We bought a 96 Jetta GLS thinking that we would own the car for 10 years. It was 1 year old, had 12k miles. We had heard nothing but good things about the older Jettas (before 1990), and so we bought ours loaded w/ an extended 100K mile bumper to bumper warranty. The goal was to own a car I didn't have to work on; if on the off chance it broke, I could take it into the dealership, and they would take care of it...

First off, let me say that if you live in South Carolina, do not buy a VW. If you do, you will have to go out of state to find someone competent. I say that because I have been without my car for 7 days now, as it is in the shop. It has been in the shop every month for the last 5 months; twice last month, twice the month before that. Here is a short list of some of the things that gone wrong:


every piece of molding replaced at least once; several pieces replaced 2 or
3 times.
(the new pieces don't match the remaining pieces because the color
fades in about 3 months)
factory tape player replaced 3 times
factory cd changer replaced 2 times
cruise control replaced
driver's side electric window motor replaced
hood latch replaced (due to recall)
driver's door lock replaced (the assembly actually fell out of the door - I guess this is a common problem)
twice it had engine faults
problems with rear breaks

The problem isn't so much $50 deductible I have to pay every month on the extended warranty, it's the fact that I have to take my car into the shop every month - This month it's been in 3 times for a total of 10 days! VW customer service, whom I've called 7 times have been less than helpful.
If you look at the other epinions for these Jettas, keep in mind how long these people writing the reviews have had them. Have they had their car for a year yet? Read the reviews of people who have had their car for more than 2 years, and then ask yourself if you really want one.