 I had my jetta for almost 6 years and loved it overall. It was a manual transmission which made it fun to drive. The only problem with the transmission that I had was that it had difficulty going into 1st. It got great gas mileage and other than when the AC broke during a 10 hr drive in the summer, it was great on trips. I did have some mechanical issues including a $600 fix after I attempted to replace the battery and the whole computer shut down. I had electrical problems too and the cup holders and side window adjusters broke often. However, I drove it until I totalled it in March. I will say that I was only hurt minorly and feel that the car was very safe. 