Overview & Reviews
Wolfsburg models are gone, and the Jetta GT arrives sporting the look of the GLX without the VR6 engine. Trek gets alloy wheels. GL, GLS, Trek and GT run more quietly, thanks to a new cylinder head design.
- Excellent road manners, roomy interior, fun-to-drive, heater will roast your face
- Some controls and symbols difficult to decipher, staid styling, underpowered four-cylinder engine
User Reviews:
Showing 11 through 20 of 107.00-
get ready.. - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By timme791 - November 26 - 2:43 pmI am 18 and work on cars as a hobby so I do know what Im talking about. To start off I have done many mods to this car. Watch out for European parts vs American... Very different supports. And parts can come pricy. My car... At about 105k miles had an intake valve come loose. It cost me 2400 bucks... More than I bought the car for. After I fixed that, my maf went bad (cost 500) and a week later... Engine light back on. Stick with jdm than this. The handling is fun, but needs a lot more power and the gas isnt as great as most everyone claims it to be. Stock averages like 20 mpg and I get 22 with my intake. Just... Prepare for problems basically. I love this car but it can frustrate me!
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good car, short money - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By johnny C - September 8 - 10:00 amsporty, fun to drive. quality German engineering for a fraction of the cost of other german motors
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I love my car....but - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By Phatmal - May 14 - 10:00 amI bought this car used in 98 and loved driving it from the get go. She has a lot of spirit and really likes to be driven on the open road. Unfortunately, shes not been a cheap car to own. Most recently (last 12 months), Ive had to replace the sunroof cassette ($700), the door locks $400...they actually fell out of the car!), and the starter ($600) and had to have the vacuum system fixed ($100). Luckily I havent been stranded anywhere! Not only that but there are little things that break in the interior that are a pain. I love driving this car and am so attached to her but Im considering getting rid of her cause Im afraid of whats going to break next.
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car for daddy - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By olly - February 18 - 2:00 amCheap and easy to repair, lot of small problems - locks, airbag cable, drains but no expensive repair. engine and gearbox not killable. big fuel economy (small engine), very comfortable. The only 2 things i dont like; the exterior sound on highway and I have the impression that i have a truck engine with no power but noisy.
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car for daddy - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By Olly - February 18 - 2:00 amCheap and easy to repair, lot of small problems - locks, airbag cable, drains but no expensive repair. engine and gearbox not killable. big fuel economy (small engine), very comfortable. The only 2 things i dont like; the exterior sound on highway and I have the impression that i have a truck engine with no power but noisy.
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great q-ship! - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By ths - July 28 - 12:13 pmThis is my 3rd VW and wont be my last. The only thing to know about this car is the fabulous VR6 motor.......torqey, smooth, reasonably fuel efficient, sounds great, and very reliable. If youre looking to buy this car used, dont bother with the anemic 2.0 liter/115 hp motor......waste of time and money. Aside from the great motor, the rest of the car is ho-hum.....bland suspension, smallish wheel/tire combo, unimaginative interior, unexciting body.....but oh DAMN that motor!
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Somewhat disappointed - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By MJM - February 26 - 9:43 pmBought the car for my daughters. They hated it it. 1st VW Ive owned in 25 yrs. I expected more from the company. Just drove it 700 miles home and was surprised at how well it rode and drove at its age and mileage. *However* nothing else impressed me. The trunk is huge but that does not make up for the poor electrical design. Had to replace a taillight 4 times in 6 months. I know others who had the same problem I couldnt find a cupholder? Is that what that thing is called? The fuse box is in the most ridiculous place possible. You just cant get to it. Surprised that there is no gas cap cover interior lock. To me, the car is no big deal
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97 GLX Reliability issues - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By Scrappy - October 20 - 10:00 amDoor alarm problem - car arms itself whenever the rear door is opened or that electric window is operated. Need 2 keys to get it started. Engine Sputters - Car sometimes hesitates and runs poorly for a few days then is fine for weeks at a time. Side door molding strips keep falling off. Buy some doublesided tape ahead of time. No big deal to fix. No place to put stuff. Ex: Cup hldr under ashtray so unusable for anything taller than soda. though. FIX ELECTRICAL PROBS! VWs notorious for this. Youd think theyd have solved by now.
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97 Jetta Jazz - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By EB - April 18 - 6:40 pmI absolutely loved this car when I got it new. I drove it with 115,000 miles with no problems. Then the 1st transmission died (manual). At 146,000 miles the second one died and I am ready to retire it. I still love the car but its not so much fun without the 2, 3 and 5th gears!
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Fun to Drive - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
By ape - April 15 - 6:13 amI bought this car after test driving other similar sedans because I liked the driveability and it wanted a manual. I still like the driveability but will not buy another VW for a long time. Ive replaced the distributor cap and coils more than once, replaced the battery a couple times, replaced the ignition switch, and had it stop and need towing at least twice for issues such as the distributor cap. For a long time Ive explained the problems by looking at the cars age and high mileage but after reading other reviews see other owners have had similar experiences. The trim has fallen off both sides of my car and currently all of the gauges randomly drop to zero while Im driving!
