This is my 1988 16v Jetta. One of the interesting facts about this car is that it has been in the family since 1993, when my dad purchased it from the original owner to be his daily driver. In 2005, I purchased the car from him, as he got a great deal on a Porsche 968. On a side note, he has also purchased a nicely modified '99 MK3 VR6 Jetta to be his daily driver.

When we bought the GLI, the car had already lived a rough life. The non-clearcoat paint was horribly oxidized, to the point where no amount of buffing would bring it back to life. And as we found out AFTER purchasing the car, it had been in a pretty rough accident, apparently being hit on the left front fender just before the driver's door. But, the repair was done extremely well, our clue in being a windshield that was never reinstalled correctly (has since been taken out and done correctly)and shattered glass under the carpet. In fact, we actually suspect the car was hit in the right rear at some point too, as the rear wheels are not quite centered in the wheel wells. But, once again, the repair was extremely well done and it took about a year to notice that the wheels were just a smidge out of center. This has had zero ill effects on the driving experience, handling, or tire wear.

Since we purchased the car, it has been extremely well maintained. I'm sure that more abuse was done to it in the first 5 years of its life than in the last 16. Oil has been changed every 3,000 mi along with new factory oil filters. The car was given finally given a $2,500 paint job 4 years ago after another minor accident, when a lady crossed out of her lane on a 90 degree bend and into us. She basically ripped most of the skin off the left rear door. Thankfully, all the damage was confined to that door only. Unfortunately, even after the repaint, the car still lacks a clearcoat and the red paint fades incredibly quickly. Next time around, the car will definitely receive a quality 2 stage PPG paint job, probably done by us.

The Jetta currently (8/09) has 204,xxx miles on it. But looking at the car, and even inspecting it more closely, one would never know this. And driving it reveals that the body is still very tight, no weird rattles and creaks. It is one of the cleanest A2's around. As soon as something breaks, I try to replace or repair it. Also, I've been catching up on things that have been wrong for years. For example, I recently replaced the bad power switch in the passenger side Recaro seat that hadn't been working when dad bought the car. As far as other rust is concerned, the car does have some, but I am taking care of it as quickly as possible. As can be seen in the pics, there is some rust on the leading and bottom edges of 3 of the 4 doors and also some rust in the rear above the trunk lock and above the bumper. These areas appear as dark spots in the pics because I stripped them and they are currently primered red. Beyond that, rust has taken hold around the gas filler, under the little door. There are a few other very small odds and ends, but overall the car is in incredibly good condition.