My Volkswagen is a piece of shit

The BBQ Pit
41

I love our 2001 Jetta GLX. It’s a manual VR6 and it really moves out. My SO has had VWs in the past (an old Beetle, a camper van and a 86 Jetta) and really liked them, that influenced our decision to buy this one.

We’ve only had it since Feb., and no problems (outside of hitting a deer) yet. Except the memory seats, I just remembered that. We can set it for one position (my SO) and it won’t ‘stick’ for my position. It supposedly can remember three positions, but we havn’t had luck with it remembering more than one.

I have had my share of POS cars (a Ford T-Bird and a '79 Pontiac Trans Am) and I don’t think the Jetta falls into that category. Only time will tell, I guess.

And I really want a New Beetle Turbo Convertable. Aquarius blue, black leather interior…

42

The only problem I’ve had so far with my 2002 Cabrio is the coil problem, which they cheerfully fixed in short order.

I couldn’t be happier with it. I’m continually shocked at how much room it has compared to how small it looks. It looks good, it sips gas, and I can put the top down at a stop light. (I’ve wanted a convertible ever since I’ve known what a car was, and my first order of business upon getting a job was to purchase one. There really aren’t that many in that price range–the Miata is probably the only other one.)

Dr. J

43

I suppose I could list all of the little things that have broken on my wife’s Jetta – suffice it to say that there’s been electrical work done and there’s a substantial amount of epoxy holding bits on – but the thing she dislikes most about the car is its poor creature comforts.

For example, there are two nice cupholders under the heater controls. You might be able to put a can of soda in them, but since they are under the overhang of the heater controls, you cannot put anything larger there. What do you do with a large cup from Mikey D’s while driving home?
The wipers have no variable speed adjustment, and they seem to have provided only two intermittent speeds: too slow and way too fast.
There are lots of other annoying little things that she complains about, but I can’t remember them right now. Her next car won’t be a Jetta.

44

European desing, minor7flat5. We don’t HAVE these huge cups over here, we just buy 330 ml. cans at the gas station. That’s where the Jetta’s cup holders were designed for. :slight_smile:

And it has TWO intermittant speeds? Intermittant is where it stops between strokes, right? Sure, it would make more sense to have a variable intermittant speed, but two intermittant speeds is one more than my car has.

45

In 95 I leased a new Golf, a 5 stick. Fun, zippy car, no problems whatsoever.

In 99 I leased a new Jetta, 5 stick. Same deal, nothing wrong with it. I haven’t seen any recall letters yet either.

Both low-end models with decent interiors, great stereos, no rust, great on gas. I looked at Hondas, Hyundais and various GM models first. Nothing in the price range really compared IMO. I think the overall quality of the low-end VWs is equal to or better than some of the other higher-end models I looked at.

Hmm…I think have more than two intermittent wiper speeds and can easily get McD cups into my holders. Just not the massive, super-size cups. (I wonder if any car comes with super-size cup-holders)

Both totally reliable, non-POS cars, so far, anyhow.
minor7flat5: What year is your wife’s Jetta?

46

It’s a '98. Perhaps market research convinced them to modify the interior since then. I don’t mind the size of the cup holders; many places make cups that fit in can-sized holes. I just get annoyed that they put them in a place where there is exactly four inches of clearance above the hole.

The two intermittant speeds are annoying if every other car you have driven has had a variable intermittant speed. It wouldn’t be so bad if there were a way to bump it to manually force a wipe, but it doesn’t have that feature.

One more creature comfort thing: the heater has a nice knob that boasts a sweeping range of temperatures from very blue to very red. In reality, there’s an invisible point in the middle of the knob’s travel where freezing cold suddenly changes to blistering heat; no gradual shift, and therefore no easy way to adjust for comfort.

My wife had an Olds before (not an ugly old person’s car either; the Cutlass from that year looked pretty darned sporty). Her Olds had all kinds of cool stuff inside, all of it very practical. She still misses that car. Sadly, its paint peeled and it had the dropping window problem, so we got the Jetta.

Of course, these are all nitpicky things and I am always kidding her about them. I actually find her Jetta pleasant to drive, and I am pondering getting her the Subaru Outback that she has her eyes set on and then I would drive the Jetta.

47

My Cabrio has the same low-clearance cupholders. It does, however, have a little compartment between the two seats that can be opened up, and while it is not ideally placed, it will serve as a cupholder for any cup I’ve found thus far.

I don’t expect the car to solve all my problems for me. :slight_smile:

Dr. J

48

Here are the cupholders (see the Mt. Dew can) on our 2001 Jetta. So they must have changed them. The heater controls are on the very bottom. The only thing the cupholders block are the emergency hazard blinker lights, and the button that disengages something - ESP? I think. The little seat heater buttons are still reachable.

49

Here in sunny Southern California, VW bugs are extremely popular. God alone know why. To me, they are wretched pieces of shit. And CLEARLY not built for us burly men. But folks like 'em.

I am even more perplexed by the new Beetle. Sure, it looks kinda neat and has head room, but the sticker price on a new one in 2002 was the same as the sticker for my 2002 Tacoma truck. Which, BTW, has not had a single problem.

50

Ugh! Bench seats; leaf springs; bad handling; crappy gas mileage; hard to park. A pickup’s great if you have to haul bricks or something, but you’re comparing apples & oranges.

51

My Tacoma gets better than 22 MPG, has bucket seats, handles pretty good (It is hard to park), has the xtra cab, AC, CD player, tinted windows and looks coool.

52

Yeah, but does your Tacoma have heated seats? :dubious: Another thing I think is so nifty with the Jetta is when it is shifted into reverse, the right side mirror tilts down automatically so I can see the curb.

There’s just a lot of little things like that impress me with the Jetta, maybe I’m easily amused.

But the heated seats rock my world.

53

Well I’m glad your Tacoma has bucket seats, but my Jetta gets over 28 mpg, including a lot of city driving (and it’s faster than your Tacoma), has independent rear susp., and I guarantee it handles better. A pickup is never going to handle as well as a sedan. My dad’s got a Tacoma, and that thing bounces along like a chuckwagon. But I sure as hell can’t haul very much in the Jetta. Like I said - apples & oranges.

But I’m sure your tinted windows add a lot of horsepower.:wink:

54

But the important this is…it looks cooool!

:smiley:

55

Good point.:smiley:

56

Ha! Our Jetta Wagon gets 50mpg, (TDI) and if we fold down the rear seats we can haul as much gear as I could in my Ford Ranger…
Although, we actually miss the bench seats of the truck.

57

This is really a timely thread for me. I need to get my daughter a car for college and was leaning towards a Jetta. VW is a big seller down here, we still even have the original Bug.

Mexico is mostly a small car market and there are a lot of makes and models to choose from, all of the American makers, Nissan, Toyota, Seat, Peugeot and Renault. Unfortunately diesel models are rare.

Coldie, can you tell me anything about the Peugeot 206 XR or the Reanault Clio or Magane models? Most of the online car reviews I’ve found only critique autos sold in the US.

58

Does it really get 50 mpg, or are you just telling us the EPA highway estimate?

59

Sure thing! You’re looking for a diesel, right? I don’t exactly know what engines Peugeot offers in Mexico, but the 206 diesels are fine cars. Sturdy, they look good, great seats (although the ride position isn’t as optimal as in my 306 or the newer 307, but YMMV, just test-drive it and see). It has the best handling characteristics in the small car class, for sure. If you can get the new HDI diesel in Mexico, go for it: you’ve never experienced such a smooth, silent diesel in a small car, I promise you. The 5 door version is a little more practical, but depending on your needs, the 3-door will do fine.

Oh, all right, just browsed the Peugeot Mexico site, and there’s no diesel. :slight_smile:

The 206 XR you mentioned is a good car. I have the same engine in my car, and while it makes mine sluggish (it’s over 200 kilograms heavier than the 206), the 206 is quite adequate with it. Not a drag racer, but it’ll do just fine. The engine is basically a developed version of the block they’ve been using for over 2 decades: the first 205’s and even the older 304’s already used it. This means it’s easy to work on, which might be a bonus in Mexico. Alas, no 206 GTI in Mexico. You’re missing out. :slight_smile:

As for the Renaults, both the Clio and the Megane are excellent cars. Do you guys get the new Megane already? The Renault Mexico website seems to suggest the old model is still being sold. In that case, stick with the Clio, as the Megane you buy now will only drop in price when the new version is introduced. The Clio is a nice little car. The 2.0 Sport version is downright scary with its 172 BHP, it’s a blast! And it’s available in Mexico! Not the most sensible choice, perhaps. But it’s SO much fun. :smiley:

All right, as far as entry level models go, the Clio starts at a 1.6 engine, whereas Peugeot also offers the 1.4 (in the XR). Maybe the Peugeot will be cheaper. If you compare the 1.6 engines of the two marques, there’s little that separates them. Both are good engines, about the same power.

I’d also rate both cars equally reliable. If an entry level, reliable, decent car is what you want, then the Peugeot might be the better option, since Renault doesn’t offer a 1.4. Other than that, it’s preference, really.

Good luck!

60

That’s about what we get when we go road-tripping; in city driving, in our very hilly neighborhood, we are averaging 40-45 mpg…according to some members of Fred’s TDI Club much higher averages are possible.

We also have the heated seats, very nice to have on a chilly morning, although the first time I used the feature I forgot I had turned it on and only realised as I started to feel extremely uncomfortable at that comforting, spreading warmth on my bottom…
Ah, how a VW brings out the child in us. I love rolling all the windows down, opening up the sun roof and driving along our twisty wooded roads, and when I fill up with biodiesel, I don’t even have to feel guilty about “wasting fuel.”

Our other car is the GTI 1.8T, which is tons of fun if you enjoy driving like a maniac. :wink: