2003 wolfsburg
Hi all, this is my first time posting. So, my question is: should I even be remotely considering buying a 2003 Jetta wolfsburg 1.8T? I test drove one and I absolutely loved it! It has 28K and the dealers ASKING price is $15,500, which I think is a pretty good deal.
To be brief: I have found nothing else in this price range that offers nearly as much. And, it still has 2 to 3 years of factory warranty. So the questions are as follows:
1. How good is the warranty anyway? Does it cover interior and things like the clutch (which I have heard has problems)
2. Did VW really solve alot of their mechanical problems with the 2003 and later models?
3. This posting is on a site that is dedicated to people who have been screwed by VW. Honestly, exactly how large of a grain of salt should I be taking with all this info?
4. What surprises should I prepare for, recalls, standard “”run of the mill problems.”" etc.? Are the windows going to drop out?
I really loved the car and I am dying to buy it. Much of what I have read, however, leads me to believe that I am in for a huge headache and will be broke in about a year. Any advice?
Thanks!
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297 Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – 1. The warranty is a follows:
Bumper-to-bumper, including wear and tear: 12mo/12k
Limited bumper-to-bumper warranty: 48mo/50k
Powertrain: 60mo/50k
Your interior seats are part of wear and tear. Broken switches, etc. can be honored by the b-to-b if the dealer believes they are defective items and not wear and tear.
The clutch is part of the powertrain and is covered for 5 years, excluding wear and tear. Premature wear and tear is suspect, and clarify with your dealer that you know the 2003 model year has a higher percentage of clutch failure. Get it in writing that they will handle the clutch problem appropriately, which means also looking at the flywheel (see if it engages completely) and transmission.
2. Yes, the major recalls were primarily from 2000 and earlier. A batch of 2001 1.8Ts received bad coilpacks from Bosch, these were recalled and replaced. The 2003 is the last MkIV engine design, the AWP. Improvements include enlarged vacuum lines made of better material that does not wear (the original braided lines were quite brittle), redesigned exhaust system, and new versions of fuel and air sensors.
3. Yes it is. It’s a vocal minority but the posts that detail problems and how a dealership dealt with them should be reviewed carefully. I would avoid the single-liner posts in all caps that say something like “”MY CAT DIED! VW SUCKS!”" as they are quite useless. It appears that the larger majority of posts are more about dealership. A lot of the problems with the car are minor, but are not repaired correctly and in fact contribute to worse problems further down the road, or an expensive bill. I would look up the dealership you plan to use as a service center on this site: http://1.8t.org/dealers/, to see how 1.8T afficionados review a dealership.
4. The windows should not drop. By 2003 the models were manufactured with the newer window regulators. That said, it appears the the earlier 2003.0 models may have been assembled with the older clips. These are warrantied for 7 years. If the engine idle begins to stumble, or you find you’re burning more gas than you should, or the CEL/MIL light comes on, assume the MAF or the coolant sensor (black top versus green top, your service guy at VW will know what this is). As I said above, the 2003 has a higher percentage of clutch failure early in its life (higher, not high, as in, it’s still low compared to all 2003 models made); get assurance from the dealer that they’re of this and will handle it accordingly.
Maintenance:
I would switch to synthetic oil. You have a turbo, be nice to it, it spins 150,000 RPMs when you decide to have fun.
Also, don’t rev past 3000 RPMs until the cold engine light turns off. Some idle the engine after starting it until the revs drop to 800-900 (emissions control revs the engine around 1200 RPMs when the engine is cold).
If you love the car, get it. You are aware of the possible problems, but 90% of it can be avoided by finding a well-reviewed dealership. Never go to an unknown dealership who can screw up your warranty in VW’s records.
teetering Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Thank you for the quick response! I will check out the dealerships like you suggested.
Just two more questions:
Can I go to any VW dealer to have repairs done under waranty or do I have to use the dealer that I purchase the car from? (I have never actually owned a car before that was new enough to have a factory waranty still in place.)
Also, the car I am looking at was made in Mexico. Is there a higher percentage of problems with these cars?
Thanks again, you have been very helpful!
297 Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – You can go to any VW dealership for warranty work.
If it’s a Wolfsburg, it’s made in Wolfsburg. If they tell you it’s made in Mexico, then it IS NOT a Wolfsburg Edition.
And no, there’s no discernable difference in quality whether it comes from Mexico or Germany. Some would say there is… I highly doubt it.
teetering Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Are you sure that all wolfsburg edition are made in Germany? I checked 5 cars, all of which claimed to be wolfsburgs, of varying years that were in the classifieds with Carfax’s free report and it said that they were all made in Mexico.
I guess it doesn’t make much difference if the quality is the same. Just wondering….
CRAIG B Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Paul, please assure teetering and the rest of us that you will be here six months from now to dispense with more advice for when the VW Gremlins get to work on his bucket and VWoA/dealer tells him to kiss his own ass? If so, teetering? I would say, “go for it.” You can never have too many expensive problems in life. An ‘03 with 28K? Why would someone get rid of such a great car?
teetering Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Thank you Paul for all your input. It was good to get an actual response from someone rather than going crazy trying to find the most rounded view on the internet.
Craig, I have to say, you do have a very good point. Why WOULD someone get rid of a perfectly good car with low mile, waranty, etc. Looking at the issue through my admittedly rose colored glasses (I want the damn thing!) makes me want to think that it was for a good reason (i.e. couldn’t afford it) rather than a bad reason (i.e. lemon). The thought of driving a civic around is rather less than inspiring…
Thanks for all the input and wish me luck!
justin Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Teetering. I highly suggest you do not buy that used wolfsburg from the dealer. That price is okay, it’s not great. I just got an 04 GLI special edition model for about $21k. With 1% financing for 66 months (only $550 total interest over the term) my paymetns are $328/mo. I have a full warranty low payments, and can rest assured that no one has abused the car.
justin Said,
July 23, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – P.S. The dealers are very eager to unload the 04’s and there is a $1500 rebate that you can negotiate with 1% financing if you have decent credit. (660+) The financing will be much higher for a used car. And I would think with a turbo, it would be even more important to know how it was treated.
297 Said,
July 24, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Did a bit more research. Wolfsburgs used to mean made at the Wolfsburg plant in Germany, but they switched to the factories in Mexico and Brazil a few years back. My mistake.
Ask the dealer why the person sold the Jetta back. Ask to see its service record. You can also run the VIN and see if it was in an accident.
Most folks simply can’t afford it. I know quite a few kids who bought one, spent money on wheels, then had to turn it all in because they couldn’t afford the monthly + insurance (on a turbo, it’s pretty high).
If I’m not around six months from now, you can always visit The VW Vortex. There are all sorts of folks on there, from people who hate their car to people who’ll defend it blindly (I like to think I’m in the middle).
Aimster Said,
July 25, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Look to see if made in mexico—if so I personally would not, because i have one that was made in mexico and the problems are endless. People that i know that have ones that were made in germany, are great with only some miner problems, but just my opinion!
297 Said,
July 26, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – The first two years of a new factory tend to be rough, especially when it coincides with the first two years of a new model.
The factories in Mexico and Brazil are fine.
Sergei Said,
July 26, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – I would not buy it. I have had my VW for only six months and I need to get rid of it. I have had Saabs, VW, Mercedes. The only good cars out there now are Honda, Subaru and Toyota. Please don’t shoot me out there. I just don’t want to deal with making my dealer rich. Besides even if under warranty you still have to drop off the car so they can fix it and that is a drag!!
RUN, RUN AWAY DON’T BUY!!!!
297 Said,
July 26, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Such a nay-sayer.
CRAIG B Said,
July 27, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Getting back to a prior point. Yes, it is true, sometimes people do get in over their heads and buy a car they cannot afford. However, it has also been my experience that these same people usually do not drive said cars like the little old ladies we hope they are. Would you want to buy a car a teenager drove for 30,000 miles before you?
297 Said,
July 27, 2004 @ 12:00 pm
2003 wolfsburg – Well, that would depend on what that teenager did with those 30,000 miles.