Exacly one month ago my wife and I bought our first brand spankin' new car. After comparing the Honda Civiv and the Jetta we went with the Jetta.

Let me tell you, I love this car.

Now I know that most of my feelings come from driving a brand new car and that I would love any new car. That said there reasons I love this car:

1) Engine: We have the Turbo Diesel and let me tell you along with the great gas mileage (rated at 42/49) it's got some get up and go. The car doesn't have a lot of horsepower (90) but what it lacks in HP it makes up for in Torque (130). It will get out of it's own way.

2) Interior: I'm not a small guy and I fit comfortably in this car. It is roomier and more comfortable than that Civic. I don't know how roomy the backseat is but I've had friends back there and they didn't complain. The nice thing is that the back seat is a 60/40 split fold down to make the huge trunk even bigger. Plus the bottom of the rear seats come up and forward so the rear seats can fold flat.

3) Safety: The Jetta has a 5-Star safety rating and airbags pretty much everywhere.

4) Driving and Handling: Being a new car it drives and handles like a dream. I came from a 1990 Civic that drove like a go-kart according to my wife. We went with the 5-speed manual model. The only strange thing is that Reverse is up and to the right but since my wife's old Jetta did that as well, I was ready for it. The clutch engages a little lower than the old Jetta but like that car, if you ease the clutch out, the car will creep forward without feeling like it's going to stall.

5) Appearance: I like the look of the car, we have the 4-door sedan in Alaska green. The only complaint we have is that it has a tan interior that will more than likely show dirt faster than a dark interior would.

6) Sound System: This is the only non-base model feature that is in the car. It's a Monsoon sound system that sounds really good. I'm not much of an audiophile so that's about all I can say about that, it sounds good.

7) Gadgets and Stuff: I will be the first to say that power windows are the spawn of the devil. I hate them and hate the fact that I had to buy a car with them. That said, as long as they work they're cool. Our car also has the keyless entry which is very fun. The keychain also has a panic button to set off the alarm as well as a remote trunk unlock. Now What I do not like is the fact that the only external unlocking point is on the driver's side. The power mirrors are nice as well as the de-fogging feature on them. The car also come with not one, not two but three cup holders in the middle. My only complaint is that while the front seats fold back, it's not a lever-style action. You have to turn a knob what seems to be about a million times to get the seat down.

Overall: We are extremely happy with the Jetta TDI. It's a little odd having to hunt down diesel gas for it but fortunately most stations in my town seem to carry it.
Amount Paid (US$): 18000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: TDI