So as is our custom every year, Mr. X (who is not the rando in the picture!) and I went to the North American International Auto Show again this year. Breaking with custom, though, I took a bunch of photos this year of random things that interested me or I wanted to revisit later.
Here’s something I thought might be interesting to the CC crowd.
Volkswagen was making hay of the fact they’re releasing a new Jetta. It was very much in keeping with the modern idea of a small(ish) car. It had all the things one would expect in a modern car of that size. The styling was fine, but not particularly exciting. The interior was competitive, but there were nicer in that price and size class on the show floor as far I was concerned (notwithstanding the super-cheap feeling controls like the wiper stick that felt like I was going to break it off entirely).
The new Jetta did not make it onto my camera roll. The old Jetta that VW brought to show off, though, did. Oddly, there was no display, and, being not well-learned in the way of 1980s VWs, I can’t tell you more on what year or anything else it is. Heck, I’m not even sure what I’d call that color; something teal green maybe.
An interesting beast, so very alien to the American iron I grew up around in the hinterlands of Michigan. Even as an adult who’s interested in these sorts of things, I’m not convinced I like it. But, a friend that grew up around Boston who was with us thought it was fantastic, so I guess it’s a matter of perspective and what you knew as a kid.
Of course, VW wasn’t about to let 500,000 random jerks mess around inside their neat old car, so I didn’t get to touch, poke, or manipulate anything inside. Shame that, as I’d love to know if the wiper stalk was more substantial in this one. I will say, the seats in the new one were probably nicer to sit in than these vinyl-clad babies. Still, vinyl aside, these look like they were well-made, adequately bolstered, and probably reasonably comfortable.
On the control and dash front, VW’s heritage as the people’s car seems apparent, I could cynically sneer. If I’m being fair, though, I have no idea why I associate square dashes like this with the worst of state communism, since the Americans were good for these same shapes in that time. Just something about it, I guess. Compared to the true people’s car I spent my formative years in, though (a black 1985 Cavalier Type-10 with a four-speed manual with a strip speedometer and no tach, no opening rear windows, and no air conditioning), this is properly luxurious! A/C, automatic transmission, and even an analog clock-truly decadent!
I wish I could have looked up close at the inside. I’d have loved to take notes on the state of 1980s VW fit and finish and materials to compare to some of the American iron I remember. Again if I’m being fair, though, it probably wouldn’t have been a fair comparison anyway. I’m guessing VW did the business on this Jetta before letting it out for public viewing.
Then again, the pieces had to be decent to start with in order to do a good restoration. The pieces outside looked like they were decent to start with. The body lines were as straight as the drafter’s ruler. The doors were in the right spots, not drooping or tilted. The bumpers looked to be in the right spots. Even the lights looked lined up correctly. Again, it’s amazing what restoration specialists can do, but I have to wonder if they could have done this same work with, say, a 1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS.
I suppose it’s just as well VW wouldn’t let the unwashed masses try out their lovely new, erm, old Jetta. Might have cut into sales of their new one. After all, even if it isn’t quite my speed, this one was interesting enough to cut through the C-car din and make it onto my camera roll!
Nice, this was my first car back in 2000. 1984 Jetta GL, 5 speed, in brick red (last year before the much more common MKII). This is also a later one, as evidenced by the four-horn button steering wheel and fuel injection badge. Very comfortable and charming interior; I particularly remember the checker pattern cloth seats, two glove boxes, and subway style grab bar loops. If I recall correctly, the 1.6L was quoted at 72 hp… I don’t think I’d have liked the automatic as much. Good handling car, and very light (sub 2000 lbs). Much less troublesome than the 1990 GLi with which I replaced it.
These are thin on the streets. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this particular color.
1984 was the last year of the Jetta MK 1. When introduced to the American market in 1980 it had the 1588cc (1.6) engine producing 76 hp. Subsequent years used a 1715cc engine (1.7) producing 74 hp. Compared to the Westmoreland produced Rabbits these cars were much nicer with better interiors and much higher quality materials…The Westmoreland dashboards and doorcards were entirely different and far inferior.
My first car was a 1980 Scirocco which shared all the mechanicals with the Jetta including chassis, engine and transmission. Here’s my current Scirocco…A 1981 S
I’m jealous! Always loved the Detroit show; one of my favorite childhood excursions with my dad. Judging by the damage I’ve seen showgoers do to other vehicles, though, it’s probably good VW kept this one locked, as you say.
Spartan as it is, I always had a liking for the early Jettas. Just a plain, honest car.
This car seems to draw more attention than the newer models in the car show occasionally.
Also, I noticed how popular Hankook tires is among 25+yo cars, either with white wall tires or not. I have two sets on my cars ( both white wall tires ) and during the cruise Hankook Optimo is the most common type used. This car has a set of Hankook Optimo too. (Even though I personally prefer Cooper tires as their white wall is easier to clean)
I think the Optimo H724 is about the only mainstream offering in white stripe and in many of the common 1980s 14 and 15-inch sizes.
My Hyundai came with Hankook Optimo H426 tires. They were replaced last night with 26,600 miles. I love the car, but I guess these tires aren’t ready for prime time. Easy to spin in the wet, squirrelly feel, and short life do little to endear them to me. Le pneu Michelin est le choix pour moi. I’ve not figured out what the numbers in the name mean on Optimos, but I won’t be buying any more of them. When shopping for tires last night, I did note that the only ones in stock that would’ve fit my old RWD Ninety-Eight were Goodyear Wranglers.
Hyundai seems to love shit tires, as the Kumhos on my ’07 Accent were all DOA by 20,000 miles because of sidewall bubbles or tread sep. It really soured me on them since I am used to new car tires lasting at least 50,000 miles. Hyundai has been the only new car I owned where that wasn’t the case. It made me wonder how else Hyundai cut corners to save a buck that I couldn’t see. I do know that you can only change toe-in on the Accent. If the camber or caster needs adjustment, you have to replace the suspension part to fix it. Which I think is total bullshit.
I’ve heard many terrible things about these tyre manufacturers. I might be wrong but for me it’s 100% about buying from some company from the same country they’re from… and maybe the same economic group (choebol, as they call it)
I was probably as excited to see that Jetta as anything last Saturday at Cobo. The show just ain’t what it used to be. The three Mitsubishi’s exiled to the lobby were particularly sad (not a Mitsubishi fan boy, but…wow).
I was surprised by how many were absent this year. Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Mazda, Tesla (although they hadn’t been there for a couple years now)…
I usually take it as a bad sign when there’s a supplier on the first floor, and this year there were like five of ’em up there!
Volvo’s presence, such as it was, came courtesy of the local dealers and was adjacent to Mitsubishi’s in the lobby. At least the Alfa Romeos were unlocked this year although noting this as a plus for the show falls into the category of “damning with faint praise” I think.
These Jettas had about 85 horsepower, not 72, and would get about 15-20 more before the 80s were over.
I haven’t driven any Jettas of this generation, but have driven a few Rabbits along with other 70s-80s small cars. The Rabbits always felt like small Mercedes, while other brands had minor controls that felt like they would break off with use.
The last year for these Jettas was 1984. I’m not sure which engine.
I’m not sure if the Mk 1 Jetta had a GLI variant–I think it did. If so, it had a 90-hp 1781cc version of VW’s ubiquitous 4-cylinder.
At intro, in 1978 or 79 (80?), I’m pretty sure they had the 1,588 FI version, which was about 75 hp.
I saw this car at the auto show too, and I thought it was one of the best cars there–even if it was an automatic!
I must be getting old…. glad I still have my 1986 VW GTI for sunny days.
Dan, 72 hp was my recollection, but it could have been 74 or 76. I’m fairly positive it was in the 70 hp range, and that’s definitely something I would have studied exhaustively at the time. A brief web search shows that the hp and engine choices varied quite a bit across the life of the MKI, so maybe that’s the source of our disagreement. I am curious where your values are coming from, I could be wrong.
As Tom noted, 1984 was the last year of the MKI. And yes, there was a GLi version. Here is one I spotted in the wild.
1980 was a 1588cc 76 hp unit…In 1981 it was increased to 1715 but hp decreased to 74…max torque was generated at a lower rpm however. The 1.8 liter engine developing 85 hp was introduced in the MK2….GTI had 100
Haven’t seen a gen 1 Jetta in years, and that one is beautifully restored. Wonder if there will be any 2018 Jettas restored to that condition in 30 years time when we will all be driving electric cars.
37 years ago, 1981, Buff Books were predicting we would mostly be driving small Euro-type sub-compacts, with some compacts as ‘family cars’. So who knows?
Fellow ’85 Type 10 survivor here! Ours sound nearly identical, except Mom’s was charcoal grey, and did have flip out rear vent windows (those were options? Yikes). She also had the high end Delco stereo, but that was it. Did yours have the black vinyl/cloth seats? Ours did. The interior got so hot one summer a pen literally melted and bonded onto the vinyl. That was a mess. Ours was actually an ok car, but it did require two new clutches over just under 100k. That and the washer jets sucked.
Yeah, ours had the flip-out windows. They were completely worthless, though. I had to hope one of my parents was willing to have the window down all the way. Ours had the vinyl/cloth seats, gray with black vinyl and piping around the edges that literally left burn marks on my legs from time to time.
I hated that car. I still hate that car, and Mom smashed it in 1991. Mom loved it so much she tried to convince the insurance people to fix it instead of totaling it. I was happy to see it go, and some of my most vivid childhood memories are of that car. From what she said, she never had an ounce of trouble with it.
The piping you mention jogged my memory. It was a grayish cloth in ours, and wasn’t the piping red? And I am all too aware of burning my thighs on that vinyl. Worse yet, how about on the metal belt latches? I was branded more than once by the GM logo on those. Oh the memories.
I think the piping on our seats was black or gray, complementary to the rest of the gulag… erm, interior. And yeah, the GM Mark of Excellence took on a whole new meaning in the summer after the seatbelt latch branded it into you!
Also, glad to know I’m not the only one!
I had for about a year a 1980 Jetta 2 door sunroof, it had an 1984 JH code 1.7 90HP engine. The not so great points were a 3 speed automatic trans and no AC.
On long trips it only got about 29 MPG due to the high engine revs on the freeway. Even with the automatic, the lightweight car could really scoot away from a stoplight, it surprised a few people.
No power steering, and because of this it had great road feel and felt really tight and cornered well. With it’s 175/70/13 tires it was easy to steer, even when parking.
The pictured car is ’82-’84, ’82 was the first year the back seat got the little headrest bumps.
I bought it in Washington state in 1990 for $1300 after a ’63 Dodge pickup ran a stop sign and I T- boned the truck, caving in the cab to the frame on the right side and folding up the front of my 1977 Rabbit. I pulled the 5 speed trans (rebuilt out of a 1980 Scirocco) and shifter/linkage with the intention of installing this in the Jetta.
Moved to SoCal and really wanted AC, wound up selling it for $1200 in 1991 with the automatic still installed, found a 1986 Jetta GL with AC, sunroof and power steering for $2000. Still drive this car today with over 300k miles on it now, had about 100k miles on it when I bought it. With the 5 speed the car would get 36 MPG on the highway, 7 MPG better than the ’80, even with the AC running.
I actually feel the ’80 Jetta handled better then the ’86, no power steering felt more precise and tight. If the ’80 would have had AC I have no doubt I would still be driving it today. Mine was silver in color and had vinyl interior. These MK1 Jetta’s are hard to find today, wish I would have been able to keep it, it was in great condition inside and out.
The fit and finish was very good, the interior had a quality feel and the seats were comfortable. Build quality was impressive on these early Jetta’s.
My folks had a 4 speed ’80 Rabbit and it only got 30-31 on the Interstate back in the bad old 55 mph days. It probably was turning 3,000 rpm at 55.
I was lucky enough to be able to go to this show this past Saturday. This old Jetta was one of the highlights for me. These cars had such an honest, beautiful simplicity to them. “Made in West Germany” seems so novel now!
Cool, it’s in nicer condition than the 84 Jetta I drove from 90-97 but mine was a nicer spec. I had a Gambia Red GL with cloth seats, AC, a sunroof and extra gauges in the console like a GTI. It was still a 5 speed, crank windows but I appreciated the simplicity and the comfort after my modified Scirocco. In a reversal of the usual progression, the Jetta was replaced by a 95 Escort which my wife promptly seized as her ride leaving me driving our Ford Ranger.
I have fond memories of the A1 Jetta.
This was an aspirational car for the college graduate at that time who could not afford a BMW. Build quality and switches were quite good, and the engine was plenty strong for such a light car. Even after all the trouble I had with my Rabbit, I would drive this car, if it had a manual. And definitely over a new one. These had real character, managed to look different from the Rabbit and from everything else on the road.
Check out the space between the tires and fenders! No “lowering springs” for this car.
So looking at my pictures here again, it looks like the new Jetta did make a couple of the pics. The first one, the white car to the left, and the last one, the red car to the right.
Pretty unremarkable eh?
Everyone just thought they were Ford Foci.
This Jetta was really the vehicle of choice for so many recent college grads in the early 1980s, myself included. However, my first employer imposed a buy-American edict in order to qualify for a car allowance, so I ended up in a Buick Regal and my VW love went unrequited for several years.
This all changed when I met my wife. Already smitten, I like to joke that what sealed the deal was the fact that she was driving a 1983 Jetta GL 2-door sedan. The car was Gambia red, with a light and precise manual transmission, A/C and a sunroof. It handled and rode well, with a distinctly German character, in contrast to the more American feel of the Civics and Corollas my friends drove. Her car was Spartan inside, but fit and finish was better than in my father’s U.S.-made 1983 Rabbit diesel. Shortly after we married, the car was totaled in an accident and we replaced it with a new 1990 Jetta, the last of the German-built models sold in the U.S.
I know that Mk1 Rabbits and Jettas have their fans, but back in the day they sure aged poorly. Typically German, the handling and driving dynamics were great but lots of components were pretty flimsy and it all went to hell when production and parts sourcing, not to mention detail styling and trim, went American with the US-built cars. I bought a new 1982 Civic and while it wasn’t overtly sporting, it was more fun to drive and own than friends’ US built VW’s. And when I test drove a US built GTI, a car enthusiasts had waited for with bated breath, I was underwhelmed. I’ll agree that almost 40years later, this Jetta does have a certain quality that a contemporaneous metallic green Accord with velour upholstery, lacks.
mine was an ’82. Blue. Blue exterior, blue interior, blue everyplace. it was a 5-speed, with a sunroof, so it had potential. I put snowflakes and new rubber on it, and daily-drove it for quite a spell. at the same time, I had an ’84 GTi, and there was no comparison where build quality was concerned. The A1 Jetta was sturdy, well-made and had excellent fit-and-finish – after several years from new – whereas the Westmoreland Bunny seemed to have been knocked together by a few people who had maybe seen a car once before. Years later, when we resided in Maine, I ran across a bright-orange-from-the-factory Gli two-door, with the squishy black rear spoiler – remember those? I picked it up for not much money, and had some good times in it – but by then, the junkyard A1 donor cars were becoming thin on the ground, and it became a challenge to scrounge for bits and pieces, so I sold it on. I wish that I still had that one, though.
In Germany, the Jettas (and Boras, Ventos etc) have always been the epitome of a means of transport for the elderly.
There really was nothing uncooler to be seen in, whereas the Golf, which was nothing but the hatchback version of the Jetta, was always considered to be a cool car (especially as GTI of course) for people from all classes.
If I remember correctly the only thing they were really revered for was the gigantic loading capacity of their trunks (just like the Derby, which was the sedan version of the Polo).
I wonder….This Jetta probably has what….like 75 horsepower?
How in the world is it able to move forward once the A/C is on?
I used to own Honda Civics, starting with an 89 sedan, moving to a 92 Civic hatchback, and then a 97 Civic 2 door. The 92 left the factory with a 70 horsepower engine. While not a tarmac terror, it did okay, even when the A/C kicked in. BUT, being a reader of many import performance magazines, I would eventually swap out the engine and transmission for the units in a Acura Integra with a few modifications so horsepower was more than doubled.
Back when this Jetta was new, there were diesel engined versions with about 52 horsepower. Having driven my uncle’s diesel Rabbit/Golf a few times I can tell you those cars barely got moving forward if A/C was used.
“tarmac terror” 😉
You simply label the a/c button as the ‘turbolader’ button and push before merging into traffic.
With only 2000 lbs to move and a nice 5 speed transmission they were some of the quicjker small cars around…You have to remember that LeSabres of the same era had a 115 hp V6
My parents had a serious consideration of replacing our tempermental Alfa Romeo 1750A Berlina with Jetta that would have more ‘creature comfort’. However, we couldn’t make up our mind what to do with Alfa Romeo for a few years. Then, my father realised he could get a better value for money when he sourced a five-year-old Mercedes-Benz 450SEL from Germany. So we did in the summer of 1982 when the dollar increasingly appreciated against Deutsche Mark.
My sister had that model of Jetta, although the Golf was much more popular in the UK with its hatch.
It was a decent enough small car, had a few engineering things I didn’t like at all
My sister car developed an unusual fault, no power at low revs , which would suddenly pick up as the revs increased , accompanied by a loud clacking sound.
Found it was a broken valve spring, first I had ever encountered. with enough revs the cylinder pressure closed the vale and the cylinder kicked in
Took the head off to check for damage and decided to change cam belt at the same time
From what I remember, on the 1.3, the belt also drove the water pump and was tensioned by rotating the water pump, didn’t like that . Also the head gasket had a rubber inset to seal the main oil feed to the head. Putting the head on and torqueing by the book didn’t seal the oil in. Don’t know if the head gasket was faulty , but that was the first time I ever had to redo a head gasket.
Never had any problems with the BMC A series engines,
According to the commentator at the show, this particular Jetta is a 1982 model.
If didn’t know, a VIN’s 10th digit is the Model Year code. 17 digit VIN’s started in 1981. But, used sequence with ‘A’ for 1980, B=’81, C=’82, etc.
Letters I, O, Q, and Z not used.
Can look up more online here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number
FYI: 2001-09 used numbers 1-9, skipping Z, and back to A for 2010. Will go back to A again in 2030.
Oops, make that back to ‘1’ again, in 2031.
After 2039, who knows?
I didn’t have a Jetta, but did have an ’87 Scirocco with many of the same interior parts so can say:
The wiper stalk did feel cheap. I recall it being very lightweight.
That said, the overall fit/finish/materials in the interior were much nicer than many cars of the era. The cloth upholstery, in particular, was considerably richer than say that miserable “mouse fur” that Ford put on absolutely everything.
Don’t get me started on mechanical issues, however. Oh boy, everything broke and I even had a leaking gas tank. As fun as it was to drive, that car and my mother’s same vintage Quantum (which stranded us in the middle of nowhere during an interstate trip) are the reason I’ve never gone near a VW since.
Skipped the show this year. Didn’t seem much new of interest. I’ll inspect the new Jetta when I have mine in for service sometime next summer or fall.
Mitsu has not had a stand at the show for several years, so whatever they had in the concourse this year was an improvement. Volvo had a big space last year, with very little in it. Mini missing for at least the second year. Mini was always between BMW and VW. Brand attrition the last 15 years has been significant: no longer any space for Pontiac, Olds, Scion, Mercury, Saturn, Hummer. Chrysler and Dodge lines have imploded. Smart used to have it’s own space, but with it’s line imploded to only electrics, it looked on the show floorplan like it was mixed into the Merc stand.
Several years ago, several Chinese brands showed up. The main floor was full, so the Chinese were all in the basement. For the last couple years, only GAC has shown up and they have had a big stand on the main floor.
It occurs to me that the Mk I Jetta on the stand may be a subtle hint that the Mk 7 may be the last Jetta. The Mk 6 did not sell well in Europe and Jetta sales in the US have been falling. Word is the Mk 7 will not be offered in Europe at all.
Certainly rare, especially in this condition. There was a driver Mk1 2-door in my old neighborhood, which may still be around, though the newest Street View image in which it appears is dated 2014 (I know I saw it in ’15 but I’ve moved since then). While the sedans were once common I never remember seeing very many of the coupes, even back in the 80’s.
Never have seen a Jetta that old before. Really cool! Is it just me or does it seem to sit pretty high up?
I’d drive that!
I was on the VW website yesterday, tinkering with things and “building” a couple of cars…looks like no more Cornsilk Beige interior in the ’19 Jetta, it’s a caramel brownish tan instead.
I have never owned nor driven a first gen Rabbit or Jetta.
My parents had a 2nd generation Golf GL and Jetta GL, both were tough, sturdy cars that gave good service. One, if not both, needed fuel tanks replaced because some sort of plastic lining got eaten by US gasoline, but other than that they were terrific. The ’91 Mexican-built Jetta GL, not so much…that thing was SO awful they haven’t bought a VW since.
It’s a 1984 Jetta GL 1.7L 5 speed. In Stratos Blue metallic with beige leatherette interior.