its time to turn the old cummins into a puller, so i need a reliable car to get me back and forth to work.
1)are they reliable
2)are any years better than others i was thinking 99-02 jetta 5speed
3)is 120.000 miles alot on these or are they like our trucks, run forever
4)what to look for

 

my mom's got 142,000 miles (230,000km) on her 97 now, still runs like a top

check out www.tdiclub.com

my Dad and i did have to clean out the carboned up intake on it though ...aperantly a common problem on these cars the carbon dust from the EGR mixes with the oil fumes from the Crankcase vent system and plugs up the intake after a while.


should no longer be a problem once the ulta low sulpher diesel gets here, as it's not a problem on these cars in europe

other than that and a couple glow plugs, no other major problems other than regular mtce

 

if these jetta engines are similar at all to the ones that were in the old rabbits service life canbe several hunder thou. i know of several that had 250,000 + and still run like a top. those poor rabbits just had a hard time getting out of their own way.. lol im sure the newer engines are just as good.

 

I have a 2003 5-speed with over 65000 on it and it runs great (knock on wood). 2003 was the last year of the 90hp engine, the 2004 and up have a pump-duce 100hp engine that is more finikey with fuel and maintenance.

I run Amsoil series 3000 oil in it and it runs slicker than snot. If you get one, contact someone with the VAGCOM software who can plug the car into a laptop and shut off the EGR so you won't soot up the intercooler/engine.

I get 55mpg in the summer and 50mpg in the winter.

I love the little thing.

Get the wagon if you can for the additional space. And definitly get a 5-speed.

 

Have 2 here, Golf and Jetta... 157k on hte Jetta and is still a great car. Yes EGR is an area to look at. There are reasonable fixes for them out there. and the cost is not that great. Oh VW has a warrantee that cleans the intake for you on the older cars..

What to look for be sure the timing belt has been changed at the correct time. And the oil has been changed. Check the classified at tdiclub.com for cars. Be patient you will find a good one. They are out there.

 

Let's not forget the MAF.

Lots of people have troubles with the turbos- the shaft breaks. Usually it's somewhere just north of 100k miles or so. new turbo is $700

But- they are extremely easy to Bomb to 130-140 hp or so with just chip and injectors... Fuel economy is not affected. Total bomb cost less than $600, but then you probably will need a clutch on top of that.

Great fun to drive stock or modified.

 

I have a 2005 Golf TDi, its a great engine. I have the Pump Duse thing. Just change the oil every 5000 miles and change filters was all the service manager said at the VW dealership. Nothing different then a regular diesel engine. My mom had a 99 Bettle TDi and the Golf is much quicker. Although both have trouble over 100mph. I dont think that Jetta would be much different. More weight, slower car. I have the Tip-tronic Auto. Its not a bad thing. My wifes car. But an expenive option. About 1000 bucks.

 

Kerma are those turbo shafts breaking because of the plugged intake manifold?? Thats what I heard. So I cleaned my intake and disconnected the EGR and rerouted the blowby. Also did the VAG-COM this as I have the cable and software.

 

I spoke with an owner of a 2000 model Jetta Tdi at church recently. He was selling his car as every 40-50k miles, it needs a timing belt ($500 job, at his dealer). And he was replacing glow plugs for the second time already, it was a 30 degree day and the car would not start.

However I understand the timing belt change interval is higher on the '04 and newer models. Not sure if it's true, but I have always sort of liked ths car. Doubt if I'll buy one as diesle is still 40 to 50 centes more than gasoline here around Chicago.

 

Turbo shafts usually snap because of what you Dodge guys call "turbo bark" or surge. It is worse below 2000 rpm, especially in top gear. In this RPM range, the turbo runs right on the bleeding edge of the surge line on the compressor map. One curious fact is that people usually report "gently" accelerating from a stop, then the turbo just pops unexpectedly. More likely with a chip, but happens even with completely stock cars.
The stock boost maps have a "boost spike" built in below 2000 rpm to control soot. The VNT controller also contributes to the problem by overshooting somewhat. It is not too much of a problem if you take it easy below 2000 rpm, but give the car an occaisional "Italian Tuneup" to exercise the VNT mechanism to keep it free of soot.