06-08 VW Jetta, good or bad? | FerrariChat

06-08 VW Jetta, good or bad?

Discussion in 'Other German' started by masterflex164, Mar 16, 2008.

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  1. masterflex164

    masterflex164 Formula Junior

    Oct 17, 2004
    630
    New England
    Family member is looking at buying one, and we test drove a used 5spd yesterday, and he liked it. Overall, how are they?
     
  2. Pcar928fan

    Pcar928fan Formula 3

    Jan 21, 2008
    1,702
    Austin, TX
    My wife has an '05 Jetta Wagon TDI with 70k miles on it (now you may be looking at the next gen of the Jetta I think) and she LOVE IT! The only problem she has had that I know of is that every now and then the HVAC fan fuse will blow. She knows how to fix it and has a supply of them though so it is no big deal. She can change it out in 2 min! The car gets over 40 mpg too! She is looking to get the next Jetta diesel wagon when it comes out as it is supposed to break 55 mpg (at least for the coupe).

    Best of luck!
    James
     
  3. a8guy

    a8guy Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    472
    My girldfriend has an 07 I5 - and I really like it. Sure it gets blown around in the wind- and its not the kost luxurious thing- but its pretty peppy. Nice engine note, decent stock radio, good AC, handles nicely- you get a real feel for the road in them. I would definitely say go for it - if this is the class your looking at.
     
  4. masterflex164

    masterflex164 Formula Junior

    Oct 17, 2004
    630
    New England
    New Jetta Sportwagen TDI will break mid-50s, and should be for sale around October 2008. I know this because my dad is adding himself to the local waiting list soon. It even comes with DSG :). It will be a much-needed upgrade to his Camry Hybrid.
     
  5. Mrpbody44

    Mrpbody44 F1 Veteran

    Jul 5, 2007
    7,899
    St Augustine Florida
    Full Name:
    Steve Metz
    Don't do it VW's are junk. I have had several modeles from 1999 to 2002 and never again. Dealer service is the worst and the cars are full of electrical gremlins. Buy a Honda, BMW or a Subaru thye will be a lot more reliable. There is nothing worse than taking your daily driver to the shop every month.
     
  6. 4retr

    4retr Formula Junior

    Nov 21, 2004
    384
    Southern California
    Full Name:
    David B.
    Hello:

    I've owned seven VW(s) in my life, the only ones I've had a problem with are the ones assembled in Mexico (My first Mexican assembled Jetta and my wife's Beetle had electrical issues and plastic pieces breaking). But based on my earlier experiences with the German VW(s) I bought a "German" 04 Jetta wagon (German made) for our nanny - It has almost 50K miles now and hasn't required anything but routine service. The only problem is I think the only "German" VW available in the US now is the R32 (I've considered selling my Lexus IS for a R32).

    Good luck!

    BTW: I had my 85 GTI for 10 years/120K+ miles and it never left me stranded ever!
     
  7. luke9583

    luke9583 Formula 3

    Nov 8, 2003
    1,322
    Detroit Michigan
    Full Name:
    Luke Wells
    VR6 huh? those were the worst possible years from what I understand. Lots've coil and MAF failures? power windows?
     
  8. jimangle

    jimangle F1 Rookie

    Nov 5, 2003
    2,501
    Haverford
    Full Name:
    James
    I tend to agree. 4 people I work with had Vr6 Jetta's to Passats and all have had problems. The Passat transmission went (auto), the Vr6 Jetta transmission blew up (manual), Another passat the engine tensioner went, The Passat that had the transmission go had electrical problems.
     
  9. PapaiK

    PapaiK Formula Junior

    Mar 5, 2005
    871
    Ottawa, Canada
    Full Name:
    Kyle
    Ugly.
     
  10. agup48

    agup48 Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 15, 2006
    28,633
    Phoenix
    Full Name:
    AG
    Get the GLI, if s/he wants to keep adding power, then that would be the best option. If not get a TDI, or a 2.0T.
     
  11. SSNISTR

    SSNISTR F1 Veteran

    Feb 13, 2004
    8,046
    SFL
    Na, no it's not. For a sub 20K car IMO it's actually kinda nice.
     
  12. Pcar928fan

    Pcar928fan Formula 3

    Jan 21, 2008
    1,702
    Austin, TX
    My wife is pretty excited about it. She is not on a "list" yet, so she might have to wait awhile.

    As for VW problems we have not had any in over 70k miles and 3+ years... YMMV.

    James
    Austin, TX
     
  13. solofast

    solofast Formula 3

    Oct 8, 2007
    1,773
    Indianapolis
    Recent VW's are nothing but electrical problems...

    One of my employees had (or should I say was had by) a 05 Toureg and finally got the dealer to trade the lease in early for a Passat. After all the problems he had with it, he was afraid he was going to take a bath getting out of the lease early, but the dealer and the zone rep got together and basically bought the car out of the lease...

    He had multiple electrical problems with the suv, to the point where they replaced the entire electrical harness and computer and it still had problems. It was the ultimate garage queen, it was in the shop every other week. When it finally went out of warranty they extended for it for an additional two years to avoid a "lemon law" lawsuit. It was constantly breaking down out on the road to the point where he was afraid to let his wife drive it.. Now the Passat has been in the shop twice for "electrical issues" and it is almost a new car...

    I'd look for something else..
     
  14. Veedub00

    Veedub00 F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jun 30, 2006
    4,887
    Troy, Michigan
    Full Name:
    James
    My new beetle has about 126,000 miles on it and I still love it. I have only had 2 "issues" so far. I am thinking about getting the next gen redesigned TDIs. The current look is too bland for what I think VWs should be. Hopefully getting a new lead designer will get them back to where they need to be.


    I know many more people with positive VW experiences than bad ones.
     
  15. SRT Mike

    SRT Mike Two Time F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
    23,343
    Taxachusetts
    Full Name:
    Raymond Luxury Yacht
    My brother just picked up an 08 Jetta for a daily driver. Its a nice little car. He wanted to get out of his Land Rover (read: Gas hog). The Jetta does GREAT on gas. Its well equipped and it was CHEAP - $16-17k or so. They are also doing deals on them. I think it comes with prepaid maintenance and a 5yr/50k warranty. I've driven it a few times.. it's got plenty of balls to get around town, comfortable and a nice driving position. Small and nimble and easy to park, pretty good sized trunk too.

    I dunno... if you're looking for a cheap car thats good on gas then I don't think you can go wrong. Only thing I'd say is depreciation seems to be pretty light and since they are cheap to begin with, you don't save much buying used... better just to go all out and buy a brand new one, IMO.
     
  16. Mondog1

    Mondog1 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 27, 2006
    3,919
    Philly burbs
    Full Name:
    Robert
    I can't say anything bad about the vw's I've ever owned. From what I know their either great or horrible and nothing in between. Just get it throughly checked out by a independant mechanic, AVOID the stealership service dept. If it passes inspection you got a good car. Be caredul of the DSG tranny.

    For more info check out www.vwvortex.com or www.tdiclub.com. The vortex is ok but too many kids their and tdiclub has alot of dedicated vw nuts.
     
  17. Cammarata

    Cammarata Rookie

    Dec 20, 2007
    3
    VW Vortex = Thumps Down
    I agree the service at Dealerships are poor ( heard alot of nightmare stories )
    All in all the Mk5 Jettas are pretty decent and reliable cars for the price.
     

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