My new girlfriend lives 120 miles away and im thinking of seeing her weekly, so having looked around, ive found a nice example of the Jetta TD.
Just wondering if anyone has had experience of them, ie what are they like to drive, esp long distance and is there much to look for mechanically?
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stu
With an earth-shattering 59 horsepower in some variants; you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.
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About 10 years ago I had a 1.6 petrol Jetta, which I used throughout mainland Europe.
The seats in it felt uncomfortably hard when I sat in the car at the beginning of the day, but 600 miles later I could climb out of the car with no aches or pains anywhere.
Despite having over 200,000 kms on the clock when I bought it, the car never failed to complete a journey. Of course it needed bits and pieces replacing over the time I owned it - mainly suspension and steering components, but the reliability was better than the Volkswagens I have owned or driven since. An added bonus that German & Swedish (now GSF) were able to supply all the parts it needed at ridiculously low prices.
At the time I owned the Jetta I also had a similarly aged Citroen BX 1.6 to use in the UK. The BX had a better ride and roadholding, and whilst the engine was faster and more economical than the VW, the VW engine just had an intangible sort of niceness to it - but as you're looking at a diesel I don't know why I'm wasting your time by going on about the petrol engines.
Anyway, the Jetta just felt so much better put together than the (equally reliable) Citroen did. It was a very understated but capable car, and I'm getting quite nostalgic for it now.
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Try to find the same era Golf in GTD form - it's the 1600 TD also fitted to the Audi 80. Lovely engine, 80 bhp, and fun to drive. About 50 mpg I'm told. The trim on the GTD is very close to the GTi, so it looks OK.
Here's one on Ebay - tinyurl.com/34fomd
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The only thing I know about old Jettas is that HJ rates them highly (see CBCB).
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Jamesh266 sums them up pretty well ,even to the seats being hard on first appraisal
you said you wanted an old slogger
well this is one at the top
a good choice
make sure it has a long mot for the suspension bits as mentioned plus dodgy brake pipes
make sure the head hasnt been off recently
make double sure it doesnt boil even if you can only leave it ticking over for 20 minutes with bonnet shut and wait for fan to cut in (a common failure)
when warm take of oil filler cap and make sure its not puffing like a steam train up a big incline
must have power steering in my opinion
dont forget your pipe and the rug to cover up the sun diluted back seat squab
£395? is it
3 locked freds in a row,is this a record 45? or a 78?
Edited by bell boy on 13/10/2007 at 11:54
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Its the 80 bhp Turbo diesel, not the non-charged version so hopefully not that slow.
Its also got a full service history and has been owned by current owner ten years, which sounded like a committed owner who liked the car.
I prefer the Jetta because it has the big boot and if im honest, its quite a handsome looking car with the later big bumpers.
I did own a 1988 Polo once, that is the last VW I owned and it served me well - I presume many of the controls will be somewhat familiar?
It doesnt have PAS to my knowledge, the only downside, but ill cope, I need the exercise. Maybe a warm up in the mornings before I drive off?!
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stu
The 59hp unit with a 1V engine code, built '89-'93, is a turbo.
Not all are the 80hp variant - the most common was the JR with 69hp.
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I think the 59 BHP was the Umwelt version which I think did have a turbo your right.
The non-turbo is 54 bhp according to the tables.
The one im looking at is def the CL TD altho you could be right that its the 70 bhp unit.
The important figure though is not the BHP but the torque - the 1.8 petrol ( not GTi ) puts out 92, the TD puts out 98, so despite low power, it apparently has some guts.
I used to own a Sierra 1.8 without PAS, now thats a real tank, so the Jetta cant be any worse. Besides, I spend alot of time working in gym on upper body so doing it while im driving is perfect!
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It doesnt have PAS to my knowledge
In which case I'd think twice about going for it. I once drove FIL's (1.6? petrol) without PAS and it was an absolute pig to manoeuvre at low speeds. With a heavier diesel lump up front I dread to think what it's like. Still, if you want to cancel that gym membership......!!
There's a huge variety of cars available around that 'price point' - I hope you re-consider.
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I've had a 1989 four-speed 1.3 petrol Jetta and followed up with the big bumper 1.6TX (registered March 1990) for a bit more overtaking oomph.
I went all over the UK in both and was never down by either, even though I had the 1.6TX for eight years and it was 13 years old when I sold it; I had bought the 1.3 with 66,600k on the clock....:-)
The build quality was above much of the opposition at the time and the overall experience led to the acquisition of my current Bora (1.6 16v petrol).
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Stu,
Not sure about the Jetta '89 but I had a '90 Mk2 Golf GTi and I swear if I didn't get a company car at the time Id' still be driving that big bumper minus PAS now. PAS is not such a biggy, even on GTi rims it wasn't a problem for my wife.
Yes the seats didn't look comfortable but I frequently took ours from Wilts. to Northumberland without a twinge.
Just look for rust around the rear boot mounts and the panel between the three-quarter panels. Otherwise, pretty sturdy vehicles in my experience.
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240 mile round trip in a 1989 Jetta?
Seriously, if the budget wont stretch any further simply get the train. It will be less hassle, more comfortable and more reliable and I'm not joking.
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240 mile round trip in a 1989 Jetta? Seriously if the budget wont stretch any further simply get the train. It will be less hassle more comfortable and more reliable and I'm not joking.
Are you stark raving mad? The car takes 1 hr 55 mins, the train, 3 hrs 50 mins IF and thats the operative word, the trains run on time. Maybe you have all day to watch the trees go by, I do not!
My ex wife used to do 500 mile round trips in a 1980 Talbot Avenger on a fortnightly basis without a hitch, what exactly is the problem with a far newer VW known for its durability? Really annoys me this 'must have modern' attitude that has no basis on the facts of the useability of older cars.
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I had two Golfs of the same age as the Jetta you are looking at. Both 1.6 petrols (a CL and Driver). They were excellent long distance vehicles. The seats were hard, but as said above, you could get out and walk at the end of a long journey and feel fresh. The TD was always meant to be a sound engine - not very fast (none of the VW engines of that era were powerful, but all had better than average torque - even the petrols) - but certainly able to keep up with traffic.
Neither of mine had PWS and both were driven by females who did not complain at all about heavy steering. One was a very slim and classy lady who is probably now driving a MINI cabrio or a Range Rover Sport.
I would go for it. Very good cars.
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I think I am going to go for it, just comes down to what I can get it for.
The price is £900 ono. It has virtually full VW SH from new, is rust free and I mean totally rust free, done 100k with MOTs to back it up and in immaculate cond, hardly any sign of wear at all. You would swear it was a 30k car without looking at speedo.
I know thats alotta cash for an '89 car, but its also alotta car for £900 if that makes sense. Also has MOT to the end of next summer and tax till xmas.
I think that based on its higher than average condition, esp for a diesel which are usually abused badly by this age, it may be worth high £700's, what does the BR think?
Ive looked at quite a few different cars, Peugeots, Fords, Vauxhalls and such like, and despite many of them being newer than the Jetta, all of them were tatty and missing service history, while still asking similar money, part of the reason why the Jetta is looking like a good individual car against the knackered out stuff that makes up the majority of whats on sale.
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>>Yes the seats didn't look comfortable>>
Exactly but, as you and others have pointed out, they proved supremely comfortable even after 200+ miles each way.
stunorthants26, to be honest, I wouldn't mind betting a pound to a penny that you could easily find a big bumper model for about the same price you have in mind for the 1989 vehicle.
I used to average just over 40mpg in the 1.6TX, about the same as the 1.3, as the latter's engine had to work hard to pull what is a heavy body.
Two other points. The deceptively sized boot is so huge (23cu ft) that you may have to climb in to retrieve small objects from the back; secondly, the replacement Vento, although good, never seemed to match the Jetta overall.
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id say go for it if its in tidy condition and priced right
its never going to be a racing car or luxury cruiser , but theyre solid trusty old cars that are cheap n easy to fix and maintain etc
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She must be some lady! : ) I
I like the Jetta, an honest car.... and you just know it'll last forever. Somebody mentioned trains earlier... I would rather sit in a traffic jam for 5 hours with my radio/MP3 and a decent heating system than sit on an overheated train full of people you don't know and their associated unpleasantnesses. That's why trains will never take over the transport system.
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She is a fantastic girl yeah and a perfect excuse to buy an old car!
I did search for an old Merc diesel, but in the end, the choice was limited and insurance prohibitive unless it was the very old 200 D W123, which is very rare these days.
The Jetta is far more economical, nearly as well made and much cheaper to insure, plus it is actually rarer than the Mercs by all accounts. Very few Jettas about on the market that I could see. Just lucky I seem to have come across a good one.
The only alternatives ive found is a Citroen ZX and a Rover 218 TD but neither are a patch on the VW.
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>>Very few Jettas about on the market that I could see>>
The Golf always outsold the Jetta, Vento and Bora by at least three to one (people here prefer hatchbacks in most cases), whereas it's the opposite in the States and other countries.
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