Looking to buy a '95-'97 Volkswagen Jetta (1 Viewer)

[CameronS]

About a week ago, I was in a car accident (not at fault, of course! ). The other guys insurance company still has my old car, but I've been told that they will probably total it. With that in mind, I've been looking at other cars in my price range and since become obsessed with looking at '95-'97 Volkswagen Jettas.
Does anyone own or have any opinions about them? I'm definitely looking for a 5-speed, hopefully with alloy wheels. Other things I'd like to find are V-6 and leather, but they're are a lot harder to come by.
Here are a few that I have been looking at. I'm not sure of exactly how much I will have to spend, but It will probably around $5,000, give or take, as I may use be willing to spend a little more.
This 1995 Volkswagen Jetta III GLS looks nice, with lower milage (compared to similar Jettas), but I'd like to get the price a little lower.
1995 Volkswagen Jetta III As with the model above, it is a "III" which, I believe, are made in Mexico, not Germany. I have no idea if this affects the quality of these models.
This 1997 Volkswagen Jetta is very tepmting to me considering it's blue, it's a V-6, it has leather interior, and a low, low price. The negative? a Whopping 186,000 miles. *sigh* It's attractive but I worry how long this would even last.
I still have a few days until I receive word on the amount of money I'll receive, but I'm just getting a little research out of the way.

 

[Philip_G]

oddly enough the same thing happened to my roommate, and we looked at a bunch of 95-97 jettas, well, a handfull as there arent many here. She had the same budget, around 5k, 6k tops.

I liked how the cars drove, they feel really heavy though, and the (2 litre I think) 4 cyl isn't enough power. The killer for me was the interior, couldn't stand it personally, really boxy and poorly laid out, and I swear there's no glovebox, or at least wasn't on this gl we looked at last.

she ended up with a toyota instead. none of the jettas in her price range we're in acceptable condition, and the paseo was 3500 bucks.. in the end, less car and no bank loan won out over a small loan and more car (college students)

I'd shy away from the higher mileage cars, they can be somewhat spendy to repair

so I guess what I'm saying in a round about way, I feel some of the jap cars provide a better value for the dollar, like the altimas..

 

[CameronS]

Would anyone be willing to do a CARFAX report for this vehicle?

3VWSC81H9SM078180

My ZIP is 27403 if needed.

 

[Mike Boniferro]

Well I just bought a 2L 97 Jetta GT and I love it. I find the interior is great, except for the colour that most of the A3 models have (80's party theme or something)
That VR6 looked real nice, except that the mileage was so high. They can be expensive to repair (especially if you go to VW dealerships) so it's good to get something around 60-80k miles if your looking in the 95-97 range (a little higher is no big deal... these are VWs and the engines run forever!)
I doubt that you'll be able to find an acceptable VR6 in your price range, but the 2L can be a really great car. It is very easy to mod, and with a K&N filter, some free mods to your airbox, chip and cam you are looking at a very quick car that handles extremely well. Also if you like to run the twisties, a really inexpensive set of strut/sway bars will have the car handling like a dream.
To get info or look for cars, a good site to check is http://forums.vwvortex.com and theres tonnes of info there about how to make your car perform the best that it can!
hope this helps!

 

[Zen Butler]

Would anyone be willing to do a CARFAX report for this vehicle?

I can do that for you Monday. Check back.

 

[CameronS]

Thanks for the advice Mike! I'd be really interested to see how things go with your Jetta and any mods you do to it, especially if I get one. I'm really getting an eye for these Jettas. I can't wait to go drive a few of them, just as soon as finals are done!
Awesome Zen! I'll defiantly check back on Monday.

 

[Philip Hamm]

My fiance just sold her 96 Jetta Trek. Great car. The 115 hp motor is definitely a little underpowered, but it's not that bad with the 5 speed. The Trek has nicer seats than the regular Jettas.

 

[Zen Butler]

Cameron, your Carfax results: vin # 3vwsc81h9sm078180
1. This is a 95 Volkwagen Jetta III GLS, has a $5,000 Carfax clean title history guarantee.
2. Clean Title History
3. Odometer Rollback check-No Odometer rollback detected
4. Problem Check-No Problems Found
5. Registration Check-Checked 7 types of vehicle registrations.
6. Vehicle History Deatails-6 total Vehicle History records found
Last Odo reading in 4/26/1999 69,328
asst info: no flood damage reported, no EML, No salvage or junk title found, no accident record found No failed emmissions, was previously leased.
This vehicle has been in North Carolina its whole life, looks clean, I have a copy of this Carfax, if you want it faxed to you just e-mail me. Hope this helps

 

[CameronS]

Zen, you are the man! Much appreciated.
Also, YGM

 

[Stephen_Opipari]

As with the model above, it is a "III" which, I believe, are made in Mexico, not Germany. I have no idea if this affects the quality of these models.

Cameron, The III just designates it as a MkIII body style of the Jetta. The current body style from 99 - present is the MkIV. All US Jetta's are from Mexico except some of the Special Editions such as the Wolfsburgh.
The only thing that I would reccomend is to try to find a VR6 if you can. It's a sweet engine with a ton of torque. It's too bad the 1.8T wasn't around at that time.
I believe the trim model desiganations are also the same on the MkIII's as the MkIV which means that there's the GL, GLS, GLX. The VR6 is probably only available in GLS's and should be standard in the GLX.
I know it was mentioned above to check out vwvortex.com but I wanted to support it since the site helped greatly in my decision to purchase a Jetta almost 2 years ago now.

 

[Andy F]

The VR6 was only available in the GLX for the mk3 models. The MK4's however have it as an option on the gls trim level and the GLI coming next year.

p.s. Congrats on the choice. I have a '98 GLX (mk3) that I am loving every minute of.

 

[Nate Public]

Hey guys,

I drive a '96 VW Trek, which is roughly the same trim as the old GLS. It runs a 5spd., 110 hp 4 cylinder, same as all the 4's in that group, and has a few perks like sunroof. I must say, that it is hard to find a more pleasant car to drive. Granted, it is pretty, shall we say, economy, since the 4cyl is kind of a drag.

I know the prices in my neck of the world are all around 5-7g's. Absolutely look for a VR-6, just be careful of the original driver. Sports cars can be abused by poor clutchers and what-not. Also check the electronics like your life depended on it, that is a sore point among my fellow jetta owners around here...

If you have time, check the plastic rivets on the nose and tail. That stuff has a tendency for falling loose. I had to reinforce that and glue back on the door trim after a hot summer.

OH yeah, I love my white faced touring guages. It sounds kind of stupid...but I wouldn't trade 'em.

Good luck in your search. I know there are a bunch for sale around here if you want some comparison. I doubt you'd drive out to Ohio, though!!!

Peace,

Nate

 

[Stephen_Opipari]

Andy,
Thanks for correcting me.

the GLI coming next year

And doesn't it look sweet! The 337GTI looks really sweet too.
Personally, I'd like to get a used Casablanca White S4 for my next car. But with used ones still over 33k in most cases, I'll be waiting awhile.:frowning:

 

[Lisel]

My ex-husband's '99 Jetta Wolfsburg (A3, replaced the GLS that model year) was manufactured in Mexico. It was a nice, tough little car. I recall that he put 60K miles on it in less than two years, including a cross-country trip, with no incident or extraordinary expense. Good luck with your car purchase.

Lisel