Used 1998 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews
Stay Away
Stay away from this car. I bought it last June and since September my repair bills have topped $5,000. They are lemons. A lot of little things go and labor kills you. It feels like it has spent more time in the shop then with me. Trust me, they look nice and will run for the test drive, but once you leave the lot, get ready for some headaches.
Been A Great Car over the Years
I've had my 1998 Volkswagen Jetta for eight years now with 175,000 miles and have been very pleased. I've had the ususal Jetta problems with the ignition, water hose, window regulator, minor electrical and body moldings. The parts manager at the dealership gave me a great tip on the moldings. Buy the pop-in plastic moldings from the '95 model. They look fine and you will never have to replace them again. I use the seat adjustment levers for my cupholders which hold big cups. I have changed the oil / filter every 5,000 miles, the air filter every 35,000 miles, and hope to keep the car for 250,000 miles. The V6 engine has been very reliable with no engine repairs whatsoever.
98 TDI
Bought in 2000 when 2 years old. Problems with the turbo, dealer replaced for free even though I am the third owner. Consistently get 50 mpg +/- 1 mpg winter, summer, city or highway. Lots of torque; I do not use first gear. Handling very good, and the car is balanced so that it sometimes tricks me into thinking it is a rear-wheel drive car in the winter, and I slide past a turn when I downshift to slow down. Only negatives are that one door is stuck shut (due to handle?). Can't VW fix this after two decades? Also, stock shocks/struts are junk; KYB improved handling significantly.
TDI 185000 still going strong
Luv this car. commute 172 miles round trip. Excellent milage >50 mpg. Only routine wear and tear repairs.(Brakes, tires etc....) Extremely reliable
Absolutely not!
So I bought my nice 1998 jetta in 2008 for a graduation present to myself. Granted the car was 10 years old and I did get it for a deal (sort of)...IT stinks! so far since I've had it (less than a year) I've had to replace the wheel bearings 3 separate times because they've broken while I was driving and I've also done the breaks and rotors twice. On top of that I had to replace the exhaust, all the window motors are messed up, my automatic door locks don't work, the window cable broke, my 02 sensor failed, my cruise control doesn't work, the wiring causes shorts in the lighting and sensors, and my side panels had to be reglued in place. All of this at 120,000 miles? I miss my dodge stratus!