Today’s Jetta has about everything you could want in VW’s handsome small wagon, including the VR6 engine, manual transmission, and fancy leather seats. Let’s see if it’s priced to make you want it even more.

For something so rare, we’ve sure seen a lot of ZJ Grand Cherokees with stick-shifts around these parts. It’s been two in total, which has got to be some sort of record! At $700, the one that David Tracy bought was the cheaper of the two, but $1,800 for yesterday’s didn’t seem too bad, and in fact, earned the shifty off-roader a decent 63 percent Nice Price win.

I noted in the post for yesterday’s Jeep that almost two-weeks on the classifieds seemed an awfully long time for something so cheap and desirable. Those must have been the magic words since the seller pulled the ad that very morning. Hopefully, the Jeep went to a good new home.

Today we’re looking at another car that needs a good home. This is dealer offered and comes with a clean title, a modest 121K on the clock, and a 2.8-litre VR6/5-speed stick drivetrain under its hood.

Let’s start off with that last attribute, shall we? Now, admittedly, 174 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque are not stellar specs in today’s automotive climate. And, having each of those come on at above 3,500 rpm makes lower rev adventures a little underwhelming.

As we have previously discussed, however, it’s not so much the power that Volkswagen’s narrow-angle V6 makes, but the sonorous noises it creates while making it. It’s pretty glorious.

These are lovely to hear and having one elevates the Jetta from econobox status to near-classic status. Add to that the clunky but swell-ratio’d 5-speed in this wagon body and you have what could be literally considered a sporty utility.

The car itself looks to be in very decent shape. The silver metallic paint shows well, and with the exception of some loading scrapes on the rear bumper, so too does the body beneath.

The headlamp lenses on this generation of Jetta tend to yellow and cloud like an old man’s memory, although the lights on this one are clear and without issue. It should also be noted that this generation of Jetta is quite possibly one of the most accomplished car designs of the ‘80s and 90s. It’s still quite handsome and contemporary even today. A roof rack and factory alloys complete the picture here.

The interior has held up amazingly as well. This being a GLX, it rocks leather seating surfaces and fake wood trim amping up the luxury aspirations. The seats look to be in excellent shape both front and rear, while monster mats portend decent carpet.

The dash has a working MFD, dual-zone climate control, and double-DIN factory stereo with a CD changer atop the AM/FM/Cassette player. Power windows, mirrors, seats, and door locks mean you won’t have to stress too hard to find your fit, while a sizable moonroof above all that extends the benefit to claustrophobics.

The dealer-posted ad spends more time listing other vehicles for sale than describing the Jetta, but it does claim the car to have “No mechanical issues” and that it “Runs and drives excellent.” It further notes the car’s “Good tires and brakes” and I should point out that the seller spelled brakes correctly here. Any seller that uses “breaks” in describing a car’s clampers should be considered immediately suspect.

This Jetta is offered in Boston so I will give them the latitude that it is, in fact, a “Car” and not a “Cah” as they may confusingly aver it to be over the phone. Other fun New England-isms include calling roundabouts “rotaries” and claiming everything good to be “wicked.”

How wicked is the asking price for this well-equipped Jetta wagon? How about $2,995?

This being dealer-offered that, of course, doesn’t include the tax and license that inevitably get added, but it’s a good starting point for our purposes.

What do you think, is this VR6 Jetta worth the $2,995 asking as it’s presented in the ad? Or, does that price make this Vee-Dub a Vee-Don’t?

You decide!

Boston, MA , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to EdHelmsBakery for the hookup!

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