2003 Jetta Wagon TDI 5 Speed Manual

Brokenboss

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Location
Florence, MT
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta
I’ve decided to sell my 03 GLS wagon as I’ve just purchased a new vehicle and can’t justify keeping two “daily drivers” cars at this point in my retired life. I have owned this vehicle since mid 2019 and the prior owner moved to Montana from California with this car. The car is located in Florence Montana, which is 18 miles south of Missoula. The car has no rust on it. I have completed most of the service on the car as I have a hoist in my shop and also service my wife’s 2019 VW Golf Alltrack and my sons 2003 Jetta TDI coupe. Any work that was beyond my capabilities was completed at by Vlad at Eurotech. I have all receipts. The car has all of the following options and upgrades and are all in working condition:

* Cruise control along with steering wheel touch controls
* Heated leather seats (no tears)
* Air conditioning
* Powered sun roof (no leaks)
* Replaced factory Monsoon radio with factory VW “Polo” radio (Bluetooth)
* Luggage rack
* Console
* Panzer” style skid plate added
* Tow hitch added
* Wolfsburg edition 16 inch rims (found at local salvage yard)
* Malone Stage 1 upgrade (5/4/21)
* Bosio DLC injectors added 4/14/22 (Purchased from DBW in Boise, Idaho)
* NAPA “Legend” battery replaced 10/25/24
* Replaced N-75 boost valve and vacuum lines 4/8/23
* Cylinder head rebuilt w/new valves along with timing belt at 239,890 on 1/20/23
* Front rotors/pads and horn on 4/20/22 (221,900)
* LT wheel bearing, both inner/outer tie rods and alignment on 3/29/22 at 220,000
* Rear shock replacement on 4/30/21 at 200,750
* Rear rotors/pads replaced on 11/22/20 at 188,553
* 4 glow plugs replaced on 3/21/20 at 180,626

I have numerous parts and filters that are included with this vehicle. I have 3 Mann air filters, 3 Mann oil filters, a Mann cabin air filter, and Mann fuel filter that are included. Also included are a set of 4 studded 15 inch tires/ rims along with a Bentley service manual set and a V gate scan tool. I also have a gallon of VW specific coolant and two bottles of Liqui Molly diesel purge that go with the car. There is a new set of front struts/shocks that were given to me when I purchased the car and have not been needed along with other parts, including an intake manifold that has been cleaned and restored as a spare that I no longer need. The car has some sagging in the back half of the headliner and I have that pinned up. The paint has a couple of areas where the clearcoat is starting to delaminate as well. a small oil leak started this summer that is likely the drain plug but I lose about a quart every 2K miles since I noticed it. I have made numerous cross country trips to Wisconsin and out to Astoria Oregon every year and the vehicle has been very reliable. I have gotten as high as 59 MPG on my numerous drives to Lewiston Idaho (55 speed limit) and freeway driving at 80 miles an hour gets me 44 (MPG). I have not listed the timely oil/filter services (too many to list) but they are completed every 5/6500 miles with Castrol Edge Euro formula 5W/40 oil and Mann filters (I have a digital and written documentation of all services and repairs).
I will try to download the 28 photos to this thread that I have downloaded to the photo section of the forum (under name Brokenboss) but might need some help if I can’t attach to this thread. I will hold off posting to FB marketplace for a week to let forum members who might be interested have first crack at the car. Thanks, Mike
 

PradoTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Location
MT
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI, 1991 Toyota LandCruiser LJ78 with ALH Swap
Wow, clean looking wagon! GLWTS!
 

Vwkaferman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2021
Location
Mesa, AZ
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Wow! I just flew (last month or so) from Phoenix to Seattle to fly and drive a wagon home. Car was junk (dealership was junk too) and they wanted way more than this. Flew back home and wife showed me one she found here in town, went to look and bought the same day lol.

GLWS, will go fast for sure. Interested in the backstory on that Polo headunit.

James.
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
BHW x3, BEW x2, ALH x3, AFB, AKN, AKE x2, BCZ, BDG
Sweet car! Lot of good extras on it too and sounds like you've given it good care. What did you buy to replace it? Are you sure you're not gonna regret letting this car go a few years down the line? Hard to replace one of these....

Fair price for sure with all that's in the deal. Hope it stays here in Montana somehow.
 

Brokenboss

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Location
Florence, MT
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta
To respond to a couple of the prior posts, 5 years into retirement I do a lot of traveling and already have some regrets about selling this car. It has been a real “ road warrior” for me for the last 5 years but my wife is not as comfortable in it on many of our lengthy trips (living in Montana seems like all trips are some what of a distance but we are used to it living here the past 35 years). I bought a 2025 Ford Maverick SUV/truck for my next daily driver for those that have asked. I will say that I usually try not to get too attached to cars I have owned having sold my 1967 Shelby GT 350, 1969 Boss 302 Mustang, 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and a few Mach 1’s, all within a few years of each other and never looked back (we still have 2 older Mustang’s left).
With regard to the radio replacement of the factory “Monsoon” with the unit out of a later European VW Polo, I found posts here on the TDI forum from those that have done this replacement and followed their instructions to make it happen. It allows for Bluetooth, CD and plug in USB for your own stored music. It also works with and matches the lighting of the the factory steering wheel controls and other controls on the car during night driving.
I forgot to mention in the prior post that I replaced my summer tires in June with a new set of Hankook Kinergy 16 inch tires. I got 61,000 miles on the prior set off Kinergy’s on this same car.
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
BHW x3, BEW x2, ALH x3, AFB, AKN, AKE x2, BCZ, BDG
....already have some regrets about selling this car.
Haha, well if you're already regretting it before it even goes away, imagine how you may feel when it's actually gone... especially if you end up wanting to find another one as nice later on to get back into it!

Not trying to necessarily dissuade you from selling (or to create a problem for someone trying to buy it from you), but then again maybe I am.... Especially here in the MT environment of long distances, high speeds, and extremely varied weather, there is really nothing that is as effective or satisfying of a tool as one of these era TDIs for getting around the region in all seasons. Speaking there as someone who knows exactly what that looks like. No surprise they are so sought after around here and you see so many of this kind of car on the highways around the state every day, even as they reach 20-25 years old.

Not to say anything against the little Maverick -- I like the way they look and the general concept -- but it'd be surprising if you look back 5 years from now and feel like it's doing its job as well and holding up as well as this Jetta has, even with the huge difference in age. The word "irreplaceable" is not an exaggeration, especially when you are talking about an ALH 5spd wagon in nicely kept condition.


having sold my 1967 Shelby GT 350, 1969 Boss 302 Mustang, 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and a few Mach 1’s, all within a few years of each other and never looked back (we still have 2 older Mustang’s left).
Sounds like you are a serious Ford and Mustang guy. I am guessing you were probably over here in Helena on Labor Day for the International meet? If so we probably crossed paths there. Always liked those cars and the culture around them too.
 

Brokenboss

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Location
Florence, MT
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta
I was not at this year’s International Mustang/Ford meet but have been to 21 of these events in both the U.S. and Canadian venues including two prior Helena Internationals dating back to 1993. I am still close friends with a number of long time Helena club members (Buzz Rose, Scott Smith, Dick Schoquist, etc…). As far as the wagon goes I appreciate what the car is, especially its condition, but as I said I had no regrets selling my collectible Fords and I won’t on the Jetta. I am 69 years young but my enjoyment of servicing any of my vehicles in my shop is not as much fun as it used to be so the Jetta needs to go to someone who appreciates and knows what these cars are!
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
BHW x3, BEW x2, ALH x3, AFB, AKN, AKE x2, BCZ, BDG
Makes sense. Gotta move on from even the best things at some point.

Those guys are all familiar names to me as well.... Ran into Buzz just yesterday out at his salvage yard, where he was working on a very tired looking Fox Mustang and an old Mercury sedan of some kind, and Dick Shokey has been in the long term process for the last several months of helping repair a Honda Accord in my household that suffered damage from a falling tree branch in a wind storm last winter (well at least he is helping when he's not busy fixing someone else's old Mustang or Cougar). Great guys and fun to hear their names here, small world.

Anyway, sorry to derail your sale thread, good luck with selling this Jetta wagon to whoever is lucky to buy it. We may run into each other at a Ford event somewhere sometime again.
 

Mark Zaranski

New member
Joined
Oct 31, 2025
Location
New Buffalo, Michigan
TDI
1981 Passat turbo diesel
Hey Mike, very interested, in Indiana, cash ready. This wagon looks so clean, have you had a look at that oil drain plug? Do you think it just needs a new copper washer/seal? Or rethreaded for the next bigger size plug? I'd love to address this issue before driving home.
Is there anything that you expect might prevent this vehicle from reaching 400K miles?
I will watch here for any reply, if you direct message me (2one9/nine2one-4two7eight) we can finish this up.

Mark Zaranski
 

VBoy888

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2025
Location
Las Vegas, NV
TDI
None (Looking)
That TDI is the closest thing I've seen this clean for the price.

Been looking around for a clean TDI Wagon as my first path to Diesel ownership.

What do you think it will cost me to fix that oil leak?

PM'ed

(BTW,1st post!)
 
Top