Please Please Help Replaced Battery!!!

I have a 1996 Jetta and it was completly dead..I tried to jump and still no cigar..I bought a new battery and put it in which gave the car power...for some reason when I turn the key to start the car it completly dies out and again there is no power...I have to then unhook the battery cables and put them back on and again it happens...I am totally confused...why would it do this?????

The car is an Automatic 1996 Jetta

I do notice when I try to start it I hear a click sound and the car is completly out of power...none at all....The battery is brand new...can someone please help me???

It could be a starter or ignition problem then.

I have a 91 Jetta, so this is purely a guess. In a thread that Boschman replied to, from a person with a similar problem, he told them to check their alarm system. Something about turning the key in the door. Prior to checking the alarm they had put in a new battery and tested everything. There is another similar thread where a person tried to do everything before disabling the alarm. Read down a bit to find the threads. It may well be your answer.

If the alarm system is okay & disarms with the key in the driver's door unlock position, then recheck your battery connections. It sounds like one is bad, remember to also check where the cables go; ground to transmission, positive to starter.