2003 Volkswagen Jetta - Best Car I've Ever Owned
I don't believe in hype. I believe in results and quality! With that being said - I never doubt my Jetta's quality. I intend to purchase Volkswagen cars for the rest of my natural life. Unfortunately, I had owned some real LEMONS before I decided to purchase my VW Jetta. Those horrible LEMONS made me appreciate the beauty and splendor that is my VW Jetta. I've owned it for 6 years and it has naturally accrued a large amount of miles without encountering any major problems (for the record, I have more than 200 thousand miles on the speedometer). The interior leather has held up really well and still looks posh. While I don't really travel much, I would say my Jetta is very efficient with gas mileage. Even after 6 years of ownership, my Jetta runs like a dream. I am an avid antique buyer... (more)
I don't believe in hype. I believe in results and quality! With that being said - I never doubt my Jetta's quality. I intend to purchase Volkswagen cars for the rest of my natural life. Unfortunately, I had owned some real LEMONS before I decided to purchase my VW Jetta. Those horrible LEMONS made me appreciate the beauty and splendor that is my VW Jetta. I've owned it for 6 years and it has naturally accrued a large amount of miles without encountering any major problems (for the record, I have more than 200 thousand miles on the speedometer). The interior leather has held up really well and still looks posh. While I don't really travel much, I would say my Jetta is very efficient with gas mileage. Even after 6 years of ownership, my Jetta runs like a dream. I am an avid antique buyer and I have been able to successfully transport the majority of my large purchases in my beloved Jetta. The only con I must note is that I have since given birth to a daughter and I am finding the Jetta will become too small for my growing family.
The best memory that I have involving my car would definitely be bringing my daughter home from the hospital. It was February 10th (and it rainy and cold). I was just being discharged from the hospital with my first born daughter. I was nervous, scared, and riddled with anxiety. As soon as I securely fastened the straps on my daughter's car seat - I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. I knew ... (more)
The best memory that I have involving my car would definitely be bringing my daughter home from the hospital. It was February 10th (and it rainy and cold). I was just being discharged from the hospital with my first born daughter. I was nervous, scared, and riddled with anxiety. As soon as I securely fastened the straps on my daughter's car seat - I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. I knew that my Jetta would be a safe and reliable car to bring my child home in. There were two instances wherein my husband almost wrecked on the way home (which were not his fault, mind you), but the Jetta's superior car handling ensured that there were no accidents and everyone in the car was safe. The heating in the Jetta kept us warm and toasty on that misty, cold morning. As a new parent - I was worried about whether or not my child was comfortable and safe. These thoughts were put at ease as I realized that we were driving in our Jetta. It sounds cheesy, but it is absolutely 100% true. We arrived home safely with our baby in tow. Every time I get into that car, I always remember that special day.
This car's endurance and longevity is nothing like I've ever witnessed with another car. The car, despite not being as well maintained as it should be, still looks like a nice mid-range luxury vehicle. The heated leather seats have spoiled me and I can't imagine buying a car that doesn't offer the same feature. The Jetta's fuel economy is fantastic and even when gas is outrageously expensive - filling up the Jetta never breaks the bank. The steering wheel, dash, and radio still look as fantastic as the day I drove off the lot. The purple LED backlight of the radio/clock looks sophisticated... (more)
This car's endurance and longevity is nothing like I've ever witnessed with another car. The car, despite not being as well maintained as it should be, still looks like a nice mid-range luxury vehicle. The heated leather seats have spoiled me and I can't imagine buying a car that doesn't offer the same feature. The Jetta's fuel economy is fantastic and even when gas is outrageously expensive - filling up the Jetta never breaks the bank. The steering wheel, dash, and radio still look as fantastic as the day I drove off the lot. The purple LED backlight of the radio/clock looks sophisticated and deceives people into believing that I paid more for the car than I did. The engine is quiet and never gives me trouble. While it won't be big enough for my growing family - it's still roomy and comfortable. The leather interior is still gorgeous and gives the car a certain ambiance. I receive so many compliments on my Jetta, it isn't even funny. The trunk offers so much space for a compact car - I am able to stuff as many groceries and antique finds in there as I please.
One of my only true regrettable complaint is that the car isn't big enough for a family of 4+ people. Space is the only issue with the Jetta I have found. I am short (5'2 on a good day) and I find that I have no qualms with driving; however, my husband who is 6'0 (and has the legs of a grasshopper) has complained to me numerous times about not being comfortable when he drives (despite adjusting the seats). My brother-in-law had the same problem as he is 6'4. He was just too gigantic for the car. If we decide to have more children, I will only use this car as a means to commute to work. The... (more)
One of my only true regrettable complaint is that the car isn't big enough for a family of 4+ people. Space is the only issue with the Jetta I have found. I am short (5'2 on a good day) and I find that I have no qualms with driving; however, my husband who is 6'0 (and has the legs of a grasshopper) has complained to me numerous times about not being comfortable when he drives (despite adjusting the seats). My brother-in-law had the same problem as he is 6'4. He was just too gigantic for the car. If we decide to have more children, I will only use this car as a means to commute to work. There is no way a growing family could properly utilize this car. I have 7 nieces and nephews (all whom believe to my brother-in-law) - and if I wanted to take them to the park/attraction/vacation - there is no way this compact sedan could foot the bill. The leg room in the back could also be improved. I know VW cars are German and offer a more European styled sized car - I believe this key feature could be adjusted for other countries.
2003 Volkswagen Jetta - Decent Car for the Price but Expensive to Repair
Car had a 1.8T engine, turbo was what I expected from a four cylinder car. As an older car, it started breaking down on me as it hovered around the 10 year mark. The timing belt/water pump was a hassle to change and it was a costly repair. VW, being German, means that the parts have to be "Imported" from Germany. Not quite sure how much the parts cost to manufacture but the labor (at the dealership) was expensive and the water pump (~10 hours) to repair ended up costing me an arm and a leg. Thank goodness the turbo never gave out on me while I drove it because that would have been around a grand to repair. The car was fuel efficient (4 cylinders) and the turbo did provide a little bit of kick when shifting the car into triptronic mode. I believe the suspension was giving out when I was... (more)
Car had a 1.8T engine, turbo was what I expected from a four cylinder car. As an older car, it started breaking down on me as it hovered around the 10 year mark. The timing belt/water pump was a hassle to change and it was a costly repair. VW, being German, means that the parts have to be "Imported" from Germany. Not quite sure how much the parts cost to manufacture but the labor (at the dealership) was expensive and the water pump (~10 hours) to repair ended up costing me an arm and a leg. Thank goodness the turbo never gave out on me while I drove it because that would have been around a grand to repair. The car was fuel efficient (4 cylinders) and the turbo did provide a little bit of kick when shifting the car into triptronic mode. I believe the suspension was giving out when I was selling the car (I was quoted around 2 thousands to fix the cars suspension) and I finally was fed up with paying money on a ten year old car that I just got rid of her. I think the dumbest thing that ever broke in the car was that the fuel gas cap refused to pop out one day. The internal locking mechanisms backfired and I couldn't pry it up to put in gas. Those were the good old days.
Tearing through UT Austin campus and Lamar Blvd. Lamar has a ton of twists and turns and when the weather is right, an absolute blast to tear down.
Tearing through UT Austin campus and Lamar Blvd. Lamar has a ton of twists and turns and when the weather is right, an absolute blast to tear down.
Turbo as mentioned meant that you could tap into a little bit of performance power when you wanted to. 4 Cylinders meant the car was very fuel efficient for the power that it gave. From the outside, the car actually looked really nice for a Volkswagen, obviously VW isn't some crazy luxury brand but Germans are known for their styling and design and build. Even for an entry level car, the Jetta looked nice from the outside. It was small and compact and I really like the dashboard and how it lit up. I still remember the distinct blue and red lights within the dash and in the interior. Some o... (more)
Turbo as mentioned meant that you could tap into a little bit of performance power when you wanted to. 4 Cylinders meant the car was very fuel efficient for the power that it gave. From the outside, the car actually looked really nice for a Volkswagen, obviously VW isn't some crazy luxury brand but Germans are known for their styling and design and build. Even for an entry level car, the Jetta looked nice from the outside. It was small and compact and I really like the dashboard and how it lit up. I still remember the distinct blue and red lights within the dash and in the interior. Some other features of this vehicle was that the sound was surprisingly good for a car of that size and make. I remember blasting the radio in the car with friends on a cool summer night and we were met with a surprisingly good bass and melodic trebles. I still think triptronic was one of the cooler inventions in the car as well. The ability to shift the car into "manual" was a nice feature. I know how to drive stick and obviously it comes nowhere close to driving a true standard car, it let you exercise a greater control over the car without having to sacrifice the impracticality of a standard car.
I think the car still lacked a little bit of power, and it might just have been from my car but the turbo always seemed to lag a little bit when I pressed the accelerator. Blessed that the turbo never blew out when I drove the car but there were a multitude of things that went wrong with this car while it was under my ownership. I took great of this car, always did oil maintenance on time, although I am unable to speak for the previous owners of said car. Regardless, stuff that you expect to break around 10 miles did end up breaking but the real headache were the things that you didn't exp... (more)
I think the car still lacked a little bit of power, and it might just have been from my car but the turbo always seemed to lag a little bit when I pressed the accelerator. Blessed that the turbo never blew out when I drove the car but there were a multitude of things that went wrong with this car while it was under my ownership. I took great of this car, always did oil maintenance on time, although I am unable to speak for the previous owners of said car. Regardless, stuff that you expect to break around 10 miles did end up breaking but the real headache were the things that you didn't expect to break in 10 years. These include things like a water pump/suspension/motor mounts? I was told that my motor mounts were getting old and that if it got out of hand and left unchecked that one day my engine would fall out of my car? I don't remember exactly what the mechanic said but that sounded kind of ridiculous for a car, I'm not sure how hard you have to drive a car for its engine to fall out but I'm pretty sure I did not drive my car that hard. Parts are expensive...Labor is even more expensive. German engineering at its finest. Looks good from the outside but repairs cost parts of your soul.
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