HCF

Who else is as happy as I am to have moved on to a TSX? I wouldn't say I hated my GTI but its like two completely different worlds. That and I'm so glad to be out of the VWVortex forum. Man that place is filled with dipshits

GSI

I am happy with my TSX. I had a 2000 Jetta VR6 automatic. The transmission sucked and the car had more squeaks than you can imagine.

I only miss the low torque and stereo. The one in the TSX is not so great.

Dan Martin

I had a Golf and loved how it drove but it was falling appart on me so i made the move to the TSX. I'll never buy VW/Audi again.

ssm_tsx

I had an '00 New beetle. It was ok, but the amount of problems I was having with it made me want to trade it in.

jcg878

We have one of each - crossing our fingers on the Passat (v6). It's a well-designed car, but I'm nervous in the long run. We probably will need a wagon before it's done so maybe we'll be safe.

iTimmy

Got rid of my 01 GTI VR6 for the TSX. The GTI had all of the usual problems, window regulators, rear brakes, etc.. all under 30k miles. I am also not missing the vortex and the various other VW sites, most of those people are just low lives!

Junkster

I'm car shopping right now (thinking of putting it off for another month or two) and my mother thinks I should go with a Jetta. I loved VWs, I wanted a Scirocco before I drove the Integra, but that quality thing irks me alot. I have two buddies that are VW nutts and one's GTI is a rattle box, and the other one just got rid of his Golf for drivetrain issues (he ended up gettin a 88 Scirocco... mint, with 45k... for 4k).

I'm glad I just read this thread, it kinda confirms my suspicions on VWs of recent years. They have huge incentives on Jettas and Passats, but I think you guys just 'scared me straight'.

Junkster, who would have gone with a Jetta wagon.

id888

You gotta give VW props for fit and finish, instrumentation, and all around fun on the road... Then you realize what a piece you bought after the honeymoon is over.

Our Passat mostly works, most of the time.

Chuck091279

I had a 2000 VW Jetta GLX Vr6 as well, and I definitely thought it was a beauty when I bought her....then the honeymoon ended. What a piece of crap that turned out to be, but I was able to bail myself out of the car, private party, by only losing about 1k, so I was absolutely okay with that, especially since the Certified Warranty was expiring soon and I was NOT about to keep the car for 1 mile past the warranty

iTimmy

Its funny how the TSX'ers make a big deal about rattles, you don't know rattles till you've lived with a VW!

Chuck091279

Couldn't agree more Tireguy.

TWong1200

I could not agree with ALL of you more. I had an 01 GLX Jetta. Man, I loved that car when I first bought it. After being in the shop for the fourth time, and seeing pictures of the TSX for the first time, I decided it was time to trade the POS in. But aside from the rattles and various engine stalls, I absolutely loved the car.

Oh well....I love my TSX now and will never buy another VW ever again.

My $.02.

Johnny_RENAMED

Wow....I guess this site won't make VW's day. I too had a 2000 Jetta GLX Vr6 and although I only had it for less than 2 years I never liked the vague steering feel or that tranny shifter not to mention that way too soft ride. I now have an 02 RSX-S and am looking to move up to a TSX asap. Hopefully by summer or maybe 05.

crowdedstr

i currently drive an 02 jetta 1.8T and i think it's a pretty decent car. i've got 48k miles on it though, and i dont wanna keep it much past warranty (50k), so that's why i'm on this forum

i plan on buying either a tsx or a tl, depending on what i can get for the jetta. i'm still going to go drive the g35 and a4, but i suspect that i'll end up buying an acura when it's all said and done.

even though i do not mind the jetta, i love hearing that you guys like the tsx so much more than your former jettas. it sounds like i'm in for the time of my life when i buy my new car

HCF

Man, I'll tell you what one of the worst things for me was. The dealership I bought my GTI from was an Acura/VW dealership so everytime I had to take my GTI there for service I would see all the new TSXs and TLs. The other funny thing I noticed was how the whole VW side of the service dept was full ALL of the time and the Acura side was usually less than 1/4 full.

TSXforme

I still am a VW GTi driver. I am currently leaning towards buying a TSX myself in the near future. I would like to see if any tweaks or changes are made to the 2005 TSX year before I make my decision to buy.

The main complaint that I would probably see myself experiencing between the two cars would be a major loss of usable torque for driving around town. VW's are fun to drive despite the "quirks" that this brand has with their vehicles.

ssm_tsx

Karen Radley? That's where I bought my tsx at.

mistered21

I got a TSX to replace my 2001 Jetta GLS VR6 manual. I had like 63k miles on that car and didn't have any major issues with it up to that point. Then I got it back from the dealer after they fixed this oxygen sensor problem that was covered under warranty, and I started noticing the e-brake dragging every once in a while. Of course when I bring the car into the mechanic he sees nothing wrong because it's PERFECTLY FINE when HE tests drives it. Sheesh, I just got so mad and I didn't want to be dealing with this crap in the future so decided it was time.

So far, I'm really loving the shifter on the TSX compared to the Jetta's. The Jetta's long shifts were getting really annoying. The nav system is awesome also. Can't wait to get past the break-in period so I can open her up.

HCF

Yep I got it at Karen Radley. I know the GM and all the sales guys up there and between me and I-MOD we've bought like 15 or more cars there.

HCF

You actually should bring the car up to redline and everything in between several times during the break in period. Just try and get to redline slowly and without flooring it.

crowdedstr

did you trade in your jetta?

if so, if you dont mind me asking, what did you get for the trade in value on your jetta?

mine is an 02, 1.8T, leather, sunroof, etc., and just wondered what i should expect for trade-in value. kbb.com says i'll get in the 9k range somewhere, but hopefully they wont try to shaft me and go lower than that. i'll walk if that's the case.

thanks!

HCF

They always go lower than KBB because KBB is truly inflated. I would expect to get 1k-2k lower than what KBB says....

crowdedstr

ugh

i'm sure i'd be much better off selling the car on the open market. hell, i live in a city with millions of people, someone's gotta be somewhat interested, no???

i guess i was just hoping that a dealer would give me a good price so that i didn't have to deal w/ the hassle of open market.

any good online sites to post cars for sale, or would chicago trib be my best option?

HCF

www.autotrader.com and www.cars.com


Those are the only ones I know of

BTW, edmunds.com will give you a better idea of what your car is worth. And whatever that value is go for it. Once you get the TSX you will forget all about your negative equity!!

JaTe

had a '00 audi a6 2.7t...it was a great car...it had power (chipped) and handled very nicely.

maintenance was a nightmare on it though. had front brakes replaced every 10,000 miles cause the rotors warped (thank god for warranty). also had a couple of check engine lights and issues with the car shutting off on me as im driving.

i miss the audi, but the tsx is a great car and i enjoy driving it as well.

mistered21

I didn't trade the Jetta in because I knew I would get shafted. The KBB private value on my car right now is $11,750. I didn't bother asking Acura what they would give me, but other dealerships gave me numbers in the 7-8k range. Utterly pathetic.

I've decided to try to sell the car on my own because I'm pretty damn sure I can get more than $8000 for it. It's been 2 weeks since I got the TSX and I'm waiting for the NYC weather to clear up so I can clean it up and take some nice pictures.

I would try posting on http://www.craigslist.org (in your case http://chicago.craigslist.org) first since it's free so there's nothing to lose. I've emailed random people who've posted their Jettas on cars.com or carsdirect.com and they've all said that they've gotten more response through craigslist.org than the pay sites. I'm going to be trying that anyways and if that doesn't work...I guess I'll do the local paper.

hope that was helpful!

mistered21

oooo...thanks for the tip!
Time to rev this bad boy...hehe

crowdedstr

thanks for all the great suggestions folks!

Chuck091279

I sold my 00 VW Jetta on craigs list in one day. I highly recommend it!! Dealer offered me 8800, it had 47k miles on it and was a glx vr6. I sold it for 12k, much, much better in my opinion. And i didn't even have to pay to post. Thank you Craig's List!

crowdedstr

wow, that's really awesome.

i've only used craigslist in the past if i needed to find/sell concert tickets and the like.....never even crossed my mind to do any automotive dealings on there.

how cool!

PDX_Josh

Currently drive a 99 1/2 Mk IV Golf and my next car will be a 2005 TSX. The Golf is a great city car. Bought it new when I was living in Boston and it was great for getting into tight parking spots. Plus, you can pack it full of stuff.

BUT it's had problems all along. Way too many to list but the worst involved the infamous VW oxygen and mass airflow sensors. Replaced these multiple times, and the car only has 39K miles on it! Back then VWs only had 2/24 warranties so it has cost a lot to keep it running. Thankfully, the resale value seems good.

I got one of the first Mk IV Golfs so early build issues could be the problem. Wanted to get an early build before they switched production to Mexico but in this car's case being built in Germany definitely didn't mean higher quality.

Looking forward to Acura/Japanese quality.

animate_RENAMED

Dumping a Jetta VR6 in favor of a TSX.
I have to have a Honda of some kind.

I drove a Ford out of college, then
Hondas. Then, went for the Jetta. It's
like having an 80's era Ford. Uses oil,
something down every 5K miles. Window regulator, 2 blown up
batteries (as in top exploded), water
pump, electrical problems. Just no end.
Manual transmission problems.

And, just come take a drive in the
Jetta if you want rattles and squeaks.

I want fun to drive, but have to have
reliability. First and last VW.

slo007

I drove a 1999 Jetta IV 2L GLS 4AT until I traded it in for my TSX. The Jetta was my 20th birthday gift and I loved it. It was excellent on the road (got 2 tickets going 80, 90mph), very safe under rain, huge trunk, spacious front, good stereo and speakers, great suspension, comfortable, and nice looking (white). Only problem I had with my Jetta was build-quality. I had electrical problems including engine coil, O2 sensor, burned bulbs galore, instrument clusters (3 of them), a window that fell in the window... Also had a seat belt permanently lock while the rear seat was down (dealer had to cut that one), suspension squealing, bad breaks, tires replaced at 24K miles, lights went to to 80% power after 2 minutes driving (every time), and the list goes on.... no rattles, though. Car was one firm unit.

I traded it in at 48,000 miles and got $7,500 for it. Very disappointed... definitely my last VW.

Meanwhile, my brother totalled his 2003 Acura RSX, after 2 weeks of ownership, and got a new VW 2003 GTI 1.8T 5MT. He loves his VW. No problems, knock on wood, since December of 2003. Oh yeah, someone opened the door of their parked car while he was driving by and knocked his right-view mirror clear off the car like a knife through bread. He got a new mirror... $98 at their cost.

I like my TSX!

rb1

Damn, I still remain unconverted. I'm finding it *very* hard to go back to an NA engine after having owned a turbo, despite the TSX having better overall numbers.

Only problem I have with my 01 Jetta W.E. is a few squeaks and rattles, which seem prevalent here also. Hasn't been in the shop for anything non-routine in almost 2 years... (sound of knocking on wood can be heard in the background)

Johns

Well I am another unconverted. My wife sold her 97 Jetta to get a TSX. The Jetta had 125,000 miles and no problems. I sold a 1990 VW Corrado to get my MB C230. The Corrado had just under 200,000 miles and no major problems. The TSX is a great car (especially the 6 speed shifter) but I can't trash our experience with VWs. Its been pretty good.

TSXforme

I actually ask myself the same question...if I can go from a turbo car to a NA car and be happy with the power delivery, then I'll convert to the TSX. If not, then I'll need to find myself another factory turbo car.

Then again, one can always slap a turbo kit on the TSX.....

rdecilio

i had a '00 jetta 1.8T. i loved that car...in the beginning. Then I basically had the engine light go on a couple times every winter cuz of some unknown defect, messed up brakes, rattles, window regulators, and just plain no more fun. love the tsx, had like 5 days and its so dope! i also wanted to get an a4 but after my experiences with the jetta which is like a mexican built audi (no offense, they are built in mexico) i decided against it. even the audis finished in ingolstadt have mad problems, especially all the variations of the 1.8T. I think they have to change that engine.

Nachoman

It seems like most of the VW converts had 1st generation cars. just like the Mk III VW's, they had a ton of early problems. the tail end of the Mk III's were pretty reliable. Now that we are on Mk IV VW's, the later years ('02-'04) have had most of the bugs worked out already. I'd be curious to see how you compare these 1st gen TSX's to the 1st gen VW's you had. As for me, I won't buy a 1st year car period anymore, VW or Acura, I'll let the bugs get worked out first before.

rb1

Indeed. I'm seriously weighing a trade of my 2001 for a 2004.5 Jetta GLI. It will be the 4th model year (well, 3 1/2 model years) of the same engine, so all of the early problems have been ironed out (mainly cold-start misfires). Plus, its good for 30 extra ponies over my current car + 6 speed, Recaro's, 18" wheels, and lowered suspension, and $4000 or so less than the TSX.

Of course, mine has been very good to me lately, so ....

Waiting to see what (if anything) happens with the TSX, too.

Chuck091279

One of my friend's owns a 03 VW Jetta GLS. It has had more problems than my 00 Jetta did. I don't think the later model year philosophy works out too well when the parts that these manufacturer's are using aren't of good, or at least reliable, quality.