Overview & Reviews

Wolfsburg models are gone, and the Jetta GT arrives sporting the look of the GLX without the VR6 engine. Trek gets alloy wheels. GL, GLS, Trek and GT run more quietly, thanks to a new cylinder head design.

• Excellent road manners, roomy interior, fun-to-drive, heater will roast your face

• Some controls and symbols difficult to decipher, staid styling, underpowered four-cylinder engine

User Reviews:

Showing 71 through 80 of 107.00

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  OOPS - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Tur77tle - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Loved the jetta at first. Bought at a steal with 43,000 mi. At about 80,000 had TONS of problems. Brakes always squeak (replaced twice), electrical problems with AC, Engine lights on, brake system lights always on,and O2 sensors replced. Actually failed emissions this year (Car had to reach 600 degrees before sensors turned on). Transmission problems shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. And finally, the car wouldnt shift into 5th gear reliabily at all. Oh yeah, the driver side lock just fell right out!!This is odd because have very good service records. Thank god I had a great mechanic!

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  love this car - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By lyn - July 11 - 10:13 pm

  awesome performance, has never let me down, minimal maintenance, tight turning, holds at least 5 teen sized soccer players!

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  Good Car - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Flower Mound - June 6 - 10:00 am

  My VW is a 1997 VW GLS with some of the bells and whistles. The only compliant I HAVE is problems with it are the electrical system> It has 85000 miles and has been a generally fine car to drive and own.

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  I Love the Jetta III - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By chriscois - March 31 - 4:46 am

  Our 1997 Volkswagen Jetta has been great for us. It is very fun to drive as its the 5-speed. We replaced the front brakes and timing belt at around 90,000 miles and recently had a power window regulator go out that I couldnt fix myself. It is kind of hard to get to all the plugs during a home tune-up, but this is still a good basic engine thats relatively easy to do general maintenance on. This car may have been built in Mexico (or maybe not), but you can feel the good quality German engineering thats gone into it. Its my favourite car of the ten cars that Ive owned in my lifetime!

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  The Best car that I have ever owned - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Lee Metcalf - January 29 - 10:00 am

  This car will grab you and make you drive all the time. It feels so good, I cant stop driving it. The engine is fast and smooth. The interior is great and functional. The Trunck is bib, I have put things in it that I thought would never fit. I love this car.

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  Fun - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By jojo - January 29 - 1:46 am

  I love this car, fun to drive

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  Fun to drive, but not fun to own - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Robin M - January 6 - 10:00 am

  We bought our Jetta Trek new in 1997. Weve had three of the power windows go out (at 26,000, 30,000, and 34,000 miles), replaced the clutch twice, replaced the brakes three times, replaced the battery four times, replaced both our power front door locks, and now our alarm arms itself at random while we are driving the car. VW customer service also leaves much to be desired. I thought I would love this car, and to be fair it is fun to drive, but I will never buy another VW because of all the problems weve had with the car and customer service.

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  Love-Hate Relationship - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By lastvw?!? - November 24 - 10:00 am

  There arent a lot of cars that offer more driving bang for your buck than this one. The VR6 engine is plenty powerful, the handling is up to the job and there are more than enough luxury features, including excellent sport seats and a power sunroof. The problem is VWs laughably sub-par build quality. This car has had problems with the clutch, the shift mechanism, the air conditioning, the cruise control, several engine computer chips and so on. Then there are all the trim pieces that have come apart or dropped off completely. Final word: Great to drive, but poorly built.

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  Great car, for the most part - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Not Pink - October 17 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car new in 1997. Since then I have had a few quirky problems (like the driver and passenger side door locks needed repair twice. The locks also freeze in the winter. The cruise control and the trunk lock also needed repair) otherwise I have had no major mechanical problems. I think the biggest thing to watch for is the front end alignment. The car needs to be aligned quite often, which could be due to the fact that I live in Maine and the roads are terrible in the winter, but...I have been through 4 pairs of tires in 6 yrs. Overall its a great car.

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  Jetta Trek...What an amazing car. - 1997 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Mardin - October 12 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my 97 VW jetta from a private party. It is my first car. I have had it for just over a year now and have put about 5000 miles on it since purchase. This car runs great, very reliable and always fun to drive. Everywhere I go I turn heads, because the car is in such good shape and just a sight to see. I would reccomend a 5 speed VW jetta (esp Trek) to anyone looking for a dependable car with great handling, a smooth ride, and more power than you would espect from a normal 4 cyl. car.