1996 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews

We’ve taken great care of the Jetta making all necessary checks and mechanical repairs with our private mechanic. Runs smooth with some power. The only caveat would be it’s physical appearance resulting from some wear. Considering this and my desire to switch to a motorcycle I’m asking for the humble price of 700-900$ I am willing to arrange a meeting with my mechanic for any serious interest. I have a full CARFAX vehicle history report available.

Took it to locksmith to have rekeyed and new keys. Nope! Gotta take it to dealer. Taking it to dealer having the security system redone will cost more then the vehicle is worth. VW sucks. Can't figure a way to bypass the system, go aftermarket for remote locks etc. It is a drag, everyone says same thing,. Gotta go to a dealership.

Had the car for little over a year and I've fallen in love with it. This is my first vw I've ever owned and that's because of the always has the "check engine" rep VW has. At first I bought the car because I had the intention of flipping it. One month later I had already done shifter, steering wheel and exhaust upgrades on the car. I have a 1998 Jetta gt and even though it's not the VR6, I sure have fun driving it. The car has changed my mind about vw and all their cars. They might be a little high maintenance compared to a civic, accord, Corolla or Camry but when you get into one of these from the same year they cannot compare to the build quality of the vw. I'm a car guy and eventually I'll do a r32 or vr6 swap for more power but for now I'm enjoying every part of my new project car.

I love my jetta its great on gas and is fun to drive got into an accident the first month i got it the other guys car was totaled my jetta just had body damage I highly recommend this car

Bought this car 6 years ago--142k miles. So far have put almost 70k miles on it. Before that I owned a 1995 Civic--let's just say the Germans know what they are doing when it comes to vehicle handling. The Jetta behaves like a bigger car, and handles superb for its size. It feels MUCH more planted than the Civic (it is a lot heavier too). Suspension and steering still feels TIGHT after all these years! I've spent minimal repairs on this car, and it has never broke down on me--besides changing the oil regularly (full synthetic), other than that, just small repairs (minor leaks, muffler, AC, antenna, etc). Very solid car--feels super solid like a tank. The interior is still almost like new. None of the switches or gauges have broken. Does not burn a single drop of oil! Owning this car for over 6 years, I have only had to top off the oil 2 times! That's right...twice only. The oil level stays the same, and does not smoke! I cannot believe it myself. Overall very happy with it. Mine is the 1998-only Porcelain Blue Metallic. I have got many compliments over this car. Still planning on keeping it for years to come. 30-33mpg combined--I drive conservatively. My complaints are two things: underpowered engine (But hey, it saves gas) and uncomfortable seats.

VW Jetta 1997 Is a no frills old car and its not pretty .I used it to get to work 70 mile round trip and parked car on street. The good about it was it run's good, got 27 miles to gallon. I bought it at 124k and I have 215k put 90k on it. I do my own repairs,it did need a lot of work to keep it going --I found out hard way just don't go cheap on replacement parts. I replaced timing belt and water pump, bought complete muffler off e -bay made in China,a mistake -only lasted 1 year. Replaced it with American made , that lasted 3 years, then I found a used origional part and im running with that. The wheel bearings was big problem the front's I installed cheap part's from e-bay ,same thing year later I was doing it again. The rear bearing's needs the grease redone every year. I changed coil, starter, and replaced brush's in alternator,replaced the fan belts and installed junkyard battery and 2 sets of tires. Im pleased with the car it handles well and starts up every day ,its a work horse, I once moved a heavy stove with it ,the trunk lid open's straight up allow's thing's to be strapped in ,also moved washing machine and dryer,but the most crazy thing I did is put tarps over back seat and trunk . Fill car with old roof shingles and haul them to dump ,it came in handy . This car is still chugging and it don't burn oil,im going to sell it soon for 600 . I never thought it would last 5 years. VW really is good quality.

Just installed new engine, interior clean,everything works, good breaks, no dents,new tires. I love driving this car. Has manual 5speed stick.

I'm glad I never said, "I'll drive this car until it dies" because it refuses to. It has 208k miles and still looks wonderful on the in and outside. I live in RI and winters here can be brutal. While other cars are spinning out, I'm just going along and feeling safe as all heck. The power steering went and even driving it with manual steering (automatic), this car drives better than newer models of other cars. Transmission is STILL doing well, 3RPMS sometimes, but no complaints. Everyone tells me I am insane for only driving VW's (I REFUSE to own another brand) but if you keep up on maintenance and always have a little safety net for repairs, and have a great repair man, you're fine.