Used 2001 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews
Beware of the service department
The best all-around compact sedan for $20,000: Faster than most small cars, good fuel economy for such a powerful car, handles good but doesn't ride harsh, very good interior quality and ergonomics (besides the cupholders), and a long list of standard features. Of course nothing's perfect: Quiet cabin helps rattles from the dashboard and doors sound more prevalent(door rattles can be dispatched by wrapping electrical tape around the "U" shaped door latch). Service departments are lousy. This has been verified by numerous owners around the country.
The Money Pit
Where do I begin...Lets start with the peeling paint on the hood and roof. Not exactly showroom quality and its only two years old. I have replaced the rear brakes and calipers two times in the past 36K miles. My Maxima is going on 40K miles on the original brakes! Tail lights seem to burn out bulbs regularly to the point where I actually have a supply in the trunk and the brakes sound like a fog horn when backing up. According to two dealerships..."this is just how it is!" The pads are dragging against the rotors and there is no way to prevent it....right! What else..oh yeah..the chronic ignition coil failure and that horrible turbo lag.
- GLS SedanMSRP: $5,994460 mi away
- GLS TDI Diesel SedanMSRP: $3,495697 mi away
- GL SedanMSRP: $4,500888 mi away
Love the car!!
This car is amazing..from low fuel consumption to great exterior design..i love everything about it..even when the check engine light turned on and i didn't have the money to fix it, it kept going strong and never let me down. Great car!!
Fun, but...
I had 3 major complaints. 1st, from day one the car had many unidentified interior squeaks and rattles that the dealer couldn't/wouldn't fix. 2nd, the 150 hp 1.8t is not a very powerful motor, but it was always enough to make the front wheels break free, causing a nasty, jarring hop under hard acceleration. 3rd, the damn check engine light was on for the last 10000 miles I owned the car. The dealer was always good about fixing whatever was wrong for free, but the light never stayed off for more than a week. In spite of all that, it was a lot of fun, and it always got me where I needed to go.
This car rocks!!
It has all the features, appointments and performance of a BMW 3 series for about half the price. And it is so much fun to drive!!
Good car...If You Have a Lot of Money to Waste
This car is fun to drive and all, but I don't know how much fun it can be if you see your bank balance going down so fast every time you go for a repair and you have to go for a repair just like you go for a hair cut. It may be its just happening to me, I don't know, but its very frustrating. I've also owned a Japanese made car and it ran fine even until 100,000+ miles, without any issues until I sold it. The car is comfortable for long trips, luxurious, very fast and stuff....but all the money we have to spend on repairs just undermines the positivity. This is not a reliable car.
The Car Sucks
I've always wanted a jetta so of course my I had to get a jetta. The first year was great. By the time the second year came the problems just would not stop. There's this gross stuff coming from the door that hardens. There's obviously something wrong with my transmission and it chuckles backwards at times. Dealership insists there's nothing wrong with it everytime. Each snowstorm the guy has issues with traction even after changing to brand new tires. The velour seats are horrible with everything sticking to it. I can't wait till I get rid of this car.
2001 Jetta GLS 1.8 Turbo
My wife and I just bought the 2001 Jetta a couple days ago. It's really her car more than it is mine. So far we love the power of the turbo. The leather is pretty comfortable and the exterior looks really sharp. We love the sunroof and the heated seats.
Stay away from this dump
Bought car because of it standard features -The following has been done to the car in 40000 miles of driving--1. brakes replaced at 22000 miles 2. seats broke 3. epc light replaced 4. tires replaced twice 5. oil usage 1 quart every month 6. Brakes locked up. 7. Will not release from Park 8. Emission contol light triggers every month. 9. Stay away from this car.
won't buy another!
a.m. radio went out at about 45k $600 dealer quote to replace. the transmission literally fell out before 25k. the passanger side mirror defrost has never worked though i have had it replaced a couple of times. the sunroof drain clogs periodically and starts dripping into the car via the interior lights. a can open is required for anyone over 5' to get in and out of the back seat. interior coating peels constantly. armrest storage latch snaps off randomly (4 times) the front bumper catches or snags on parking curbs and rips. diesal fuel has remained much higher than premium unleaded defeating the noise for mileage trade. v.w. floor mats replaced a number of times only to fall apart quickly.