My son and I are thinking of doing a Smythe truck conversion on a Jetta/Golf (1999.5 to 2010). VW's have bad iffy reputations for reliability, so we'd love to hear which years/versions are least likely to give us reliability headaches.
My son and I are thinking of doing a Smythe truck conversion on a Jetta/Golf (1999.5 to 2010). VW's have bad iffy reputations for reliability, so we'd love to hear which years/versions are least likely to give us reliability headaches.
A good friend of mine just hit 300K with his 2012 Jetta. 2.5 5-speed manual combo. Had to replace a transmission but the engine has not skipped a beat. I believe anything with either the 2.5 or the 2.slow (old ABA i think) will run until you get sick of it. Definitely stick with a manual transmission, i've heard some horror stories about the autos during that time period.
In reply to 06HHR :
Hmmm, not what I wanted to hear. Was thinking auto with either the TDI or 1.8T. But that's OK. Better to enter in with my eyes open than closed.
Ive literally been texting a buddy about Smythe kits this morning.
Unfortunately, we cannot justify one over an ls swapped s10.
The S10 will be more useful and faster, and you can make an argument it will be cheaper, quicker to build, more reliable, easier to fix, and easier to sell when you're done with it.
So, as with every single other car decision ever, it comes mostly down to looks. And I do love how the Smythe Utes look.
I see that as very much apples and oranges. With Smythe you basically have a modern car that happens to have a pickup bed. With the S-10 you have a dated mini-pickup with insane amounts of power. Personally I'd probably go S-10, but as a toy. For my son's vehicle, this build is for a working parts-runner DD.
Sure, apples and oranges because no two cars are the same, but in terms of "working parts runner dd" I think they both are exactly in that category.
I'm not saying I don't like the Smythe. I'm saying I struggle to justify it because I don't have a use case where it is best. You might (but you also said steer me off the rocks!)
In reply to Kreb :
This is purely ancedotal, but i think your biggest problem will be with the auto vs. either of those engines. Worst thing i've heard about the 1.8T is sludge and coil packs, and TDI is supposedly bulletproof. However, just about every VAG product of that era i've seen in a junkyard has the auto. I know of a New Beetle that was junked because the cost to repair/replace the auto transmission exceeded the worth of the car.
The autos in VAG products are awful, awful, awful. The DSG was a big improvement in reliability which says something.
Both 1.8Ts and TDIs are decent but maintenance-heavy. 1.8Ts sludge, have coil pack issues, and break timing belts early. TDIs eat camshafts and need constant upkeep. If you just want to drive and forget about it you want a 2.0 or 2.5 NA gas engine. The VR6 is generally robust but a PITA to work on and it will need timing chain guides at some point.
My business partner had a 1.8t that was a complete nightmare to own. Other than that I got nothing other than to say, if you need a truck, buy a truck.
Toyman01 said:if you need a truck, buy a truck.
Definitely not the craziest thing I've heard today....
I thought it was "if you need a truck, buy a minivan because you don't actually need a truck you tow-once-a-year, never-use-the-bed, gas-burning, cowboy-wannabe, office worker."
They make a WRX kit as well... just saying
pimpm3 said:They make a WRX kit as well... just saying
I'd probably have one on order if not for that pesky "factory silhouette" rule in scca rallyx that prevented me from running the Saab Ute.
Robbie said:pimpm3 said:They make a WRX kit as well... just saying
I'd probably have one on order if not for that pesky "factory silhouette" rule in scca rallyx that prevented me from running the Saab Ute.
Call it a Subaru Brat and tell them to shut it.
I don't like the lines of the Subie as much, but yeah, that's probably the A-ticket. Bear in mind that I have access to a fleet of "real" trucks. The allure of this approach is the father/son aspect and the fact that we live in a dense urban area, so a smaller vehicle is advantageous.
The Audi kit and the charger one are cool as well. Its funny I looked at their site this morning before I saw this post.
If buying a tdi go 99.5-04 to get the alh, a little friendlier to work on. That being said the bew is still not terrible. I put 30k on a 1.8t wagon a few years ago. Other than coil packs it was reliable and ran well, it had 175k on it when I bought it.
The automatic transmission in mk4’s are not very robust, some go at 100k and other go for 250k miles.
Just my two cents but if at all possible go for a 5spd car.
Granddaughter has a 2001(?) New Beetle with an automatic. Everything I have read says to ignore the factory assertion that the trans fluid is good for the life of the car.
When I found the Beetle for her, did the t-belt, water pump, and completely flushed the trans fluid - drained,dropped the pan, changed the filter, and refilled. Ran it through the gears and followed with a drain/fill another two times.
She has put another 50K miles on it with no issues and it shifts better than before the change.
I had a 2003 Jetta, 2.0 with a 5 speed. We had 336K miles on it when I sold it.
It was still running great and the trans was perfect . It would still hit 100 MPH ( downhill ). I sold it because I bent the left tie rod hitting a pot hole on a dirt road.
FWIW, it was still on the original clutch! It is a great car.
I sold to a mechanic who fixed the stuff it needed - Timing chain, suspension work, tires and head liner. He is selling it for $3200.
CJ said:Granddaughter has a 2001(?) New Beetle with an automatic. Everything I have read says to ignore the factory assertion that the trans fluid is good for the life of the car.
When I found the Beetle for her, did the t-belt, water pump, and completely flushed the trans fluid - drained,dropped the pan, changed the filter, and refilled. Ran it through the gears and followed with a drain/fill another two times.
She has put another 50K miles on it with no issues and it shifts better than before the change.
This. If VW had offered a 50k replacement schedule for fluid we wouldn't be having these conversations. I miss my 1.8t Jetta wagon. No issues with the engine or the coils. Was an awesome driver too. The trans was beyond salvageable when I got however.
This is super relevant to my interest right now. I almost bought a 1.8T Wolfsburg Jetta new in 1999. I ended up getting a used Miata instead, but never stopped liking them.
Now I need a dog hauling wagon and Jettas and Passats have been on my radar. Prior to this thread, I would have only considered a turbo. Scratch that, I guess.
Anyway, aside from this minor threadjack, I would say this:
For a father/son project, you should probably just focus on one end of a car. If you’re going to hack the back end off and make it look respectable again, start with a car that’s not going to bring along a bunch of mechanical risks that you’ll also need to address.
Father/ son projects deserve to get finished. Try to improve your odds in any way possible .
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