How many of you are still rocking a MK4 as your DD?

[McGuillicuddy]

I had an ALH Jetta sedan that was a trooper for me until I sold it for a GTI. I have always wanted a MK4 wagon but for whatever reason it never happened. Now that I'm thinking of swapping the GTI for something a little more suitable for my long highway commute I find myself drawn to MK4 wagons again.

2006s can be found with 200-250K on them and in decent looking shape. Anybody think these can still be cost effective commuters? Or has their time passed? Sometimes I think I ought to just hold my nose and buy a Honda Fit or something.

 

[UFO]

186k on my 2001 Beetle. Daily driven since I bought it used in 2007.

 

[jayb79]

I myself had always wanted the coveted wagon until I got my golf now the wagon just seems to big. I have been DDing the ALH since 2000 when I got a brand new beetle TDI sold that around 2010 with around 400k on it and got my current Golf with almost 400k on it. My new truck has been getting some of the miles lately but I still love the ALH.

 

[dober]

Still enjoying my 06 wagon with the Buzzken tune

 

[Wingnut]

I'll be selling my wagon in the next few weeks. Shorter commute now and the need for something bigger. But my 03 wagon has never failed me. Had to boost it once and got a flat once in 10 years of ownership.

 

[Jetta_Pilot]

I'll be selling my wagon in the next few weeks. Shorter commute now and the need for something bigger. But my 03 wagon has never failed me. Had to boost it once and got a flat once in 10 years of ownership.

It seems just like yesterday that you were looking for the wagon! How time flies!

 

[j_martell]

Bought my 06 Jetta wagon in sept 2014 with 268,XXXkm and been daily driving it since. 361,XXXkm now, never let me down/left me stranded

 

[D-Cup]

The gf uses my 03 ALH Jetta as her DD. (Purchased with 212k miles).
Avg 600mi/wk and hand calc always over 42mpg. Usually 44-48
Yes, it's a manual. She might be a keeper.

 

[Cesar F.]

The gf uses my 03 ALH Jetta as her DD. (Purchased with 212k miles).
Avg 600mi/wk and hand calc always over 42mpg. Usually 44-48
Yes, it's a manual. She might be a keeper.

Hahahaha yes she is my gf the same thing that's why I am marrying her! ?

 

[Cesar F.]

I bought a 2001 Jetta last year with 114 000kms, no rust nothing, car is mint!!! Unfortunately my 2011 Jetta is my DD and only put 6k on the 01 so far. Need part upgrades like a VNT-17 turbo! ��

 

[steve6]

I have a 03 I put nearly 200 kms on a day to commute to work. I had a different 03 until last year but at 600k it was getting tired body wise so I picked up another 03 with a blown engine and put the 600k one in it.

 

[hey_allen]

I've been DDing my '00 Jetta since late 2014, bought it with 240k miles, now over 300k.
For someone with a longer commute, I think the small diesel engine makes a lot of sense,

 

[KyleMillione]

I still dd my 02 jetta. Has 260k on it and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it to California tomorrow. The suspension is Alittle tired, which I’m looking to fix in the warmer months, other than that she drives really well.

 

[TDIGAZ]

I've put a total of over 460k kms on 2 different 2003 Jettas as daily driver's since 2007.
So I think they're still great choices, especially if you have a long commute.
The winter can be a little rough on fuel efficiency, but that is more than balanced out by how well they do the rest of the year. It would be a hard time to find a cheaper vehicle to run many kilometers with.
Having access to a trusted VW guru for the major maintenance can give you piece of mind.

 

[P2B]

Three ALH DDs here, no changes planned anytime soon.
Cheap to run, cheap to maintain, and dead reliable.
Simon

 

[McGuillicuddy]

Interesting. Not many BEWs in this crowd. I knew the ALHs were highly regarded but I thought the BEW was similarly reliable when fed the right oil to keep the cam from wearing.

 

[clacker]

18 years into our Jetta (ALH auto) but not on the road at the moment but sometime soon, miss it so much. Only 550000kms. It is tuned, major suspension upgrades and handles telepathically (if that is possible, after 18 years with it you know how it drives...).
Yes, they are still viable daily drivers, much more so then new cars as dents and scratches do not depreciate the car...plus Kenny Upull has dozens of them at each yard and a constant supply for now. Cheap parts and always a fresh supply hard to beat.
BEW are loved just a bit more complicated and yes the cam wears even with the correct oil. Injectors cost a lot more when they fail (which they do). Plus side no injection pump to leak externally.
My friend is at 740000kms on his Beetle ALH, done nothing but belts and seals only changes the oil a couple times a year and it still goes...they truly are bullet proof in ever sense.

 

[derek5120]

Been rocking mine since I joined this forum, but it's getting harder and harder to find clean ones. I'm getting body work done this year for the typical fender/rocker area.

 

[IAMCIRE]

Would you be interested in a golf 03?

 

[McGuillicuddy]

Would you be interested in a golf 03?

Nah sorry. I'm holding out for a wagon. Last time I bought a TDI I rushed and settled for a sedan, which was the wrong choice. If I'd held out for a wagon at that point I'd probably have been driving it all this time and would have avoided this mis-step with the GTI. This time I'm going to do it right .

 

[graeme20]

Still using mine as a daily..........360k & never let me down.

 

[amit9]

Three ALH DDs here, no changes planned anytime soon.
Cheap to run, cheap to maintain, and dead reliable.
Simon

Ditto, pretty much sums it up for me...

2003 Jetta ALH in my 11th year of ownership, bought it at 101K, now at 278K, my daily driver, love the car...

 

[imo000]

Nah sorry. I'm holding out for a wagon. Last time I bought a TDI I rushed and settled for a sedan, which was the wrong choice. If I'd held out for a wagon at that point I'd probably have been driving it all this time and would have avoided this mis-step with the GTI. This time I'm going to do it right .

Why a wagon? After all a golf is pretty much a just a slightly shorter version of a wagon.

 

[clacker]

Why a wagon? After all a golf is pretty much a just a slightly shorter version of a wagon

Because you can do trips and tools and such with a wagon that a Golf cannot. I regret the Jetta for 18 years...reason being the rear doors are small and cramped and the trunk lid opening tiny-that said it has been a wonderful car but too small with babies in car seats (I cannot count how many time I knocked my head on the ceiling lifting babies in and out that the wagon addresses with square door openings). Cramming the car full at Princess Auto and swap meets was always a challenge, ski trips you have to scrunch the front seats forward a bit to get the rear seats folded down and fit skis. We ended up doing a roof rack and box later on but cuts the mileage by 10-20%. We had a mk6 wagon and now a mk7, if you need space the wagon is worth waiting for the right one. The Golf addresses most of the Jetta issues with a big hatch opening but still short in the cargo area and no apparent cost in fuel economy. I always have a wagon around, the B4 Passat is my fav to date for many reasons, mostly the huge fuel tank and excellent road manners in snow esp for a car of that age.

 

[steve6]

A wagon would be more suitable for towing as well, bigger and heavier. A golf cant do much besides a seadoo or small utility trailer.

 

[alhdude]

Still running my 01 Jetta man. trans. 627k has rc3+ tune on stock nozzles and turbo.

 

[Wingnut]

Why a wagon? After all a golf is pretty much a just a slightly shorter version of a wagon.

The wagon has a much more user friendly opening. The Jetta wagon is flat, the golf has a lip. Much easier to get furniture & stuff in a wagon. Not to mention the extra room. Doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside there is a huge difference.

 

[to.tdi]

2001 golf 860.124 just got rid of it 2 weeks ago drove it to sarnia and back in durham and that was it..engine still strong but the rest was falling apart replaced with same thing 2001 golf with 500.000 on it i plan to run this about the same

 

[imo000]

Fair enough.

 

[oilhammer]

I still drive mine most every day.... if I don't drive it (2000 Golf), I'll drive one of the 2004 Passats, the Sprinter, or now the 1999.5 Golf.

But most days, the 2000 Golf gets the job done. 537k miles as of this morning.