97 Jetta GL , 115k considering buying, opinions?

[austinnp]

A friend is selling their 97 Jetta GL, about 115k miles on it.

I've driven it and everything seems to be intact. Is there anything in particular I should look for on a high mileage 97 Jetta?

I've never had a VW so I am wondering if I can expect this thing to last awhile, I would of course take good care of it, but with no Jetta or even VW experience I really don't know what to expect.

Either way I'd get it considerably under the bluebook so I figure if I get a couple good years out of it I should be happy.

Any opinions on this car?

Thanks

[tavarish]

well, volkswagens generally have shoddy reliability, 4 of my friends have volkswagens, 3 vr6's (jetta), and a 1.8t(passat). The oldest one is a '98. They all have problems here and there, and not just usual wear and tear. They all idle weird, and one engine has the worst piston slap i've ever heard. They're always getting taken into the shop for either electrical or mechanical problems. If you don't have the pockets to care for these cars, then I suggest you get a nice japanese car, they're much more reliable, and the parts are more readily available and cheaper. 115k is kind of high mileage, but that depends on what engine. if it's the 2.0, then I can't say much, because i've only had one experience with a 2.0, that was in a cabrio, and it made a BAD popping noise going into 2nd gear.