear. We plan on keeping it for a few more years to come. The deal when he bought it was he had to keep it at least 10 years. I knew this was possible because they usually will last to 200000 at the very least with good maintenance. In 2010 we bought a brand new VW Routan minivan. With having the car and only one driver it doesn't have many miles on it only around 25000 as my husband drives the car most the time. The van is our family car. Most people do not know the van is not a real vw as it is made by chrysler which brings with it chrysler problems. It is more comfortable than a chrysler as vw redesigned the interior and they also made some suspension tweeks but mostly it is still a chrysler product. We love our van but it is not the same quality as true vw products. We do not expect it to last over 100000 miles but we got a better deal from vw than we would of at the chrysler dealer since they are not moving off the vw lots. Once the deal is up with chrysler they are supposed to be coming out with there own van. VWs keep there value pretty good as well. You can confirm this by going to kelly blue book. The van being a chrysler product and not selling well for vw not so much.

 

[Halbleib1]

Run, run, run the other way. My Jetta stopped working in the middle of the highway. I had transmission problems from day one. Jettas have one of the worst reputations when been bought used.

I would recommend a used Honda or Toyota and definitely research the specific year and model online before buying.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

Was yor car an automatic? VWs did tend to have problems with there automatics. From what I have heard from my husband they have improved with the new autostick type design. Also they have had issues with there turbos. Also electrical issues have been a problem on some of there cars in the past. Until the van my husband only had stick shift because of knowing about the problems as well as liking it better. He wanted the turbo when he bought in 2002 but went with the wagon for more room. Also after checking with insurance it would have cost a good bit more to insure it as he was under 25 as well. Luckily he did not go with the turbo with the issues he later read about on the forums.

My husband is looking to replace our car with the new golf that is not yet out. I think it is supposed to come out in 2014. We will be waiting for them to work the bugs out first though. So not buying until 2015 or 16 at the earliest.. The only thing he doesn't like so far about it is the electronic push button emergency brake that many are going to.

 

[Halbleib1]

I had a 2000 Jetta that I bought new. It had tons of problems that started after about 2 years. Most were relatively minor, but would still cost $300-400 when I had them fixed. It also had 4 or 5 recalls, which meant they were fixed for free, but cost me half a Saturday or a day of work. I would go to Edmunds.com and take a look at what people say about the car....I found the reviews there very accurate.

Unfortunately your car was bought not long after they redesigned it half way into 1999. After any new design or redesign is not a good time to buy because with anything there are bugs to be worked out. Experts say you should wait a year or two for any of the problems that come with a new design to be worked out. Which is why we will be waiting to buy when the new golf comes out.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I have a 2003 Beetle with 106,000 miles. Runs perfectly. Jettas are very popular and reliable. You could also look at the Passats.

I love driving my Beetle around, it makes people smile (bright yellow)

 

[TB'sWidow]

I bought a 2003 Jetta brand new and like others have said I had problems with it from day one, worst car I have ever owned. I will never buy Vw again.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would research that model as much as possible, looking at how common problems are with the year. And see if you can get info on that particular car, to see if it was one of them.

VWs can be SO great. And some can be just really difficult. My mom and I got Jettas at about the same time. Mine was a borderline lemon (for non essential problems with the O2 sensor...if it had gone out just one more time inside of two years it would have qualified, but it waited a couple months too long). My mom's was absolutely perfect.

Someone could be selling their particular Jetta b/c it has electronic problems, etc...or maybe they just don't need it anymore. Try to find out what that person's reason is.

 

[DawnM]

I think the gas models have far more issues than the TDI diesel models. We were looking at a diesel golf or jetta for a while.

 

[cannmom]

DH has a 97 TDI Jetta that has 300k miles. Has had a hard time finding another to replace it because TDI owners will not sell their old cars. He has stopped and asked tons of people and they always say no way. The ones that are for sale are not cheap for the TDI even if they are older.

We also had a 97 gas verison that we drove forever and had no trouble selling it when we were finally ready to let it go. We have had no problems other than normal wear and tear you see with higher mileage. Maybe later versions had more problems. Both 97s are manual transmission.

DH also has a 2003 Jetta wagon TDI that he has had no problems with. He loves his Jettas.

 

[Melmac]

I have a 2003 VW Jetta (automatic, 2.0L 4-cylinder engine) that I bought new. I still have it and it has about 115,000 kilometres on it. I always bring it in on time for all maintenance. I love my car - the way it drives, it is great in the snow and ice and just the right size for cleaning the snow off in the winter, etc. I get excellent gas milage, even after 10 years. The service department is great which is why I still bring my car there for service, even thought the warranties are up. I can get a free loaner for whenever the car is in, even just for oil changes.

The only major problem I have had with it, is that the transmission did need to be replaced. It was replaced under extended warranty when the car was 7 years old. Other issues were the O2 sensor (once) and then regular wear and tear (shocks, brakes, tires, etc.)

Even with the transmission, I would still buy another VW.