I used to work with a girl who has a 1994 VW Jetta and she said the automatics from that era were junk. I‘m considering buying my girlfriend a 1996-2000 turbodiesel VW and I might have to stoop to getting an automatic. Did they get the transmissions right by then?
yes they do make the cars in automatic depending on the year and mileage You should make sure to get a mechanic to check one out before you buy it. The late 90s tend to have auto trans problems most stemming from infrequent maintenance. I have owned three vws and think they are an excellent car. Also if you can try to find one with 2.0 liter gas engine. This engine has been largely unchanged since the 80s gets 28-35 mpg and have plenty of pep. If money is not alot of an issue I recommend a diesel very powerful quiet and 45-50 mpg. Also these engines are known to last well over 250,000 miles.
The older style automatics prior to 99, were not the best, indeed, VW has changed suppliers over the years to improve the reliability of the automatic transmission. VW has given up using German designed/built automatic transmissions and are now using Asian-US designed automatic transmissions. The generation of automatic transmissions that began with the 99.5 year model Golfs/Jetta/New Beetle have improved automatic transmission which perform very well. The new Generation (99.5 up) have lifetime automatic transmission fluids, but I recommend a change at least once every 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever is first. The transmission should be ok; although there is no maintanance (service) scheduled for it, the fluid should be checked regularly. There is a sealed cap on the transmission that needs to be removed to check the fluid level. If you're adding more than just a couple of ounces to it, you need to have the VAG scan tool and follow a proceedure outlined in the service manual to prevent damage to the transmission. The turbo diesel and automatic transmission may not be a good fit; the turbo diesel is low on horsepower; I'd recommend using one for a few days (if possible) before purchasing such a unit. In the dealership that I worked at, we almost never saw a turbo diesel automatic.try it before you buy! Hope this helps, a car nut
Don't know about Jettas cause they are not sold here in Germany but all the other models from Polo to Phaeton have a very good reputation. Never heard anything bad about the automatics, maybe she just had bad luck with that one car or the previous owner mistreated the engine. All I can say is that VWs are very reliable cars and long lasting, especially the diesel engines!!!
