Is the '99 Volkswagon Jetta a good starter car?

Don't get frightened by the haters. I don't know what their problem is. My '98 New Beetle has been super-reliable and a great car to drive. You just don't want to get one that's not been maintained. Get one with maintenance records intact, and still take it for evaluation to an independent mechanic before signing the purchase. Which engine are you considering? My 2.0L is one of the most reliable - 115K on it and counting :)

No. A 99 VW (or Audi) is not a good first, second, third, fourth or fifth car either.

I'm going to paraphrase a story I heard re: 99 VWs:

A guy goes into a VW dealer wanting to buy a new VW. He mentions to the salesman that he'd owned a 99 Jetta.

The salesman replies: "You owned a 99 Jetta and you still want to do business with us?"

VWs from the late 90s and early 2000s are among the least reliable cars you can get in the US. Avoid like the ******* plague. The same applies to Audis, but most especially Audis that are based on VW models (most of the smaller ones). 1999 is the most notorious year of them all.

http://carsurvey.org/modelyear_Volkswagen_Jetta_19...

If you want a Jetta, get one from 1990 or earlier.

If you want a European car, get a BMW, Volvo, or MAYBE a Saab. (Be ready to do your own maintenance. Get some tools and learn how to use them.)

If you want a reliable, economical car, your best bets in your price range are all Japanese.

I have a 96 Jetta with 165,000 miles on it and it runs like a champ. The only time it over heated was when i was sitting in traffic and not moving for like 20 minutes but once i got moving the temp went back to normal within 2 minutes.

no! do not get a volkswagon! period! they are not reliable cars. trust me. i have a friend who is a mechanic for volkswagons, and he even says they are terrible cars. the only reason he drives one is because the company he works for gave him a free one! he is constantly talking and complaining about the unreliabilty of his car. i was debating getting a volkswagon jetta myself until i talked to him and learned a little more about them. the jetta may look nice and like a great car, but looks can be decieving. the engines constantly have problems. he is always talking about transmition problems.

DON'T GET A VOLKSWAGON!!!

Volkswagons have very poor reliability. Try a used Toyota or Honda. You may get a good deal on a Nissan, those are reliable and cheaper as the demand for them is less. Good luck.

Stay away from VW and Audi. I own a 2000 Audi A4 (bought when new). And VW and Audi are very expensive to maintain. They cost something like 2x to 4x of Honda (my other car).

I do most of repairs on my Honda. The parts are cheap and the fix is easy. The Audi is almost impossible to fix on my own. And given I've even done clutch replacements on FWD - I'm pretty good.

Good Luck...

get a real car something with a big block 427 ford galixie ply Fury III w/440 455 trans am

I say go for a used BMW or Audi, really good quality cars and the engine will last forever.

any car is the best starter car

if it works

if it can get you where u need to go

thats an amazing car. its nice and compact, and german cars always last a while.

I wish i had a jetta for my first car.