1997 Volkswagen Jetta consumer reviews

Purchased new in February 1998, garaged and driven mostly by my wife all these years, it has performed admirably. Taken several road trips over the years, mpg averaging about 32 on the road. Only issues included broken cruise control, rear passenger window motor and broken coil. It has lived up to expectations well. Still in almost like-new condition.

These Mk3 VW's seem to be the unwanted and most uncared for cars out of the entire VW lineup. Admittedly, they are kindof ugly stock, But if you can find a clean one for the right price, You can get a ton for your money, I spent 700$ on mine, Everything works, Heck even the A/C, Doesn't leak oil though it may burn a bit but thats normal for an older VW. No rust, Runs fine, Fixed the passenger door not wanting to open If you are patient and check out the car before buying it then its a great purchase, And they are super easy to work on despite people saying VW's are hard to work on, The older ones aren't, At all. I had to do a timing belt job on my Mk3 with the 2.0 and had the job done while taking my sweet time, In just 2 hours, Pretty darned easy. Unless your older VW is a Corrado or has a Vr6 in it, Maintenance on everything for the most part should be a breeze, Just do your research, It will help a metric ton, And pointers for ya, If your replacing a clutch and the CV Axle bolts are stripping out even after being cleaned and all, Just grind the bolts off carefully and replace them with Hex-Head bolts of the same bolts and some lock-washers, Make sure to torque them down properly. Car is very slow though and should get much better gas mileage than it does.. Not sure if something needs checked out or replaced on it but me and my buddy had Mk2 Golf's with the 1.8 and we were able to get 37 Mpg avg (mostly highway, yes) and I just cant get that with my Mk3.. yet hopefully.

I used to own the TDI (Diesel) version of this car for over a year. It was nothing but problems. I bought it and shortly after the engine went, then the heater core, then the rear end needed to be redone, the list goes on. I put so much money into it because i loved it for some reason but I left me with nothing. Sold it a couple years ago and came to find out the engine went again.

Jettas are known for being finicky when it comes to function of electrical components but ours was only prone to dying window buttons. Fun to drive, looks great.

its an ok car I am not used to driving such an old car only boight because my son totaled my truck last year

You can overlook a lot, and for $1200 you'd expect some rust in the usual places, but the right strut tower is rusted and broken almost all the way around. One good bump or pothole, and you could lose control when it breaks and the strut comes up into the hood. Lot of oil all over the engine, too. This is my favorite Jetta, the Mark 3, and if you have the ability you might be able to fix it up with parts from another, but the strut tower is pretty scary.

The car I own now is a 97' VW Jetta GLS 4 door sedan, it is very comfortable and reliable. I absolutlely love my car, and I am looking to buy a newer stationwagon soon.

I have the exact same car and it still runs great! Its the same year. I do regular maintenance to it (as every car owner should do) and it still runs good. The insurance is cheap and I get great mileage. Also, its a blast to drive and it handles like a Gem. I recomend it to college students or just anyone in general.

This is not going to be that reliable older car. Parts are so expensive, and you will have to fix it often. The muffler alone was $600, and that doesn't include the labor to put it in. The newer models may be more reliable (?) but I am guessing the parts are still about the same, if not more expensive! Oh and my paint has been peeling and getting splotchy.

Fun to drive. A squirt or two of lock de-icer keeps the locks from freezing. Fuel economy 22 city and 29 highway. Manual windows roll all the way down in back.