Volkswagen Jetta (1992 - 1998) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Great little car! Fun to drive with good power and decent handling in the corners. My Jetta had an automatic transmission which is a nice option if you're not into the manual shift. The automatic lacked a little in the acceleration, but still fun to drive. Interior was average and the heater/stereo controls were basic along with the sound system. Braking was adequate. This vehicle was very dependable for the time I owned it. Very little maintenance other than routine oil changes, etc.. Nice cargo room in the trunk for the size of the car. Overall very nice little car that is dependable.Mar 02, 2015

Acceleration and top speed are quite impressive for a 2.0L, even the bottom end is really torquy. Only normal wear repairs have been needed in her 121,000 miles. Styling is awesome just the trim falls off because it was double sided tape from the factory. She gets 25-30 mpg but parts are kinda expensive due to being German. By far most fun car i have ever owned. May 08, 2012

Had 3 jettas GL, GL Trek and my current 97' Jetta GLX. Loved every single one. The VR6 has 250,000 miles, just did a tune up and it runs like new. This is a very smooth riding vehicle and I don't think I will ever buy another car besides a Jetta. Favorite car to drive. Has amazing features like heated seats, sun roof, power windows, door locks and mirrors. The car overall is just outstanding in quality for having 250,000 and being about 15 years old. Apr 12, 2012

I loved the look of the car when i first bought it. It had such an aggressive look to it. The seats are not comfortable when it comes to driving long trips.I just recently brought the car. The previous owner crashed it badly. So i took it from his hands took care of it. And now almost finished with the car making it 100% back to normal.The car was in the shop all month last Oct/2011 i had the clutch put in, coil pack and starter. The car runs new and feels like it runs stronger than before.The acceleration picks up very quick. Braking is very good, it would be better if i had premium padding but the slotted disk rotors are a plus. I love this car its so fun to drive. This car has a lot of potential the fastest i went with the few mods i have is 151mph. which is not bad at all.Nov 20, 2011

The car was totally stock, a lower model GL. It drove and handled as well as the best small cars of that time. It was made in Mexico and had excellent build quality. It held up well over the four years we owned it. The paint never had any issues, even though it was never garaged. It wasn't particularly fun to drive but it was very satisfying and confidence inspiring. In short it was well suited for it's intended purpose. It was roomy and had a large trunk. There were two major things wrong with it. The Automatic Seatbelts, (pre-airbag, the last year the Jetta was so equipped) and the three spoke steering wheel where the spokes were never quite where they felt comfortable.May 05, 2011

These cars are reliable, fast, fun, economical, and cute. They can be left stock for an economical sedan for a family or they can be added onto as a fun sporty car for a young driver. The only down side to these cars is that there are a lot of them out there so it makes them less valuable. Cost of ownership is the cheapest I've had and it is the funnest car to drive that I have owned. Mar 17, 2011

Performance wise this car, stock 2.0, is slow but that can be taken care of with a few minor upgrades(ie. exhaust, intake, cam) all in all it isnt too bad. Build quality.. lets face it, its a mk3 it breaks a lot, maybe not always "broke down" but something is always broken haha. Appearance, yous may not like it but you give this car some coilovers, wheels, and a good wash and it is one hell of a looker in my book. Overall, i really hate how much i really love this car, i have thought about getting something different, something newer, but i know deep inside it just wouldnt be right. :)Jan 14, 2010

Performance- From factory: nothing to brag about. Great low end torque. Good gas mileage, VERY dependable. Build Quality- Its a VW, so its got its quirks, but a well built car IMHO Appearance- The Mark 3 Golf/Jettas are one of my favorite generations of VWs design history. Stays true to previous generations "look". Everything else afterwards was a big change Cost of Ownership- Get past maintenance, and its pretty cheap to own. Low insurance rates, and great MPG Fun Factor- My favorite car I've owned so far... ad some mild mods to it, and its a blast to drive.Oct 16, 2009

Fun to drive, Economic, Durable... Interior is pleasing to the eye and for the most part efficient. Haven't had many problems with it yet, other than stuff that generally goes out on older cars anyways. Got mine for $2k, been driving it for two years. Haven't spent more than $200 on repairs, though the transmission is starting to go. But at 200k miles, its expected. Manual is the best. Love this car.Aug 08, 2009

Very reliable car and has great gas mileage. I've since replaced the sway bay bushings, the suspension, brake calipers, rotors, coolant hoses, timing belt, and the window regulator for the passenger door. For a car that is almost 11 years old it's very reliable and everything works perfectly since the day I bought it. Has a good amount of torque from a small 2.0L engine and acceleration is descent for a an engine this small. The handling is alright but I wouldn't recommend it as a track car because of it's poor suspension geometry. Overall it's a very fun car to drive and would recommend this car to anyone looking for a cheap German engineered sedan. Jun 17, 2009

The jetta is pretty simple- no power windows- and not very powerful, but it has been reliable so far, is very sturdy even after11 years, and is running great at 132,000. It's great to have a small, reliable car that get's great mileage (30mpg in the suburbs) but is somewhat unique. It isn't the fastest, prettiest, or coolest car I've ever seen, but it has more personality than your average car.Sep 30, 2008

the car is, was and always willl be an icon due to stunning looks and amazing perfomance. . .if you want one then you better be able to fork out the money because not only is a VR6 in good condition rare but the 2.8 in-line 6 cylender powerhouse wil dry up your pockets but also leave you with no doubt that this is umong the best volkswagens ever madeAug 03, 2008

My precious Jetta. My sister bought this many many years ago. I have always loved this car and it has NEVER let us down. Every other MKIII Jetta or Golfs are nightmares. This is a diamond in the rough. It just hit 106,000 miles and it runs and drives like new. I just put a throttle body, valve cover gasket, intake gasket, cooling fan switch, brakes, and a tune up on her. The paint is not the best quality. It is the VW toranado red that always fades. It handles pretty well, it isn't the fastest car but I would take reliability over speed now. The gas mileage has gotten pretty bad and I don't know what it is that is causing it yet. It is the GL trim package, do no crazy electrical issues, I just lubed the sunroof so it closes and opens great again. The only issue I have with it is the intermittent wipers have never worked. Its no big deal though. No crazy squeaks or rattles to speak of, nice cd changer (factory) good sound. tight shifting still, the side trim always comes un-glued though.Jul 23, 2008

Volkswagens are very well engineered in general and the jetta is no exception. having had few problems with it in its only 85000 miles, the problems i have had were mostly because of mechanics without brains... or mechanics trying to rip us off. it has quite decent handling and the performance it has for a 4 cylinder car with front wheel drive and weighing in at around 3500lbs GVW is really good. May 20, 2008

This was my last VW. Bottom of the line GL - the only option on the car was AIR. This had the 115HP 2L 4 banger with a 5 spd manual. The cool thing about this care was that it would run at its HP (115MPH). I once drove from Needles to Newberry Springs in a little over 1 hour. I did the whole run without dropping below 100. However, that was when the car was about 4 months old and the suspension, etc. was still nice and tight. Purcahsed new out the door for about 15,000 and put about 145,000 miles on it. I sold it in 10 years on eBay for $1800. It had some minor problems, but the AIR was still good. Never had any major problems with the car. I recall the biggest expense I had was the ignition switch needed to be replaced - my daughter broke it during my attempts to teach her to drive a stick shift - she gave it up.Apr 19, 2008

Everyone slammed the MKIII for being Mexican garbage. Bah! 11 years old, and the car never had a problem that took more than 20min to fix or cost over $20 (Maintenance aside). Despite having had all 4 wheels off the ground on a few occasions the car never had a squeek or rattle. O.K., the two-point-slow isn't the sexiest engine, but it has potential, and it's reliable as it gets. If you can find on in good shape, you'll be very happy you did.Apr 10, 2008

2 litre engine is a gem to drive. Upper end grunt is very impressive for a car that old, but it is beautifully maintained. Seats front and rear are a gem and give good support.The vehicle does not age as badly against other newer models. A plus in this car, manual windows. The aircon works like a gem. The build quality is excellent, with no rattles and shakes. It has an absolutely huge boot.The 2 CLI JETTA 3 IS A JOY TO OWN.Feb 05, 2008