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1996 Volkswagen Jetta

1996 Volkswagen Jetta
Overall rating:  Product Rating: 3.0

Reviewed by 38 users

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Want a better car than the civic?

by cheeku76
Oct 01 '02 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 4.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: Decent low end torque- smooth shifting 5 -speed,lots of trunk space,good gas mileage
Cons: power windows stop working, rear seat is cramped.
The Bottom Line: Got totalled at a Houston traffic light :-( Strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a good used car in the under 10K range.

This is my first car ever!.
I bought it straight out of grad school. It had 68K miles. The only modifications the previous driver had made were a JVC CD changer. I drove this car till about 2 months back when it got totalled. I found out the...

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Greta the Jetta: A Tale of True Romance? (the roadiem write-off)

by MiDoyle Epinions Most Popular Authors - Top 1000
Apr 11 '01 - Updated Apr 17 '01 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 4.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: Handles well, gets good gas mileage and looks pretty
Cons: Weird behavior from time to time.
The Bottom Line: All things considered we are pleased with our purchase and enjoy the car very much. Check it out thoroughly and you'll find a good auto.

Last year after many years of faithful service, it became apparent to my wife and me that her beloved 1987 Toyota Celica GTS Coupe was on its last legs (125,000 miles). Would it cost us another small fortune to fix, yet again? This was a car that...

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Jetta GLX = many problems

by focusboy0383
Mar 22 '04 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 1.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: GLX has many features
Cons: high maintenance cost, unreliable, broken down more then on road
The Bottom Line: Everything is harder and more expensive with a Volkswagen. I am not planning on buying another one.

I bought my blue Jetta GLX about 5 months agof from my local VW dealer. At the time it had 77,000 miles on it and I purchased it for $8300. They were asking $9800 for the car. The price for the GLX is much much much higher then the GL, GLS or Trek ...

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Transmission Drama

by bedise
Nov 14 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 2.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: Comfortable, good sound system
Cons: Transmission, expensive to repair

I bought my 96 Jetta in 98' off a 2-year lease. I had wanted a Jetta for about 10 years because of the classy way they commanded any road they were on. However, when I finally brought my Jetta home from the dealer--my nightmares began immediately.
...

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Fun and Reliable...

by RBradford
Aug 07 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 5.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: Roomy, Sporty, Low Maintenance, Great Mileage
Cons: Cup Holders Can't Handle Large Cups

Me, drive a Volkswagen? Huh? Are you crazy? Well, OK, I'll test drive one...I'll take it.

This was essentially my conversation with a friend who manages a car dealership. My Ford Tortoise, ah, I mean Taurus, was limping along on three...

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Just waiting to be rear-ended!

by kerlynshe
Jun 28 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 2.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: Looks nice and sporty
Cons: Automatic transmission is horrible!!!!!

Just a year out of college in 96, I was so excited to sell my reliable 92 Ford Escort to buy a new Jetta GL. My first new car ever was intended to be the car I paid off in full and drove into the ground. Unfortunately, I believe that if I don't get rid...

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Bought my Jetta a year ago and no problems yet!

by bardicbliss
Nov 29 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 5.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: great gas mileage, comfortable, engines will last long time
Cons: interior ergonomics could be better

I had owned an old Jetta in the past and decided I wanted another VW. As I am not a fan of hatchbacks, the Golf was not an option. Just out of college the Passat seemed a bit pricier than I could afford. So I got another Jetta that I LOVE!!! I bought...

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Rides Like a Box

by sherrivonl
Jan 26 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 1.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: Good gas mileage, day running lights
Cons: drives like a box, small cup holders, no trunk lights

I just turned my 1996 Jetta back in and I couldn't be happier. The disappointment started before I even drove off the lot. After all the paperwork had been done for my green Jetta, it turned out they had no green ones. I had to settle for black. From...

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My Jetta Rocks My World

by geddesn
May 04 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 5.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: Design, Handling, Stereo, Trunk
Cons: Molding-adhesion

I purchased a 1996 Jetta GL 5-speed as it was coming off of a two year lease in 1998. This car is totally fun to drive, has incredibly tight handling, and looks as great as the day I bought it at 4 years old--No squeaks or creaks like the American cars...

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Overall Good - But Expensive Problems

by scrum
Sep 20 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 3.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: Fun, everyday car
Cons: Calipers, Throttle Body, Cables, Underpowered

I bought the car because it had all the features I needed/wanted in a 4 door passenger and commuting car.

In a 5 speed the car has decent power with 2 passengers - over that and it has noticable lag. In the automatic, which I have driven...

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1996 Jetta Trek-GREAT CAR!-UPDATE

by SKIP-K
Dec 29 '99 - Updated Aug 06 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 5.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: affordable, reliable, roomy, great styling, lots of features standard
Cons: none that I have ever discovered

After reading all the reviews of the VW Jetta, I am happy to provide a positive and honest review of a car I have enjoyed owning for almost four yrs and 60k. The Jetta Trek is a limited edition model with a few extra features added to set it apart from...

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96 Jetta Trek - One for the ladies and of style

by rsullivan
Jan 24 '00 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 4.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: great looking, stylish,
Cons: needs a better company stereo, engine is lacking a little

My Jetta has definitely served two purposes in my teenage years. One, attracting many ladies to my fine ride. Secondly getting me where I want to go in style. Although the car does lack in engine power, as it is only a 4 cylinder, it still got me where...

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Do you really want one?

by kasteide
Dec 21 '99 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 2.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: price
Cons: durability/reliability

I bought this vehicle because I loved Volkswagon, it is the third one that I have owned. I love Volkswagon due to the experiences I have had with the other two I have owned (Rabbit & Jetta). They have great fuel economy and are not very expensive....

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Still unsure about quality of '96 Jetta GLS

by tcoulson
Feb 14 '02 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 3.0 Recommended: No 

Pros: Great gas mileage,fun to drive, my 2001 Isuzu Trooper is more fun to drive.
Cons: Maintenance Problems
The Bottom Line: Marginal, we have not had to pay a lot (yet), other than the deductible cost.

We bought this car new for my wife on March 1, 1996. We also bought the extended warranty for about $800. The kicker with the warranty from Congressional VW in Rockville, MD was that if you did not use it you would get your money back.

I...

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My big, dependable, box of a car!

by feudfanatic
Dec 20 '03 

Author's Product Rating: Product Rating: 4.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: Power sunroof, handling, brakes, performance (for a 4-cylinder), dependability!! YAY!
Cons: Nothing major: cupholders, lack of a glove box, hard front bucket seats.
The Bottom Line: Looking for a cheap reliable car? Buy a Jetta! If it was taken good care of, you should be as happy as I am with it!

I went into the market looking to buy a late-model Volkswagon Jetta over the summer (2000+) but in the process stumbled over this gem, a 1996 Jetta GL. I eventually went for it because it was soooo much cheaper. I've had it for maybe 5 months now, no ...

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