2003 Volkswagen Jetta User Reviews

Valuable. Great Daily-driver. — Pros: Fit/finish, economy, reliability, great transmission (5- speed), huge trunk-space, stock Monsoon sound-system. Cons: FWD, low on power. Cheap to own/maintain. Changing the oil is a breeze. Runs like a top, never had a breakdown. Pretty fun to drive, has excellent brakes and average acceleration for a car of this caliber. I'd recommend it.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

2003 Vw Jetta Gli Vr6 — Best car i ever owned!!! Fantastic performance, great power from its 2.8l VR6 approx 200bhp, love the shifting of the 6 speed manual transmission. Great accelleration and breaking for being a sport sedan under 3 liters, wonderfully balanced turns and handles very well. Easy to modify mechanically and asthetically all parts are readily available through the shops and online. Putting the magnaflo exhaust on the VR6 is easily one of the best descisions i have ever made. Hard to modify electrically though and a bitch to put a remote starter in, i wouldnt recommend a remote start for any VW thats for sure. I love the look, business and power at the same time. looks especially well when you add the 2004 GLI factory body kit. The interior is stylish too, all leather with heated seats and a beautifully moulded dashboard. All the buttons are the right size and shape to fit in with the rest of the car's style. The build quality is fantastic, rattling is almost not an issue there are some minor rattles that can be heard driving on Edmnontons, smooth as a bed of nails, roads. This car's factory sound deadening is extreemly meticulous. Since owning it i have needed minor repairs, but i know that these cars in general suffer from various electrical related issues when they get older. Its not a cheep car to fill up though only taking premium gasoline with 91 octane minimum. Repairs are more expensive because the parts are built propperly. (not in the USA or China) Thats why finding a good mechanic with a fair price is extreemly important! Autobahn Performance in Edmonton is the place i go to. The car is a joy to drive a absolutely love taking it on the roads and playing arround with it. It has great response and just makes you want to drive it harder.. then you remember how much you paid for it and decide that you're driving it hard enough.

A Timeless Classic Of German Engineered Masterpiece, — I got a fine one but build quality cannot be assured overall engine and performance: in its stock form the engine have impressive amounts of torque and good hp that is not necessarily in need for modifications (frankly stock with filter and performance exhaust is enough). It gives instant acceleration (better than some modded 1.8T as no lag in the response), in overall suspension, brakes and handling is solid, is as the feel of a "FWD BMW" but can be really spiced up with quality modifications parts as I said build quality can vary but some of them are fine like other can be lemons brand new in the dealer's lot appearance: it is a sleeper, it blends with all Jetta, the only catch is the 17 inches "Monte Carlo" alloy wheels or the "GLI" rear emblem, again this part is a very easy way to make this car stand out as good parts for customization are quite easy to source (not cheap but easy to source), the interior look a no match for a lot of cars in the segment, it is german and we see it fun: it is all said, the chassis is solid on spiritedx driving and the engine transmission combo (in 6sp manual) is a delight, and when we don't hear a 24v symphony the double din monsoon premium amplified stereo system is a piece of auditive heaven Cost: as this car is a performance oriented (luxury if you add heated leather) car, oil is not a thing you can mess up, synthetic is the only good option for a good running engine, it run on premium gas in 94 US octane and it drinks when pushed so be prepared to show the money, as a special vw model, part and service on the 24v GLI can be quite more expensive than a 1.8T and if the car is not in good shape it may be a possibility that it will see a garage very often, otherwise the maintenance is not too frequent and is not so expensive if the car run well

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

Great First Car, Good Performance For The Price — I got this in my Junior year of highschool... it was my first car. 2003 wolfsburg, 1.8L turbo, 5speed manual, and the mildly sport-tuned wolfsburg suspension. I loved this thing. great engine - super small displacement + turbo takes a while to get used to, but its a lot of fun when you figure it out. just watch out for a little torque steer. also, mods for markIV jettas, especially 1.8T's are rather cheap (though i never got the chance to install anything besides e-code headlights). APR makes an ECU mod for around $500-600 that kicks the power from about 180hp to 210-ish (crank, i think), but more importantly, boosts torque from 163ft-lb to ~245ft-lb... with no other modifications. the engine has a *LOT* of potential. just keep in mind, though, the stock intercooler is pretty small (side mount, about 6 by 15 or so inches), so if you're pushing really hard for an extended period, you WILL heatsoak the engine, and you can *definately* feel the power drop - boost takes longer to kick in and doesnt peak as high as when the engine is cooler. of course, as with any turbo car, the engine is a lot more perky in cold weather - cooler and denser incoming air. for what it is (economical sedan with slight sporty inclinations), it's great. it will seat 4 moderately comfortably, as long as everyone isnt a giant. good power, pretty good handling (though it understeers a lot at the limit... compensate with a little left-foot braking), great storage space (i basically lived out of my car in highschool =P), and the ability to pull on any stupid civic ricer are all definite plusses in my book. it's a little hard to work on though. it's a small car, and as such has a very tightly-packed engine bay. the oil filter is in an irritating location, and requires removal of the front underbody airdam (if you want to avoid getting oil all over it). i had the optional monsoon stereo too, which was awesome for a stock system... i thought it sounded better than the speakers in my dad's G35, which cost 3 times as much. technical failings i observed: -water pump: for some reason, VW a.g. decided it would be a good idea to manufacture the impellers on the water pump out of plastic. this last summer (2007), i noticed the temperature spiked into the red zone, even when i was driving very sedately (city or highway speeds). it was covered under warranty, but it was a pain in the ass to have to keep myself from using much of the boost. -radiator fan: the larger of the two mounted behind the radiator failed around the same time as the water pump. taken care of on the same trip. -transmission: i noticed this problem gradually getting worse over the time i drove this regularly... 3rd gear is a little finicky. it feels like the synchros are chewing on something when you shift quickly... which i tend to do all the time (helps keep the boost up). the vw service guys 'cant replicate the issue'. whatever... i'm gonna recommend to my dad to swap in a vr6 gli 6speed tranny when this one goes. interior finish: not technical per se, but something i've noticed in a lot of vw's more than a few years old. you'll start hearing little rattles and stuff.. and the nice matte finish plastic they use on a lot of stuff (particularly the inside door grab handles) starts wearing off a bit... kinda sucks, but those are the failings of age.

Small And Well Handling. — Good handling, quick acceleration and deceleration. Good quality for a compact car. Good styling, not garish or boring. Very fun to drive, but the a/c doesn't work that well. Have not had it long enough to judge maintenance costs.

Primary Use: Commuting to work