1997 Volkswagen Jetta

The Germans know how to make cars. Just look at the original VW Beetle. It was simple, durable and affordable. This little car was able to put millions of people on the road, and do it with style. With a similar simplicity, the '94-'98 VW Jetta delivered a cheap means of transportation to the masses. It was simple, well built and offered loads of German style.

Jettas came in seven flavors; the base GL, the budget Wolfsburg, TDI (turbo-diesel), Trek (came with a Trek mountain bike mounted on the roof), sporty GT, GLS (lots of equipment) and the GLX (had all the equipment). Safety equipment included dual airbags and daytime running lights. ABS came standard on the GLX but was optional on the GL, TDI, and GLS. Standard power came from a 2.0-liter, 115-horsepower 4-cyl, which was mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. The GLX got a 172-hp 2.8L V6, and TDI models were powered by, you guessed it, a diesel! Standard equipment included a rear window defroster, bucket seats, power door locks and a theft-deterrent system.

This is a surprisingly fun car to drive and the V6 provides plenty of Go. But Jetta's can be temperamental, so shop for a good mechanic before you shop for your Jetta. . YEAR TO YEAR CHANGES FOR THE VOLKSWAGEN JETTA: 1995: All Jettas got height-adjustable manual front seat belts with emergency tensioner, side impact door beams, and daytime running lights. 1996: When the new Jetta was introduced in '94, its passenger-side airbag replaced the glove box. However, that was rectified in 1996 with the addition of a glove box and a new dashboard switch for the central locking system can lock and unlock all doors and the trunk. 1997: The Jetta TDI, GT and Jetta Trek were introduced. TDI models featured a 90-hp, 1.9-liter direct injection diesel, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Even though it was a bit slow, it managed 40 mpg in the city and 49 mpg on the highway. The Jetta GT got alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, and fog lamps. The Jetta Trek was actually a GL with a roof-mounted bicycle rack, Trek mountain bike, special cloth seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, sport instrument gauges, delay-off interior lights (Jetta) floor mats, cargo net, roof-mounted whip antenna, dark-tinted taillight lenses, fog lights, and alloy wheels. 1998: Seat-mounted front side airbags were now available. . COMMON PROBLEMS FOR THE VOLKSWAGEN JETTA: Timing Belt (4-cyl only) (1994-1998) - $150 Mass Air Flow Sensor (4-cyl only) (1996-1998) - $420 Vacuum Hoses (1997-1998) - $85 Water Pump (6-cyl only) (1998) - $280 Ignition Switch (1997-1998) - $160 Air Conditioner Thermoswitch (1997) - $55 Fresh Air Blower Series Resistor (1997) - $90 Crankshaft Position Sensor (1996) - $170 Throttle Body (1996) - $450 Water Pump (4-cyl only) (1996) - $280 Ignition Coil (1996) - $160 Blower Switch (1994-1996) - $110 Blower Speed Resistor (1994-1996) - $65 Anti-Theft Control Unit (1994-1996) - $170