Re: 2003 Jetta GL... 115hp.. any good? (fitch)
Good deal. If he is getting 14k trade on a Lancer, he'll almost surely have to pay full sticker, as the dealers generally up the trade value OR discount the car, rarely both. I'd see if there weren't any 2002 models still hiding out, too. They'd be more willing to discount them as well. Also seems like they are usually eager to move four door Golfs if your friend is interested, although they seem hard to find with manual trannies around here anyway. There are a lot of good cars in this class, and imo, the Lancer isn't one of them. The Jetta is better in nearly every respect (again imo), not to mention the rest of the pack, Imprezas, Foci, Proteges, Civics, etc.
If this were 1952, and VW were Chevrolet, the 2.0 would be the Stovebolt six. Glamorous, no, damned near indestructible, yes. And although no monster, 2.0 VW's are hardly slow. To me, it's a much more rewarding engine than some of the Japanese 4-pots claiming higher hp, but still can't manage to generate any sort of tug at the back of the neck when provoked (not all of them though).