The 2005 Volkswagen Jetta is a good car for a high school or college student--a solid starter with few mechanical or electrical problems. With so many Volkswagens on the road, maintenance is also relatively cheap with many mom and pop mechanics offering services. The interior is simple enough, and the both it and the exterior are relatively easy to maintain. The car is fun to drive (I can speak for the manual transmission option) and good on gas.

This car gets excellent gas mileage, is fast, and has good pickup for entering freeways and maneuvering in traffic. The feel of the ride is European -- where you feel the road as you drive and is comfortable and easy to drive. This model has a sunroof/moon roof and front and side airbags. The trunk is really large for the size of the car and holds tons of groceries. The back seat is quite spacious for such a small car and holds four adults easily. The air conditioning works well and lasted for nine years on its first charge. The sound system is great, with three sets of radio pre-sets and a CD player. This model doesn't have Bluetooth, but it does have an audio jack in the glove compartment to connect a phone or device. It has a space in the backseat that opens up into the trunk, so you can travel with your skis. The rear brakes do wear out relatively quickly -- I've had to replace them twice in 124,000 miles. The fabric on the inside roof of the car peeled off after eight years and was expensive to repair. This is a really solid, well-made car, and it has a good resale value.