the problem with the transmission is lack of maintance, I have a friend that has 2 of the mk4 Jetta wagons with the automatics and they are pushing 300K miles, becuase he services them every 65K-80K miles , If serviced like the should be they go for the long haul .
Here in Europe my dad has a mk1 Skoda Octavia, basically a 5 door liftback Jetta/Bora. Great similarity with the mk4 Golf, so it has a special place in my heart
My friend had a mk1 Octavia with quite rare options for Finland, it was 4x4 with a 1.8T. For some reason this combo is very rare here, most 4x4s are TDI.
@@TopiasSalakka 1.8T or 20VT as we called them were popular here in Greece (as engines over 2 lt had a lot more tax) even police had them (undercover, too)
I have an 02 Jetta with the tdi with a few mods and my dad has a 99 tdi that’s bone stock, my head has put a 2.0 tdi from an 05 passat into his xj These are super fun cars to drive and the torque is crazy going up hills
The interior has held up remarkably well for one of these as they just fell apart after a few years. Still….sticky soft touch in the center stack…Broken center armrest latch…baggy fabric on the door cards….check! The owner is to be commended for keeping it in such nice shape. The automatic with the 2.0 was not that pleasant to drive even when new with poor fuel economy compared to the 5 spd. Manual. It is a Great looking car with the VR6 wheels and in a great color. Sadly, I just had to send my 2000 Passat in the same green to the junkyard due to an accident.
I love the MK4 Golf/Jettas... Always did... And the MK3 ones... Something about them is just so... Comforting... Learned to drive in this gen of a Jetta... Loved it... Own an 05 Transporter auto which is also mentally from this era with a very similar instrument cluster... VAG auto boxes were not so great in that period... And i love the regular unmodified Gen 4s... Without any BS that all the ricer boys like to do to them...
As an American living in Germany for the last year, I can say these cars are still seen every day in pretty good condition. In fact, I just bought one with the 2.slow and a manual in similar condition to this with 120k km for 2,800 EUR. An incredible value, and parts are relatively cheap here and they are easy to work on. In contrast to the US, there's much more of a culture of properly maintaining your car here - most people have a booklet with all of the maintenance and service history for their cars.
This generation of the Golf and Jetta deserves so much more appreciation. They had options the Civic, Corolla, Focus, Protégé, or anything else in its class didn't have, no matter how much you wanted to pay for one of those. Even standard equipment was a cut above those cars. The details weren't covered. The radio that he glossed-over was (in a Jetta, at least) 8 speakers. The arm rest was adjustable for different heights. The front seats are height adjustable, too. The A-pillars were covered in cloth, and the grab handles were soft-close. The spare tire was full-sized. The power windows had pinch protection. The windshield wipers were speed sensitive. The key fob controlled the power windows from the door handle. And on & on. The cars were just packed with features. They also drove along at 80+ mph much more confidently than the rest of the class. Granted, these didn't enjoy the Civic or Corolla reliability. I never had a problem with mine, but statistics don't lie.
We need more green cars. Green looks good on cars. It's rare to see such a clean survivor that's not a GTI or TDI. This is a pretty good-looking car, practical but not overstyled. It's unobtrusive (when it's working). I stand by my opinion that cloth is superior to leather for comfort and breathability. It's a shame hatchbacks in North America have transformed into crossovers with bigger wheels and a lift. Interesting tidbit, if you want just parking lights on you have to swap out the headlight switch for a Euro one and reprogram things. For some reason, North American VWs of the time only have off and all on settings on the headlight switch.
The early 2000's era VW Golf was my "DREAM CAR" back when it was new. However the sticker price was around $18k to $20k (after all the markups, fees, and dealer cut) not adjusted for inflation so I couldn't afford the price as a teenager still in high school working part time mini-wage crap jobs. .... I remember the Geo/Chevy Metro being the most affordable car at around $8k to $10k and I couldn't even afford that. So I got stuck with a 1978 Bus (champagne edition) for $1000 (I basically traded my 80cc yamaha moto4 ATV for it, lol) and a 1969 Karmann Ghia for $2000 instead which I drove from around 1996 to 2010 with various vehicles in between (those air coolies were my babies tho) until I had to sell them .... I also had a late 80s early 90s fox for $500 which I guess was the closest thing to the golf but didn't keep it long despite being a cool car. I lost my mother and father when young and it was a bit upsetting seeing my friends getting new cars as gifts from their parents for stuff like birthdays and graduation knowing i'd never possibly be able to afford a new car in those early years but looking back, I have no regrets getting stuck with the Bus and Ghia. Good times in those.
I've known a lot of people with MK4s over the years, and every automatic one has been problematic. The manual transmission is solid (i daily drive a 2001 VR6 GTI) but the 2.0s themselves are notoriously slow. They're the king of reliability, as far as modern/semi VW engines go though. The cloth MK4 seats are nice, and i def like them over the leather seats from this era.
I just left a comment on your Saab 9-3 video :) After selling Saabs, I went on to sell Volkswagens in 2001. I have fond memories of this generation of the Golf, I purchased a 2002 model year brand new and kept it for 15 years with over 200,000 kms. It was a GLS like this one, but black with light grey cloth interior. Mine had the sunroof and cold weather package with heated seats, side mirrors and windshield washer nozzles; a must-have in Canada. I also had the 2.0 with the 4-speed automatic and you're right, it's not the fastest car, but it moves fast enough. I took the car for a month-long road trip across North America, drove West from Montreal to Vancouver, then South towards LA, Las Vegas, then all the way East to NYC and back to Montreal. Not a single issue. I drove it daily for years until my wife used it. She crashed it twice and it was repaired both times. Never had a transmission problem. A very good car overall with good looks and a fit and finish quality that was superior to its competitors in its category of cars at the time.
I still have a 2002 with under 70,000 miles. My wife drives it 2 miles each way every other week to Trader Joe's. I am surprised the interior of the car in the video is in such a great shape. On my car, the soft touch plastic has deteriorated really bad, I removed the gunk with baking soda and vinegar. The driver's crank window broke, so it is permanently shut. The headliner is starting to sag. All this despite it being garage kept. It is still mechanically sound, so that's all it matters. I love this car because it can carry more stuff than any other car we owned, including some SUV's.
My first car 10 years ago was a 2004 Jetta 2.0 from a grandma with 30k on it. I really loved the styling and how it drove. Got in a nasty rear end on the freeway at like 56k miles and got like $1k less than I paid for it from insurance so it wasn't so bad seeing as I survived and got paid. Wish I still had it for a little turd runaround though.
In the early 2000s my neighbor had one of these and it was broken down regularly. I used to drive him to work all the time when his car wouldn't start. He eventually got fired because he was late too many times...because his (basically brand new) Golf was always broken down 😂 I'm not sure how he's doing today, but I'd bet he is no longer driving a VW.
Zack I really loved your thoughts about this car in this video. You are my favorite car reviewer and you just get it. You know what to say and I agree to most opinions on your videos.
The mk4 is in the perfect spot right now. Its classic/retro enough will still being newish. Its where the mk3 used to be now nice ones are expensive and cheap ones are rotted out. Ive had 2 mk4s..... 2.0 golf was my first car now i have 1.8t Jetta
My dad had the 2dr version of this when I was very little, kid me thought it was so cool. Dad loved driving it too, until some teenager decided that stop lights were a suggestion and t-boned it.
My 2001 Cabrio automatic is going strong. My prior one, was a 2000 model I sold with 150k going strong. When mine goes (it only has 81k) in the 01, I’ll get bc a manual swap.
I bought a 2001 Golf TDI with a 5-speed manual brand new and drove it for 18 years and 400K miles. It was the most reliable car I’ve ever seen. The autos up through about 2003 were terrible, but the manuals will last forever.
My 2001 Cabrio automatic is going strong. My prior one, was a 2000 model I sold with 150k going strong. When mine goes (it only has 81k) in the 01, I’ll get bc a manual swap.
I have one in this spec, but with black exterior and grey cloth interior. I've had a lot of issues with mine though. Water pump failed, AC failed (about 4 times), suspension issues (I've changed both front shocks twice), the fan broke (don't know how that happened), light bulbs blowing out for no apparent reason, alternator failed (I couldn't drive the car for two weeks because of this), the latch to open the trunk from inside failed, and the button on the key fob for this doesn't work, so I have to use the keyhole in the trunk to open it everytime. The engine and transmission have been surprisingly reliable though. I plan to get rid of it and go for a different car brand soon.
I almost bought one of those in diesel and blue. Couldn't talk guy down from ridiculous money he was asking for it. My brother got gasoline one but totaled it after 2 years driving rain. He had almost bold tires.
Why all the cars in USA are automatic gearbox?? , I'm from Algeria and 99% of the cars here are manual gearbox even my grandmother's car, the automatic gearbox is so boring
Up until recently most American cars were manual too but with fast food eating and drinking on the go, GPS navigation, touch screens, and smart phones... drivers in America are multi-tasking more than ever before. Its common to see someone eating a handburger while texting on their phone and adjusting the radio in america. No body has time to pay attention to the road or shift gears these days. ... kind of dangerous.
3:58 ba ba ba baaaaa!!! I have a 2012 Ram 1500 2d with the 5.7 and my aunt gave me bottle almost like the size of yours and it failed the big friggin bottle test on my part bummer😔😔😔
