Re: 1.8T GLS Jetta Questions? (1.8 Turbo)
Our 2001 Jetta GLS 1.8T is now somewhere around 35K miles after two years of ownership.
We have had two minor problems: an intermittent rattle in the dashboard that the dealer couldn't find when it was in for warranty service, and the light in the climate control knob panel blew out post-warranty. There have been no other problems with the car. With the new cars, you'll get a 4/50 basic warranty; if the 2001's had this, both of the problems would still be covered, but the 2001's had a 2/24 basic and 10/100 drivetrain. See the VWVortex news item re: the warranty change.
Things I regret:
1. The beige leather interior--we both wear black leather jackets, and now the front seats are stained. The beige carpet looks like grey crap now. Well, she wanted black and tan...
2. Didn't get the mudflaps. I really wanted the dealer to throw them in, but they balked, so I decided to do it later and never got around to it. Mudflaps are a very old-school VW accessory that I don't have on the Passat, either--which is why the clearcoat has been sandblasted off just past the wheels all around (on the Passat, that is).
3. Never got the either of the CD players (trunk changer and in-dash single) or the upgraded speakers (these are all dealer-installed items), making do with a Sony Discman portable.
4. Fiancee insisted on an automatic--2001 was a four-speed non-Tiptronic, new ones are five-speed Tiptronic
5. Nobody makes a rear mount bike rack for newer VW's, cause the lower straps can't attch to anything solid--ended up with a Thule roof rack, which makes it a PITA to wash.
6. Didn't get the 17" wheels.
7. Never bought deep rubber floormats and trunk liner (see carpet comment, above).
Strange things about the car:
1. The owner's manual doesn't fit in the glovebox.
2. The turn signal is too easy to flip the wrong way, resulting in unintentional high beam activation.
3. Car could benefit from a steering damper. Steering response is a tad too quick, methinks. Maybe this is less of a problem with the 17" wheels?
4. The brakes have a little play, and then grab like glue. Very different than my Passat (Passat has better progression), and is a source of annoyance when I drive the Jetta. Hopefully this will be fixed with new brake pads (Mintex).
5. Cruise control operates bass ackwards as compared to my Passat.
Words of Advice:
Definitely get the sport suspension and 17" wheels. The sport suspension is a dramatic improvement over the standard suspension. If you decide to upgrade to an aftermarket kit (I would recommend the Eibach Pro-System+), you can defray some of the cost by selling off the sport suspension parts, which you wouldn't be able to do as easily with the standard suspension. The 17" wheels come with vastly better (and more expensive) tires, but you don't have to replace them with the same when they wear out. Also, the 17" wheels are on the heavy side, but they are attractive, and if you decide to upgrade to aftermarket wheels, again, you will find that they are much easier to sell than the standard 15" wheels.
And be careful with the cupholder. It's mounted right over the stereo, and the aforementioned fiancee managed to spill coffee down the front, making for sticky radio buttons...oy, veh. Come to think of it, that's probably what killed the dash light, too...