VW reliable?

[cjsxj87]

Im in need of a new DD and i was wondering if mid 90s VW jettas are reliable? what kind of fuel milage to expect?

 

[JoesXJ]

I had a 95 Golf, it had 180K miles on it when I got rid of it and it was running like a champ. Got good MPG too (~30 - 5 speed).

 

[mccastlej]

They're reliable, but if you have some problems, you should be good at electrical troubleshooting. The injection system used works well, but if you should have some problems the parts are expensive. Best advice is to make sure to change the fuel filter as the maintenance schedule suggest.

 

[JoesXJ]

Any european car is exepensive to work on, the spark plug wires alone are almost $200 and thats only for a four banger.

 

[mccastlej]

I know, I have a 1990 Audi 90. It is nice that some VW parts work on my Audi as they are usually cheaper and easier to find in a junkyard. It seems to me that Audi parts were more expensive than Mercedes parts and Volvo parts as I have owned them before and did work to them. Audis can be an electrical nightmare, especially the older ones. When Audi/VW decided to cram all the bells and whistles into and Audi they probably weren't worried about someone driving them when the vehicle was 15-20 years old.

 

[CSaddict]

Buy a Civic. Your welcome.

 

[johnlv6]

x2 On the electrical issues. I knew a girl with a 95ish Jetta that went through power window motors and other electrical items like they were going out of style. Just buy a Honda/Acura, Toyota, or Nissan.

 

[motorcityxj]

x2 On the electrical issues. I knew a girl with a 95ish Jetta that went through power window motors and other electrical items like they were going out of style. Just buy a Honda/Acura, Toyota, or Nissan.

Buy a Civic. Your welcome.

yep, doesnt have to be a civic, but the jap big three are worlds more reliable and cheaper to work on. Japense electronic systems are the bomb. Buy any nissan, toyota or honda in confidence it wont be a lemon and spend more on repairs and your weekends chasing down electrical gremlins.

doesnt need to be a civic, and vehicle from honda toyota or nissan 1990 or newer is superior to VW in almost every way, and any way that you measure economy it is ... with the exception of the fuel sipping TDI models. You didnt mention it being a diesel though.

what is your budget on this new purchase ?

 

[bajacalal]

Im in need of a new DD and i was wondering if mid 90s VW jettas are reliable? what kind of fuel milage to expect?

Sorry to piss off anybody but those things are garbage. No Volkswagens sorry I don't think they ever made many good cars. My sister has one (I get to work on it). Despite regular maintenance it has had more problems per 1000 miles than my Cherokee and its proven to be a very difficult vehicle to work on. It is just not logically designed for DIY work, you need a special bearing splitter type puller to change the ignition switch for an example. It also needs a gas fill up as often as the Cherokee but the XJ does have a bigger tank and the Jetta does need an O2 sensor.

Plus I think they have a cheaply made look and feel to them. Made in Mexico by the way.

Go Toyota or Honda (also maybe Mazda I like those) for a compact car. From a parts and maintenance standpoint I would only get one of those, I don't think you will regret it.

 

[mccastlej]

Sorry to piss off anybody but those things are garbage. No Volkswagens sorry I don't think they ever made many good cars. My sister has one (I get to work on it). Despite regular maintenance it has had more problems per 1000 miles than my Cherokee and its proven to be a very difficult vehicle to work on. It is just not logically designed for DIY work, you need a special bearing splitter type puller to change the ignition switch for an example. It also needs a gas fill up as often as the Cherokee but the XJ does have a bigger tank and the Jetta does need an O2 sensor.

Plus I think they have a cheaply made look and feel to them. Made in Mexico by the way.

VW and Audi make a good car. I haven't had any complaints of the ones I've had. Most problems you get on these cars are electrical. If you are not competent in electrical troubleshooting then you might not want one of these cars. I've had just as many electrical problems with my XJ though. I have over 180,000 on my Audi 90, and there is no rust on it. I live in Michigan and a Japanese car here of the same year and same miles is a rust bucket. Working on a german car is much different than working on an american car, and to work on them effectively you need to broaden your mechanical skills. No matter what he ends up with if he takes care of it and does the proper maintenance a german car, or a japanese car is a good dd.

VWs of the 1990s were made in germany by the way. Checking VIN data is a good way to figure where they are made.

 

[Matthew Currie]

I think the VW's are probably all right in terms of general reliability, things like engine and tranny, but a lot of little things seem to fall apart, fall off and go wrong. Nuisance stuff like trim and cup holders and door handles. My son has a 95 Jetta, and it's a nice, solid feeling car, with lots of spunk, but if you want something you don't have to fiddle with a good bit, you're probably better off with a Honda, if you can stand the seats. My wife had to give up her otherwise superb little Civic because it was giving her sciatica. I could barely last a half hour in it. I started developing really threatening back problems when I drove a Colt Vista, which went away when I replaced it with a Cherokee. We looked seriously at Subarus too, but they have worse killer seats than anything. I don't know why they can't do better in that. But some people don't mind, so if you like the seats, get a Civic.

 

[XJ Dreamin']

No offense, but that's one of the funnier thread titles I've seen in a while. This, however, is even funnier:

Working on a german car is much different than working on an american car

Now that right there is an understatement! :looney:

If reliability is your primary concern, I drove a '93 XJ 100,000 miles (230,000 total). The only issue was the A/C at about 210,000 miles. It cost $700 to make it cool again. $700/100k is pretty good. Of course, others have had problems with their XJ's. The point is, a survey of reliability will return a wide variation for every make and model out there. I think you should consider when it breaks, can I fix it or will it have to go to the shop? When it breaks, will repair cost $50 or $500?

I can't endorse VW just because...well, it's VW. I just cannot force myself to do that. Likewise, because VW is German and Germany is in Europe, I can't endorse any of the other European cars. Remember, we're talking here about reliability and I think ease and cost of repair are major components of the reliability equation. So, as much as I hate to do it, if you won't consider an XJ or a ZJ, I have to side with those endorsing Japanese models or their American derivatives.

I still think all of these DD issues could be satisfied by a nicely rebuilt '69 Charger, but that's just me. Good luck with the V-dub.

 

[Stumpalump]

Don't do it! They are expensive to keep fixing. Ask anybody in a parking lot who drives an old one what they think.

 

[DrMoab]

Isn't Volkswaggon a German word for Junk?

I wouldn't buy one man.

 

[88xjchief]

For reliability and good gas milage dont get a VW. Get a Mitsubishi or Toyota that are rear wheel drive. There good on gas and the parts are pretty cheap.

 

[jesterbomb]

I'm not even going to claim a preference for one type of "import" over another. All of them will be more expensive to fix and buy parts for. Not to mention harder for the DIY'er to work on than some of the more common "Domestic" vehicles. I think that maybe if you research which import vehicles are the most common, the parts for that one may be cheaper/easier to get.

I definitely agree though that in general, they get better mileage. Of course the majority have smaller engines, so that's not a shock. If you are trying to get from point A to point B in a car, without stopping to play in a mud puddle or tw a boat, who cares? As long as it runs, and runs cheaply with comfort while driving, it's all good.

On the "Buy a civic" note. Not a bad idea really. I despise the things with a passion, but that's my prejudice against coffee can exhausts and four bangers. Honda (IMO) spends a lot of their R&D budget on building a solid drivetrain and makes the car affordable by making the interior cheaply, out of Huge pieces of one piece molded plastic. That being said, Acura is the same vehicle, with a nicer interior. Plus a bigger price tag.

I like Nissan, VW, Mitsubushi, Hyundai, Mazda and Love Toyota. I've driven a couple cars from each company and only worked on one very old Nissan. Just find a clean running car, with better than average parts availability and aside from the usual hiccups that everyone has; I think you should be okay. If you like the car that is. No point in having a cheap to run, easy to fix car that you can drive for twenty hours a day comfortably if you dislike it.

Hell, this is ! Not too many people here have a vehicle that is any of those things except comfort and love for their vehicles :yap:

 

[cjsxj87]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the info.

 

[DrMoab]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the info.

So...going to buy a VW now?

 

[XJ Dreamin']

So...going to buy a VW now?

Leave the boy alone. He's thinking

 

[darjevon]

Im in need of a new DD and i was wondering if mid 90s VW jettas are reliable? what kind of fuel milage to expect?

I have a buttload of experience with early 90's VW/Audis, especially ones with the 2.8l V6, and I can tell you with firsthand experience that these engines are extremely prone to failiure. I have seen everything you can imagine - ~50 blown headgaskets, innumerable bad grounds (particularly on the headlights and starter solenoids). I have even seen a serpentine belt tensioner bolt that snapped flush off the block while driving at 160k. But, to cap it all, it has a 5 foot long timing belt (BELT, NOT CHAIN, on a f******* INTERFERENCE ENGINE!!!) that has to be replaced every 60k, and if you don't, bye bye pistons, bye bye valves. Most people don't ever replace it and its an expensive service to get done professionally, and doing it yourself requires either an expensive dealer camshaft alignment tool, incredible precision with a Wite-out pen, or some difficult fabrication. I would suggest changing the damn thing every 45k miles.

However, if they are impeccably maintained, the Audis with these engines and Quattro and a stick, are a BLAST to drive. Not so much the automatics.

Try to find one with the 1.8 Turbo 4cyl engine - much much more reliable. However if all you want is a DD i'm going to say that it would be infinitely wiser to get a ricer, as not only are they more fuel efficient, they last damn near forever with minimal maintenance.

Joe