Hey guys.

I was just wondering if any fellow MINI owners also happened to have a recent year VW Jetta GLS 2.0?

My wife is considering buying this car, and I would love to get any input from people who own this car. (Yes.. I tried to get her to buy a MINI, and she would like to, but for practicality reasons, we need something with a little more room right now)

Any info will be helpfull.

Thanks!

 

In my experience the dinosaur 2.0 4-banger is, errmm, lackluster at best in both performance and reliability. If you can spring for the 1.8T, life would be better

Also re: Jetta, watch out for windows and sunroofs, two big fault points of the Mk4

 

dont go 2.slow! get a tdi, slap on some fuel nozzles and change the ecu, and you have a (more) driveable gas sipper.

or just get a tdi. It has wonderous torque. and it's awesome on gas.

plus you can't really tell from the outside, you can make your own fuel, and it sounds like a panzer tank in idle.

 

I had a 2000 Jetta VR6 prior to owning my MINI (2002 Cooper S).

My concerns about the MINI as a Jetta owner:
1) Rear seat space - turns out the MINI has about as much room for the rear seat passengers. It doesn't look like it initially, but the MINI rear seats are deeper than VW's, so less of your leg is overhanging the seat.
2) Practicality - I have found MINIs to be MORE practical than my Jetta (when traveling with two people). You can fold down the rear seats and load a huge amount of stuff into the back through the hatch. Things that never would have fit in my Jetta, slide right into the back of the MINI with no problems.
3) Daily Driveability - My MINI has been a great daily driver. If you find yourself looking for parking spots and needing to parallel park a lot, the MINI will open up a lot of spots to you since it's 30" shorter than the jetta.

Obvious downside: when traveling with four people, there isn't a full trunk in the back to put four people's worth of luggage. If the front and rear seats are occupied, you have about enough space in the boot for two carry-on bags.

Powerwise, I'd say going from a 2.0 to a COOPER you wouldn't notice much difference, especially now that MINI has redone the gearing of the 2005's. If anything the 05 Cooper will seem like it's got more useable power than your 2.slow.

NOW, if you're she's still dead set against the MINI here's what I will say about the Jetta.

1) The Jetta is a very old design that's due to be replaced in about a year.
2) The resale market is flooded with VW's. You could probably score a low mileage 1.8T or VR6 for 9 or 10k from a motivated private seller (and trust me they are motivated because there is such a glut of these cars on the market).


The Next Jetta

 

I believe the window regulator problem has been fixed now. I hadn't heard about sunroof problems.

RE: 1.8T, it had a problem with the coil pack, but VW did a big service campaign around that and those problems should be fixed. If buying a 1.8T from a private party be sure to ask about the coil pack fix.

 

We would be buying this car new. Also.. she wants an automatic tranny.

 

I have a 2.0 GLS and find it to be very underpowered with the automatic. I gave it to my girlfriend who is happy with it because she doesn't care about the power. The gas mileage is also a little dissapointing. The GLX V6 is worth the money for power-hungry folk.

 

Did, I saw that test car on the 55 FWY last week!

 

Based on the service department nightmares I've been through the last 6 years and the serious lack of quality control on the VW's I'd say pass. The 2.slow works well in my Rabbit truck but it's otherwise a very weak engine in a heavy car. <Ouch.> Hurts to say that. I've been on the VW bandwagon for almost 16 years. The MCS for me will be a breath of fresh air...Come on DECEMBER delivery!

 

Ok.. we just went and test drove the 2.0 GLS again. To my wife it seemed fine.. to me it seemed underpowered.

That being said, can anyone offer advice on the GLI with the 1.8T engine? This would be a 2005 GLI 1.8T with an automatic transmission.

Thanks!

 

Chiming in here.. For the money they are a very solid little car but for near the same money you can get a Mazda3 which has excellent handling, lots of room, above average fit and finish, and a very peppy 160hp 2.3 litre engine. There is even a sport hatch option if you are so inclined.. Check this pic out of the sport hatch.. Mmmm Mmmm or is that Zoom Zoom? Also.. read this review...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdr...azda3sport.htm

 

To address the last three posts:

I agree, quality control is very crappy in the new VWs. My GTI lasted me 325,000 miles with one clutch and one alternator replacement. I doubt if the Jetta will make it 100,000 miles.

That being said, I have heard that the 1.8 turbo is an excellent engine. It is the transmission and electrical that would worry me.

The Mazda is an EXCELLENT car. I am trying to talk my girlfriend into trading in the Jetta for one.

 

The current VW's won't have any problem making it to 100,000 miles.

I hit 75,000 in three years with my VR6 without much more than a MAF sensor and a new set of brake rotors. Actually my 2000 Jetta was much better quality wise compared to my 2002 MINI (I'm not knocking the '02 MINI quality as a whole or MINI quality as a whole, just my experience with 1 VW and 1 MINI that had me at the dealership 10 times for warranty service in the first year).

As for the 1.8T, it's a pretty bomb proof engine and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a car with a new 1.8T.

 

I currently have a 2002 VW Jetta 2.0 automatic 31.5K miles. The car is very slugish. I drove an MCS and the difference is night and day. I like the style of the Jetta interior. Especially the lighting of gauges and radio controls etc., nicest I have seen. However, the car has been in the dealer for various problems. The brake shift lock mechanism has been replaced three times and just failed again. The rubber coating on interior arm rest and grab handles has peeled off and the trim pieces were replaced under warranty. The car apparently burns oil as everytime it is due for oil change (according to manual every 5K) it is a quart low on oil and there are no leaks found. I have had an annoying chirp sound coming from front drivers side when going over bumps (dealer says this is normal), The radio has failed and had to be replaced under warranty, the catalytic converter failed and was replaced under warranty. The dealer service has been very good so far, however the brake shift mechanism would be cause to pursue a lemon law action if I wanted to (already checked this out) Lease is over in 6 months so I will probably just wait and get my MINI s. In my opinion I would avoid the VW Jetta. Get the MINI

 

 

Pocket Rocket's right on. My parents just got a Mazda 3 sport wagon. Based on the new Volvo chasis, it's a solid, tight little car. If Mazda doesn't sell a gazillion of these, I will be surprised.

-Jake

 

Just another point of view: I just got out of an '01 Wolfsburg Edition Jetta w/1.8 Turbo engine (the older 150HP engine).

The Good part: The car is fun to drive - I'm sure it's even better with the 180 HP 1.8Ts that are out now. And having two extra doors is a big benefit with passengers that might not appreciate getting shoehorned into the back of a MINI.

The Bad part: lots of little annoying problems!

I would be very careful and do a lot of research before buying another VW myself. I have seen several other VW owners with the same opinion (mostly at the service desk at my dealership, so not the best spot for a random sample of owners).

Best of luck!

 

My wife had a 2001 Jetta 2.0l. It convinced me NEVER to buy a VW again. First 30,000 miles without a problem last 20,000 had a repair every 4-6 months and last month every other week. I went through 4 o2 sensors, MAF Sensor, window regulator, trans was getting bad, terrible rattle from heat shields, new brake pads after 20,000 miles and turned rotors because of fault installation (pad was wedged in and not floating). In the end I was clearing faults and driving to the dealership for a trade-in before the long-term fuel trim set another fault


and besides this, well... it's not the nicest thing to look at either.

 

In 02, VW made some major improvements on the 1.8t. Pretty much after that, the reliability of the motor is very good. We had a 1999 Beetle with the 1.8 and it had a lot of issues. MAF sensor was the most expensive. We currently have a 2002 Beetle that has been perfect. Yes it had a recall for the coil packs, which was taken care of promptly and no failures since. We are also looking at a 2005 Jetta. The GLI is the only way to get a 1.8t and what a nice car it comes in. 18 in BBS wheels, Recaro Seats. Ours will be a Blue Lagoon with the Automatic.

 

I must agree - the Mazda3 is one of the best cars to come out in a looong time. Give it a serious look!