2003 VW Jetta 1.8t Engine .. Worth it?

Question 1
2003 VW Jetta 1.8t Engine .. Worth it?...  I am considering buying this Jetta for $4500, and it has 109,000 miles on it. I am taking it to a mechanic who specializes in VWs (and is not the person selling the car :P) to have him look at it but I'm just looking for some preliminary advice.

I know that it has a lot of miles, but if it's been maintained (which the carfax claims it has) do you think it'll be worth the money? What costs can I expect to incur within the next 3 years? This will be my first car and I plan to commute 20 miles each way, 4 days a week.


Thanks!

Answers
1)   There is a reason why a VW is in that dealership. Do not buy it. Those easily break down, get a Ford. - Terrence-Terry

2)   From my experience German cars are way over engineered, and can be problematic. That car has a lot of miles, and German after market parts a very expensive. I would rather buy a used Civic, or Corolla for that price. - GOW!

3)   Unless you understand the pitfalls of owning a turbocharged engine, the 1.8T in particular, stay away from it. It needs premium fuel, it needs synthetic oil, plastic water pump impeller, timing belt which need to be replaced every 60K miles. A nice Civic or Corolla will give you less grief and be much cheaper to maintain and operate. - pbleek

4)   I guess I will be the only one to chime in on the vw side. I have owned 4 VW's thus far, and really have not had any big problems. I currently own a 1.8t which is in my 2005 GTI. I had a small problem when the car was never(6000 miles) but it really wasn't a big problem. The bolts securing the downpipe to the turbo came loose and needed to be replaced. Other than that, I have a car that is just as luxurious as anything else on the road. Sure, you can get a camry, or other japanese car, but will it be as valuable in terms of quality? These cars anymore are filled with cheap plastics and seats that are pretty crappy and uncomfortable.

Not so sure what yours has, but in mine I have heated seats, 6 cd disc changer, the monsoon stereo, power sunroof, heated mirrors, and power throughout. This car has been very good to me so far and from what I have read on vwvortex, these cars will last a long time with a little bit of care.

These motors are very sought after in the vw line due to their easy and relatively cheap performance upgrades. If you would ever care to get a little more power out of 'er, computer programming will give you a lot more power while only needing 93 octane.

Oil changes are important especially when you have a turbo'd vehicle. And make sure to change that oil filter every change. The timing belt is a must every 60,000 miles, so I would check and see if that has been done recently. Other than that, if they say it looks like a solid deal, I'd go for it. - kevin

5)   If the car has been well maintained it should go 250-300k, But that is a standard 1.8. The turbo can take years off a car if the previous owner over reved it or stomped it to death.

The VW brand has a lot of Naysayers because they don't have the "Maintenance" mind set. They are for all getting in a car turning it over and going.

Timing belts do need to be changed on every car at 60-75K that is a fact
Honda's stretch it to 80k but it still has to be changed, and the fact that most things that have to be worked on a Honda if it is the radiator or a/c systems you have to remove a crap load of sheet metal
or body parts to replace it. Replacing a Alternator on a Honda is more of a PITA than a VW.

Don't believe every thing you read here go to Consumer reports and see what the track record is. - Briano

6)   All these honda boys need to get a life (a VW that is over engennered) wow so what is an Audi then a spaceship. any way i would say that they are good cars but have some extra money lying around JUST in case - veedub514


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Question 2
would putting in a chip in my 2004 VW GTI....?...  really mess it up in the long run. i heard that putting a chip does increase the horsepower, but eventually destorys the pistons and messing up your engine???

Answers
1)   It doesn't increase anything. It simply moves low end horsepower, to top end.

So, on a dyno, it looks like you have more max power. It's easy to sell it this way, because all anyone looks at is max power,they never pay any attention to how the power is distributed.

But you lose low end acceleration.

And yes, you eventually destroy your engine. - Vipassana

2)   This really depends on the chip and the level of performance being generated simply by your engine having a new chip tell it what to do.

Generally people won't just throw a chip in a stock car (cause this won't give you the numbers you think you'll get)...chips were intended to be used as a supplement to create hp when you've changed things like your cam, injectors, intake, fuel rail, headers and exhaust...They assist in making power when you've customized your engine to the point that factory tuning isn't giving the car what it needs.

Don't buy a preprogrammed chip- they are crap. Avoid chips you program yourself too...good luck understanding everything.

Bring your car to a speed shop with a Dyno and they can sell you a chip they will program based on your needs. - Big L

3)   If you just get the (Stage 1) Re-flash because Euro cars don't have Chips per say they just re-flash the ecu. It wont hurt the car if you take care of it but once u start building the motor yes things will fail sooner because of the added strain but if you get a basic re-flash you will be fine also...What motor are we talking about 2.Slow VR6 or the 1.8t it really depends on the motor also....cheers - veedub514


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Question 3
can lambroghini's come in automatic or just standard?...  I've been curious to know, I've never actually seen a girl drive one but I saw Ciara drove one in high high heels: http://www.necolebitchie.com/

so I was just wondering : )

Answers
1)   The car she is driving is automatic - how do i know this? You can see the paddle shifters in the picture.

Hey, little know fact about Ciara...she was born with both male and female parts...yeah I know, gross isn't it...? - Big L

2)   If you got the money you can custom make any car to your liking, however I think it would be retarted to buy a lambo as an automatic. - daniel

3)   Most new lambo's come in a semi-automatic (if you set it, it's auto, if you choose to switch, it's goes to manual). The reason for this is because few people who buys one actually knows the power and gearbox, and tend to make a mess of things when they try to drive it manually for the first time. - Master_W


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Question 4
Mods For 2004 VW GTI 1.8T?...  I just recently bought a 2004 VW GTI 1.8T with 54K. I was wondering what kind of inexpensive mods I should put on it to increase the acceleration and horsepower. I was thinking a chip or something like that.

Answers
1)   Bigger inter cooler, chip and cam. Injectors and a bigger turbo are good ways to increase the power but will cost you quite a bit more.

You can easily get that 1.8T to beat the crap out of an RS4. Go look at VW 1.8T forums there is a ton of info out there about how to make your ride a rocket. - Big L

2)   chip~$500
catback exhaust~$500
frontmount intercooler~$500
diverter valve~$150 - edizzle

3)   eddie is wrong.

chip 500
exhaust 1000
intercooler 650-750 - Ryan M


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Question 5
Is a Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI known as a Golf 6?...  For example, on the Top Gear website you can view the review of different types of Golfs such as Golf 5, Golf 6. Golf GTI etc. but theres no TDI model there.

Answers
1)   A Golf 6, is the newest version of the Golf. The TDi should be out soon. - djaca70

2)   The '6' stands for mark 6. As in the sixt generation Golf. - A V

3)   They don't really have the TDi's on Top Gear, as Clarkson doesn't like diesel (remeber, he said it's like driving a tractor). But no, the 1.6 does not equal as the mark 6. - Master_W


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