Volkswagon Jetta Mk I and Mk II

Volkswagon Jetta Mk I and Mk II
Type: 2/4 door sedan
Years: 1979-present
Bling Rating: 0.9/5
Zing Rating: 3.3/5
Price Rating: 3.4/5

There was a time, waaay back when cars were still assembled by humans (it wasn't that long ago really, like 1979) when the freeways of Europe echoed with the sounds of wailing Volkswagen Jetta engines. Actually, they still do.

In more ways than one, the Jetta is an automotive die hard. From their inception, they've proved to be automotive workhorses that hold up exceptionally well, provide great all around performance, are a lot of fun to drive, and pretty easy to live with.

The Volkswagen Jetta did suffer a few lemon years however, shortly after production moved to Mexico. But the bugs were soon ironed out, and today the Jetta soldiers on as one of Volkswagen's best sellers.

For the fun cheap car lover, the first and second generation Jetta is hard to beat no matter how you look at it. The 1.6 and 1.8 litre fuel injected engines provide excellent fuel economy and plenty of wheel-spinning torque for their displacements, and they are long lived little lumps.

Better still, with a lineage that dates back to the late 70's, performance mods for Volkswagen Jetta engines--and fully rebuilt engines, for that matter--are easy to come by. Cold air intake. Alloy heads. K&N air filters. Stainless headers. Upgraded Bosch fuel injectors. You name it.

And those Jetta engines are strapped into one of the sharpest handling economy four doors on the streets today. Throw in a cheap 1.5" lowering kit, alloy rims with 50-series tires, maybe some upgraded front rotors, a cat-back exhaust, and a $10 roll of window tint, and you have one of the coolest fun cheap cars on the block. Unquestionably.

The Jetta was built to role, and role it does. Golf/Rabbit derived, the Jetta was moved slightly upscale with a better interior and more cargo space, but Mk I and Mk II Jetta's were still nice and spartan inside--few Germans cars of that era were anything but.

On top of great engines and handling, the first and second generation Volkswagen Jetta has something else going for it: they are widely available in just about every country on earth, and they days they are dirt-bucket-sand-pile cheap.

And since rust and accidents are about the only things that can take a Mk I and Mk II Jetta, if you can get your hands on one that hasn't rusted away or been in a serious accident, grab it. Or tell me about it, and I will.

Without a doubt, the first and second generation Volkswagen Jetta is one of our favourite fun cheap cars. Not only are they quick, nimble, good looking, simple, long lived, and European, they are tough little cars.

I was once rear-ended in my 1991 Jetta by a woman driving a much newer Chrysler Neon. I got out and saw the front end of her Neon scattered all over the road; plastic and Styrofoam were everywhere. My Jetta? The rear bumper was a little crooked is all. True story.

The Jetta would be my personal favourite fun cheap car except for one thing: no turbo charger. And if you've read this blog long enough, you know I'm a fan of small cars that have turbo chargers bolted to them.

But aside from that, the Jetta is still one of the best cheap cars on the roads today for people who 1) don't want to spend a lot of money on a car and 2) like to/know how to drive a driver's car. If that's you, the Volkswagen Jetta just might be your next fun cheap car. And it probably should be.