Wednesday, October 20, 2010

is a 2000 jetta a good first car for a 17 year old boy?

Question 1
is a 2000 jetta a good first car for a 17 year old boy?...  

Answers
1)   Be prepared to pay EXTRAORDINARY amounts for routine maintenance (tune up, tires, light bulb replacement). The cars get good gas mileage, and will run for a long time, but $900 for a tune up is not unheard of. The engines are installed in such a way that they must be "dropped" in order for the mechanic to access everything. - Bethany

2)   If you can afford maintance for the car, it is much higher. Brand new it only had a 24 thousand mile warranty from the factory. However it was the best car I've ever owned, And that says alot considering I had a Jaguar at that time too. - Jennifer Heying

3)   I work on my Golf which is where the Jetta is derived, I have never had to drop the engine, did Bethany mean the engine floor panel !!!!!! The Jetta is a sound car but in Europe it does not really have the image a 17 years old would want. - L G

4)   i have had two 2000 jettas actually. i am 18 about to be 19. my first one was a 2000 jetta 2.0 4cyl automatic when i was 16, it was a slow car, but was a gas saver got really good gas mileage. never had a problem with it, until i got hit by a car, and it threw me into a van. safe? yeah it saved my life.
my new car is a 2000 vw jetta vr6, the 6 cylinder, 5 speed. gets good gas mileage, 20-22 city. and around 28-30 highway. and i have had no real problems besides a serpentine belt replacement, which every car needs, and a my radiator had a slight hairline fracture, which every car thats 10 years old will have its problems. overall, i am in love with my jetta and everybody loves my car. I will say its a fun car to drive, gets good mileage, and after i have done a few things to it, its a head turner for sure.

and to the person who posted this

"Be prepared to pay EXTRAORDINARY amounts for routine maintenance (tune up, tires, light bulb replacement). The cars get good gas mileage, and will run for a long time, but $900 for a tune up is not unheard of. The engines are installed in such a way that they must be "dropped" in order for the mechanic to access everything."
--- they are completely wrong. extraordinary amounts for a light bulb replacement? go to autozone buy a $5 dollar bulb, open the hood, pop off the bulb lid, unplug the bulb and replace. close hood. how easy is that? and extraordinary amounts for tires?..... just because its a volkswagen doesnt mean its expensive to replace tires on a volkswagen. i can put 500$ tires on my car, a honda, a nissan, anything. the price of tires dont change just because you own a volkswagen smart one. and i have never seen anybody spend 900$ even at the dealer on a tune up... and no matter what car you drive any tune up on any car will be expensive at any dealer that you go to, nissan, toyota, volkswagen, honda, just because they are the dealer. like again, just because its a volkswagen doesnt mean the tune ups are more expensive.
and the engines being dropped part... i have the 6 cylinder jetta, which is a big motor crammed into a little car. not once have i had to drop the motor to work on it at all or know of anyone dropping their motor to replace something. if you know of someone dropping the motor to replace something, then they did all that non extra needed work.

"Be prepared to pay EXTRAORDINARY amounts for routine maintenance (tune up, tires, light bulb replacement)"

still makes me laugh to myself for that person saying that. - Eric

5)   I'm 20 and I have a 2001 Jetta VR6, and out of the 3 cars I've had, this one is by far my favorite. It will be a little more expensive than an American car to fix/maintain, but if you treat it right and don't drive like a 17 year old boy would, then you shouldn't have to worry about that much. I owned a BMW and a Lexus before this one, and it's much cheaper than those, but like I said, it will be a little more costly than an American car to fix. I have had the car for a little over a year now, and I haven't had any major problems, and she runs like she's brand new. I would definitely recommend it. Just make sure you can afford the insurance on it. - Ryan


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Question 2
can you resurface an oem jetta 1.8t clutch?...  i have a 2000 vw 1.8t and the oem clutch is slipping and was wondering if i can resurface it rather than replacing it. i am also getting mixed answers from mechanics saying i can and cant resurface the clutch.

Answers
1)   A clutch is made much like a brake pad with pads bonded to a steel plate. You can't resurface a clutch. They may have meant that you'll have to have your flywheel resurfaced, but a clutch, no. And you need a new pressure plate. If you skimp on any of these 3, clutch, pressure plate, resurface flywheel, it will be slipping again in a week. - Woooohoooo

2)   if it is slipping then too much material is gone already and it is time to replace the clutch. - mdk68gto, ase certified m tech

3)   Replace the clutch and pressure plate. Resurface the flywheel. - Luis

4)   Louis tells the normal thing to do. The other two do not have a clue about auto maintenance.

I ask them where do they go to buy clutches for antique vehicles??? So short sighted. Do they understand where hamburgers come from?

The truth is you can't afford to resurface your clutch disc and you can't find anyone to do it either. Best bet for VW folks is a nice NEW Sachs Unit.

If you had a 1930's Auburn and were dialed into that culture of owners they would put you onto someone who could rebuild them.

Not a worry

ASE Cert Auto Tech, Since 1978, 2003 GLI 6 spd MT - sci


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Question 3
wheres the petrol cap release button ?...  Just been issued with VW golf 1.6 4/5 door and very basic instructions. can't find the button which is supposed to be just inside the ddor to release petrol cap. Can anyone help a thick blonde out who's used to driving fords or vauxhalls?
Thanks in advance...

Answers
1)   it should be on the drivers door - robert d

2)   hi there, i used to have a small lever by the side of my seat, on the right by the door frame in the middle. open your driver door and look down the side of your seat. hope you find it :-) - zoe d

3)   I have a 2001 Jetta, and it's in the door right in front of the little compartment. Did you try looking there? It's right next to the trunk release button. I'm sure it's probably in around the same spot on a Golf. - Ryan

4)   What year is it? The '97 Passat we had didn't have a fuel lid handle, it simply unlocked with the doors, same goes for my 2010 Golf. As long as the doors are unlocked, try lightly pressing in on the rearward side of the cap and see if it pops open. - Richard R


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Question 4
is a 2000 passat a good first car for a 17 year old boy?...  

Answers
1)   No foreign car is good for any car for anyone! Buy an American car (Ford, Chevy, Chrysler). And buy something that YOU can afford with money that YOU earned, not money your parents have given you. And don't forget gas, insurance and license. You need to have a job with income to pay those recurring expenses. It's not just THE CAR. I'm 17, and I don't have a car because I never worked or earned any money. My parents told me that I need to. - Brieanne

2)   Same answer to the question about the Jetta with an addendum::
Be prepared to pay EXTRAORDINARY amounts for routine maintenance (tune up, tires, light bulb replacement). The cars get good gas mileage, and will run for a long time, but $900 for a tune up is not unheard of. The engines are installed in such a way that they must be "dropped" in order for the mechanic to access everything.
I own a 2000 Passat. I had to replace my entire drivers side blinker housing about 6 months ago. Retail for the part was $135. I shop around, and get many quotes before having work done on my car, but it is still always expensive. I had my water pump replaced at the same time I had my last tune up. The cost was $1300. - Bethany

3)   Passat 2000 its good car and maybe its better then Jetta ( Jetta its basically Golf-sedan). For 17 years old person, not important Jetta or Passat, I recommended diesel TDI (Turbocharged-Direct-Injection) engine,thats a good option its have excellent fuel mileage and you don' gonna have concerns to go somewhere - you gonna have freedom to drive. VW Passat its holding excellent on the road, its car with very good stability. - Goran

4)   once again my answer. i prefer the jetta over a passat any day by the way.
and to bethany, you got screwed over on your water pump, i replaced my cousins water pump on his passat for $71.95 for the part, and it took maybe two hours to do.
my friend john from florida, replaced his passats water pump total he paid 193.45$ and his part was $85.00.

and the whole driver side blinker housing part for a passat retail from 60-80$

i have had two 2000 jettas actually. i am 18 about to be 19. my first one was a 2000 jetta 2.0 4cyl automatic when i was 16, it was a slow car, but was a gas saver got really good gas mileage. never had a problem with it, until i got hit by a car, and it threw me into a van. safe? yeah it saved my life.
my new car is a 2000 vw jetta vr6, the 6 cylinder, 5 speed. gets good gas mileage, 20-22 city. and around 28-30 highway. and i have had no real problems besides a serpentine belt replacement, which every car needs, and a my radiator had a slight hairline fracture, which every car thats 10 years old will have its problems. overall, i am in love with my jetta and everybody loves my car. I will say its a fun car to drive, gets good mileage, and after i have done a few things to it, its a head turner for sure.

and to the person who posted this

"Be prepared to pay EXTRAORDINARY amounts for routine maintenance (tune up, tires, light bulb replacement). The cars get good gas mileage, and will run for a long time, but $900 for a tune up is not unheard of. The engines are installed in such a way that they must be "dropped" in order for the mechanic to access everything."
--- they are completely wrong. extraordinary amounts for a light bulb replacement? go to autozone buy a $5 dollar bulb, open the hood, pop off the bulb lid, unplug the bulb and replace. close hood. how easy is that? and extraordinary amounts for tires?..... just because its a volkswagen doesnt mean its expensive to replace tires on a volkswagen. i can put 500$ tires on my car, a honda, a nissan, anything. the price of tires dont change just because you own a volkswagen smart one. and i have never seen anybody spend 900$ even at the dealer on a tune up... and no matter what car you drive any tune up on any car will be expensive at any dealer that you go to, nissan, toyota, volkswagen, honda, just because they are the dealer. like again, just because its a volkswagen doesnt mean the tune ups are more expensive.
and the engines being dropped part... i have the 6 cylinder jetta, which is a big motor crammed into a little car. not once have i had to drop the motor to work on it at all or know of anyone dropping their motor to replace something. if you know of someone dropping the motor to replace something, then they did all that non extra needed work.

"Be prepared to pay EXTRAORDINARY amounts for routine maintenance (tune up, tires, light bulb replacement)"

still makes me laugh to myself for that person saying that. - Eric


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Question 5
should i buy a VW beetle with 150000 miles on the clock?...  Car has full service history & is a two litre.

Answers
1)   If the price is good, service records are reasonably up to date and the car looks good enough to please you. I would in a heartbeat.

WHY? In 1996 I bought a badly neglected 1980 VW Sirocco with 198,000 miles on it. I only replaced two things, the timing belt and the passenger side C.V. joint. Drove it from Chicago to L.A. and back, then on to Virgina Beach V.A. and back home to Chicago all the while that 16 year old, severely beaten VW carried me through 4 mountain ranges, across the plains states at 90mph for 48 stopping only for fuel, snacks and restroom breaks. After that "moto-cidal" endurance race of mine the ONLY thing that forced me to pull over and rest after the 48hr run was that I had succeeded in whipping the gearbox lube into a froth that made 4th & 5th gear howl deafeningly. So I just pulled over rested 6 hours while the gear lube settled and then was back on my way happily.

So yeah, if the timing belt and CV shafts are good (really just the passenger side) then go for it!
100,000 miles on a VW is just broken-in. ;) - Duane

2)   You should check out http://newbeetle.org and get with other owners of these usually well-made cars, now with 150k on the clock you may experience some electrical issues, everyone I know with one of these at some point has had them. They are expensive to get worked on, and that is usually infrequent but good information to know. - Jeremiah R

3)   Anytime you think about getting into a foreign vehicle, you also have to consider how much will it cost to make repairs. VW Beetles are no exception to this rule, and you will find that VW's are very expensive to work on. It's not so much the parts themselves that are expensive, it's the maintenance costs from your local shops. For example; if I were to buy a new timing belt for my VW Passat it would cost under $200.00, now the maintenance fees included are well over $700.00.

If it fits your price range, then go for it...

I also have an excellent website you can go to buy accessories for your VW... - Zack Daniels


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