Volkswagen Jetta. An opportunity in original condition

If you are looking for a handsome classic entry-level car with relatively few kilometers, it is good to be patient. And sometimes you just run into the car that strikes the right chord, that makes an old love bloom. A car that was called bare and conventional at the time of new delivery. But now rarer than expected. The Volkswagen Jetta 1.6 in this story is such a car.

The car is at Gerard Kramer's in Wolvega. A new one delivered by BV Auto EVAM in Vleuten, which has 82.000 kilometers of life experience. The Jetta is just out of the prefacelift series of the second generation. You can see it, for example, in the grille, the position of the exterior mirrors and the windows in the front doors. The first owner received the keys to the Volkswagen in July 1987 and always maintained the well-documented Jetta neatly.

What is immediately noticeable is the highly original condition of the VW. This is accompanied by some - not bothersome - traces of use. The Jetta is still fresh in its original Jade Green paint, and that also gives the car some distinction. The first owner ordered some factory options for the rather sparsely equipped basic model. This Jetta does not have power steering, but it does have a right exterior mirror that can be adjusted from the inside. And you can activate the optional central door locking with the key. No more.

Inside, things are neatly done, although you can see some signs of wear on the sturdy and excellently seated driver's seat. But other than that, things are in good shape. An original Blaupunkt radio-cassette player provides the musical accompaniment to the ride, which plays its sounds via four loudspeakers (after-market). And there is good news for those who like to stream, play their own lists and/or listen to digital radio. Because there are plenty of retro-trimmed DAB+ radios with Bluetooth, among other things, available, Blaupunkt is currently causing quite a stir with it.

The original Blaupunkt sits high in the sturdy and functional dashboard. That shows a simple equipment. However, the materials used have lost none of their quality impression. And typical VW from that time: control functions can be found blindly. And when you hold something you feel what Volkswagen understood during the eighties as sound and solid. Everything feels very good and strong in a qualitative sense. And you notice that when you close the door. It closes with a determined sound.

You can guess how the Volkswagen drives. For example, if you just got out of a French contemporary, you think you have to take a step back in comfort in the Jetta. That's not too bad, and that's putting it mildly. The suspension and damping are extremely comfortable, they work with long strokes, and without sway. The wheel grip and directional stability of the Jetta are also excellent, the Jetta is rock solid on the road. The power-assisted steering does its job excellently, very balanced and is far from artificial. Clutching and braking are a piece of cake, and make you really feel what you're doing. That is called: excellent dosing.

The first owner decided to omit the optional five-speed gearbox. This Jetta is therefore equipped with four forward gears. That is a gearbox in which the ratios in combination with the pleasant and most active 72 DIN hp RF motor are really well matched. Every gear is actually a gear, and when shifting, the speed of the quiet power source does not drop too far. This way you hold the torque well and the momentum is good.

With this 1.6 engine, this basic version of the Jetta (from model year 1987 without C designation) is an extremely good-natured and pleasant-driving car. You can easily keep up with traffic. There is nothing to criticize about this Volkswagen Jetta 1.6. The rather simple equipment used to be objectionable, but today it is a charming sign of the past. For example, the focus is even stronger on the qualities of the VW. And they are such that you can easily use this Jetta daily for years to come. He can handle that easily.

But it is of course much more fun to take the VW with you now and then for a drive through the country, a nice holiday trip or to an old-timer event. Or on occasion take it for a really long ride. And if you want to take a lot of luggage with you for the occasion: the boot of the Jetta is a ballroom, one with more than five hundred liters of practically usable space.

Anyone looking for an affordable classic or youngtimer would do well to consider a car within this category: those of the eighties entry-level versions within the middle class. And you won't find an original Jetta II from the prefacelift series that easily anymore, certainly not as a new two-door version delivered in the Netherlands. Moreover, many copies fell prey to far-reaching forms of personalization and lowering. But that does not apply to this beautiful VW. That, and the reasonable price for which it was offered, makes this Jetta a great opportunity. This is a car. It will come as no surprise that the car has been sold. To me.