CC is a funny place. Some cars were featured in dozens of posts, others are yet to grace these pages. As far as the 2nd generation Jetta is concerned though, CC has been pretty stingy with the love. Considering how many of these were made and how long their production life stretched to, colour me surprised. These were all over the Americas, Europe and many parts of Asia, yet we’ve only had three COAL posts about them, until now. But don’t rejoice too soon – this is not going to be a rose-tinted piece.
The second gen Golf is still a regular sighting in Tokyo, but its big-booted brother Jetta is less common. This one lives in my neighbourhood, but I usually saw it parked deep inside its own garage, virtually impossible to capture. Luckily, it and I were out and about at the same moment recently, so I was able to snap a few pics.
Now, let me be crystal clear: I grew up around these cars, both in Golf and Jetta guise, and I remember them fondly. Along with the Peugeot 205, these were the best European compacts of the ‘80s, no question. But there are a couple bullet points in the “con” column, too. Prior to the 1988 facelift, the A2s kept that odd ‘70s-looking front vent window, coupled with mirrors that were too close to be useful (or rather, to be both useful at the same time). And that dash is about as exciting as a rainy weekend in February. Those are shortcomings that Jettas shared with the Golf, of course. But I do have one major gripe about the A2 Jetta specifically: the rear end.
VW took a page from the Alfa Romeo 33 / Maserati Biturbo Big Book of Boxy Butts and tacked it on to the Golf. Now, you’re going to say: “Well DUH! That’s the whole point of the Jetta.” Sure, but do you have to be such a prick about it? And did VW have to make that rear end so bulky and poorly integrated with the rest? Answer the second question first.
By contrast, and for what it’s worth, the square-eyed front end is just fine by me. The Golf’s round headlights look better, but the Mark 1 Jetta ushered in the breed’s rectangular gaze, so this may not be pretty, but at least it makes a modicum of sense.
The Graftenbutt group, 1974-1982
That rear end looks awful, no two ways about it. But then grafting a notchback boot to a hatchback design is not exactly straightforward. Prior to the A2 Jetta (launched in 1984), this exercise was undertaken by the Lancia Trevi and Prisma (top left and right, respectively launched in 1980 and 1982), the Renault Siete (bottom left, dating back to 1974) and, crucially, the 1979-84 Mark 1 Jetta (bottom right).
They all did it better than the A2 Jetta, in my opinion. Not by much sometimes, but still. Apologies for this fixation on the one detail that bugs me, because in the end, the A2 Jetta’s technical brilliance is legendary – in Europe, anyway. I suggest perusing Perry Shoar’s comprehensive post on the Golf version (linked below), if you need a refresher about how great these cars are. Just make sure you get the hatchback.
Related posts:
COAL: 1988 VW Jetta GL – Oh Mk2 How I Miss You., by Adam Simpson
COAL: 1990 VW Jetta 1.3, Or How I Learned The Truth About Cars, by Bewo
COAL: 1986 VW Jetta – Fahrvergnügen Gone Bad, by Len Peters
Curbside Classic: Volkswagen Golf (A2) – Ready, Steady, Golf, by Perry Shoar
These were great cars! I considered getting a new 86 Jetta GL for my first car. My father wanted me to get one! While it wasn’t American, he had owned 4 Beetles, and he thought is was a very classy car, especially for a “first new car”. His first new car was a Beetle–because it was inexpenisve in 195x
There was a lot to like about the Jetta. Essentially, it was what I considered then (and now, 36 years later) a “proper car”. It rode and handled well, the engine had excellent driveability and gears shifted well. It was fuel efficient. It was decent looking. Excellent outward visibility.
It had room for four, with a bonus of a huge trunk for car’s size. In 1986, to me at least, the beige interiior felt very rich, like a smaller Audi 5000!
In the end, I went with an 86 (Golf) GTI. DRIVING it was too good to pass up. But these A2 Jettas were great, I’m always on the lookout for a nice clean one. Probably all gone now..
I knew two people who had these cars, they both found them excellent and reliable. Great daily commuter cars. Easy to park, easy to maneuver.
When I rode in one of them, I found the front seat a wee bit cramped, but the seating itself was certainly comfortable.
Now that I think of it, a neighbour across the street had a diesel version of one of these. I can still hear the klattering sound when he would start it up in the morning. Another daily driver, he kept that car for years also. His was a successor to the Rabbit he had previously.
The quality on the US versions seemed to be hit or miss. As luck would have it, a few months after I bought my (US assembled, BTW) GTI, I wound up working with two people (out of 15) who had Jetta GLs, and 86 and 87. The 86 auto had issues over the two years I worked there and the owner was not happy. The 87 5-speed was much better, but I remember giving my coworker a ride for some warranty work. My American made car did better–except that less than a year after the warranty expired, the outboard driver seat bolster wore and tore (so I had bolsters reupholstered with vinyl, and they remained untorn when I sold carf 10 years later)
The biggest design flaw of these Mk2 Jetta/Golf cars:
The “drip molding” (did I state that correctly) that runs from the bottom of the A-pillar to the top of the C-pillar.
This rubber molding will not last forever. They tend to crack and tear where the top of the door meets the the molding. It looks unsightly when you open the door. This can also cause water leaks.
The moldings themselves were expensive parts and difficult to install – and that’s if you had the magic VW tool.
Now these moldings are expensive and difficult to find.
But otherwise, these were relatively simple cars (Single overhead cam, no even a cross-flow head, no independent rear suspension, McPherson struts) executed to a high level (Bosch fuel injection, very well tuned suspension, superb HVAC, exceptionally comfortable front seats) that drove very well for that era.
When I bought my German built ’86 Jetta GL in ’91, the drip moldings were already falling apart, lucky for me I was working for a VW dealership at the time and there was a bunch of them that were turned in as warranty replacements, many still in perfect condition. I found 2 really good condition moldings and replace mine with them and they lasted 30 years and counting, VW did improve them at one point. A few years ago the driver side seal began to separate at the A pillar, 3M weatherstrip adhesive and masking tape that stayed on for a couple of days fixed that, a couple of years ago same repair was done to the passenger side. The are still in great shape, the rubber has held up well. The dealership had the tool and the clips and as I recall they went on quite easily.
YES!!!
I lived in Texas (as I did when I had my ’86 GTi, until I bought my current ’00 Golf 22 years ago) and although I seldom have issues with rust (after 40 years in Texas, I memories of winter in Vermont/Mass are getting more vague) in place of that the “soft” materials, plastic, vinyl, rubber, tend to go bad quicker here than up North.
For my ’86, the weatherstripping was going, and unfortunately it is attached to this large rubber piece that starts at the base of the A pillar and goes all the way back to the hatch (guess rear window on a Jetta). All the salvage yards here had cars where the part was even worse condition than mine, so I ended up finding a salvage yard up North that was willing to ship one (driver’s side) to me. It isn’t an easy thing to ship, for one thing it has a rather pliable “spine” that you want to keep straight in shipment, but can bend a little when you put it on the car. The package resembled a very large hockey stick with the bend in the A pillar…I bought replacement plastic clips at the local dealer (haven’t bought parts locally for some time, they don’t even seem to stock wear items unless I let them service car).
I greased up the metal channel and went to town…it took a bit of time but being patient I think it turned out OK…lasted the remainder of the time I had the car (actually into 2001, for a brief time until I sold the ’86 I had the GTi and my new Golf). I don’t recall the special tool, maybe I’m forgetting, but do know I had a few like the spine tool for the CV joint bolts (but haven’t had to use them on my current car which still has original (22 year old) boots…amazing exception to my “deteriorating rubber” comment, since I seemed to continuously replace them on the GTi. Also, the stainless steel exhaust is wonderfully original, though I did have to have the catalytic converter replaced, the rest is original (and I’m a short trip driver, even more amazing to me). My GTi was CIS-E injection (think last year before digifant) and when I sold it actually had people vying to get it, despite it having mismatched hood and fender due to small accident at work (parking lot guy went through stop sign…they totalled the car due to age but I bought it back and got rad support, hood, and 1 fender from salvage yard but never painted since rest of paint on car was still pretty good ..my harlequin homemade version) I think it was because of the CIS-E and 1 year bump in HP vs 1985 (only a few HP). Mine was 8v, 5 speed, crank sunroof, A/C, but no power anything else (steering/locks/windows all manual).
I had other plastic parts go. The most frequent repair issue I seemed to have was the alternator brushes/voltage regulator (one part did both) which gave me pulsating headlights…maybe I should have sprung for a new alternator but never did. Also had weird issue with rear alignment (I know, it should be fixed) caused by a shop I regretted choosing after finding out their alignment equipment was out of calibration…they shimmed my rear stub axle and I wore out a set of P600’s in about 4000 miles since they misaligned it. Other than that, mostly minor stuff, had fluid leak into clutch, replaced seals and put in synthetic gear lube (smelly stuff)….easy timing belt change…my current car has engine mount in middle of timing belt but the ’86 didn’t so easier to change…the tension is the biggest challenge. Also had problems with speedo cable unique to the GTi (it went into a box since the “deluxe” instrumentation of the GTi ended up having like 3 odometers, 2 mechanical and 1 electronic). Also got good at reupholstery, even getting some rare OEM fabric from someone up in Mass, but had to redo it after the seatback release cable broke inside the seat.
I liked the A2s better than my A4, which I consider a sell-out …seating is way lower, poorer ergonomics (copycat center stack with low radio and heater controls). A4 is probably more aerodynamic, but A2 was improvement on my A1 Scirocco. The ’86 Golf didn’t have a “big butt” like the Jetta, but I understand the trunk on those is HUGE…people seem to be abandoning cars for crossovers/SUVs, but those A2 Jettas could haul lots of cargo (size wise, not sure about weight) from what I understand.
I’d counter by saying that the A2 Jetta is a classic study in simplicity of form. Yes, it’s a Golf with a box tacked on the ass-end, but the profile is clean, modern and tidy. My view is probably colored by fond memories of the 3 VWs of this generation that I owned in my 20’s (’85 Golf 2dr, ’89 Jetta, ’91 Golf 4dr). Yes, they were wonderful cars, with great space utilization, excellent driving dynamics, wonderful seats and great visibility. I love that dash design, which I consider one of the best of the era, perhaps only second to the Saab 900 of the same time. I just grew weary of maintaining and repairing them. Many very fond memories, interspersed with more heartache than pretty much any vehicle that followed them. None remained in my ownership past 6 years of age or about 120,000 miles. I’d still love to drive one again though (manually shifted, of course).
Reading a post by TATTA87 is such a treat for me, my favorite of all contributors. You have such a great writing style with non-sequiturs and humor in every paragraph. Keep up the great work. As said in Arkansas, gimmee meth. No wait, the other thing we say in Arkansas is I appreciate you!
Ford’s 1st generation Orion (from the 1980 Escort) was another awkward looking hatchback conversion.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/47381765@N04/6892359369
New smooth plastic lenses, but the actual sub-structure of the light clusters were recycled from the last Cortina.
Agreed. I believe the Americans did a better job creating a sedan from the same car/underpinning.
The Tempo may not get much love from this crowd, I don’t know, but I’ve always liked them and have owned several.
And coupe. Just hate that luggage rack. I owned a 1991 Tempo GLS coupe with a very attractive 3 piece lip spoiler. Really wish I had pictures of it to share. Hell I really wish I still had the car!
Note- these are the “facelift” cars, but the initial models had the same shape.
I’d have hated the luggage rack too back in the day. Now it would be something I’d look at and think “that’s so ’80s!”
Yes like thick black trim around the car because European. Lol
Funny, although I’m not a fan of the 2nd gen Golf/Jetta styling compared to the original, I think the Jetta tail add-on was more integrated on the 2nd. The first gen booty may not be as, errm, stout, but I think it looks even more tacked on.
That’s because the gen1 Jetta really was a golf with a tail added on. It was never conceived originally for that. But obviously the A2 was designed for both variants from the get-go, which is why it’s an integrated design. Maybe not to everyone’s liking (obviously) but tall tails were a coming new thing then, and it does make for huge trunk space. It’s not exactly a stunner, but it works well enough for me.
Wow. You know, I’ve heard the gripes about the graft for a while now but I never really saw it until this post, and now I can’t un-see it! It’s so obvious in the side profile.
I can agree that the car has a bit of a shelf-butt. It was not awful, though, and there were certainly a lot of them around in the late 80s. My sister was early in a long string of VW ownership and after I bought my 85 GTI she got an 86 diesel Golf (with no air, a mistake) and then an 87 gas Jetta, both with 5 speeds. She really liked the Jetta but had only settled for gas because diesels were not available for a short while. When she could get a diesel she traded, though I can’t recall if it was a diesel Jetta or a Passat.
I think it was either 86 or 87 that VW offered a GLI package on the American Jetta, which was pretty much a GTI with four doors.
The Jetta GLI, now THAT was the hot ticket! I think R&T might have christened it a “modern, FWD BMW 2002”. Not the quickest car (but not slow), it a nicely balanced car.
The GLI 8V was offered in 85 and 86, essentially a GTI with a trunk, as you say.
The biggest difference to me was the Jetta GLIs sport seats had nice, more robust material, and the matching trim on the door panels looked classier (and of course the extra 100 lbs in the rear with the trunk). I also noticed that new Jetta GLIs also had various tire brands, Continental, Michelin whereas the 85 GTI were all Goodyear Eagle GT and the 86 were all Pirelli P600.
The 8V GLI listed for $1,000 more than the GTI. To me, at that time, $1,000 was a big deal. And the GTI was “Made in the USA”.
Then in 1987, the GLI sprouted a GLI 16V variant and a big price bump to match.
There used to be decent supply of half-decent Mk2 cars, Golf and Jetta, but now seem to be rare, rarer than Mk1s
My mom had an 85 when I came into this world and through the bulk of my single digits childhood. Rose tinted glasses firmly in place, I loved the vent windows, that’s something I missed on nearly every car I’ve spent time in since, and actually found that a notable distinguishing feature when I’d see post-88 models, it looked like they were cheapened without them, which they were. I never minded the high butt in profile, I actually thought(and think) it was pretty handsome for a 4-door car of the time, very practical without any nonsense like a faux coupe greenhouse or giant wheels to attempt to camouflage it like on modern high butt designs, if anything I wasn’t that fond of the taillight design and placement in it, they really emphasized the height with that swath of sheetmetal underneath and the wide amber lens on the top emphasized the height further.
I was sad when my Dad traded that car in for the Villager van, I would have been really happy with the Jetta as my first car, it was in good shape, it never had any issues in the 12 years my Mom had it, and I could have learned to competently drive stick earlier than in my mid-20s. I would have swapped to a four round light Golf GTI grille if I changed anything, those big rectangular headlights were the most dull part to me
My dad traded in a perfectly running 1992 F-150 Custom Inline 6 5 speed Single cab just as I got my license. They didn’t give him enough to cover the taxes on the replacement. “It has the original clutch, it could go at any minute” was his excuse. I had driven the truck a lot during my permit days and the clutch was strong.
Instead I ended up with a string of unreliable 80s Japanese imports that I hated (Tercel wagon, Sentra, B2000 Sundowner, which was such a downer I never got to drive it), ended up driving mom’s 1997 Mercury Sable during most of my junior and senior years. Always thought that mint condition, clean as a pin F-150 he had bought new would’ve been an ideal choice.
I think my Dad got the same low ball with the original clutch as the excuse, he only got $500 for it which even he regrets not just keeping it.
Hindsight, always 20/20.
The 1980s were all about purposeful styling, so chunky-butt here fit in. Thank god for the Taurus to point into another direction for auto styling for the rest of the 20th century.
After the Brougham Age, cars got very serious. Modern by 1980 meant straight lines and space utilization. This hung on in Europe longer than in the States. There were some very nice looking straight-edge designs from many non-SAAB manufacturers. These cars look a bit funny and cheap now, but by 1986, European brands had very comfortably adopted the purposeful utilitarian auto design language.
There were millions of these cars on the road globally. VW didn’t change much at all for the rest of the century. At my university in Niedersachsen, these were cheap used cars all the students drove – (if they drove).
As for Chunky-Butt Jetta, back in 1986, most buyers liked big butts, and they could not lie.
Grafting a trunk onto a hatch does result in a very large trunk, and a long reach to the spare in my A1 Jetta.
The relative popularity of the Jetta (Vento, Bora) versus the Golf (Rabbit) tracks with market preference, the US, China and parts of South America seem to prefer a notchback, the rest of the world prefers hatchbacks. The funny one for me is when enthusiasts in the US install round headlight front ends off a Golf to make their US market Jetta look more “euro”.
I would say the A1 Rabbit/Jetta had a hand in shaping that market preference. The Jetta was imported from Germany throughout the entire first generation and missed out on the much-derided “Oldsmobilification” of the US-built Rabbit.
I remember (late 1980s) when my second-grade teacher got one of these to replace his ’70s beater Pontiac. It was his first teaching job, everyone (kids and adults) were very happy for him (his classroom was a portable building near the parking lot, so we walked by his car everyday). He became a family friend, and I remember the car fondly as well.
I do like the rear styling. I’d happily take one today with a manual transmission.
(Yes I was a car nut in the 2nd grade and studied every detail of any car within my field of vision.)
This contraption is a Fiat Oggi, a Fiat 147 (Brazilian 127) with a grafted boot. It had good capacity but was much more expensive and had an “aspirational” quality at the time in South America. Depending on where it was sold, it had wither a gas, ethanol, or diesel 1300 cc engine. Here in Uruguay you could get the gas or diesel model, and many were sold.
This one is a Premio, the Oggi’s successor. As the Oggi was based on the 147, the Premio had its trunk grafted on a Uno. It had much more success, as a four door sedan was later produced and was kept going until 1996 or so.
Yes, it was a bit Graftenbutt but it carried lots of golf clubs……
Dad had one in I think 1986, in red, his first of 3 in a row and the first of 7 VWs and 2 SEATs over the 20 years. He always rated them, in a sensible shoes motoring sort of way.
A sleeker Graftenbutt – Talbot Alpine to Talbot Solara
Golf clubs not fitting in the boot of a Golf was, ironically, the showroom clincher for him, IIRC
Well, I lost my long post, not sure if it went through, if not, short version. Just retired my ’86 Jetta gl in May of 2021 after 30 years, served me well and still runs and drives well, but needs tires, rear brakes, front wheel bearing, front wishbones (bushings are shot), CV joints are clicking a bit, AC no longer cold, fusebox needs replacement or possibly only a through corrosion spray treatment, sometimes need to wiggle fuel pump relay to get it to start.
Its at 302k miles, 1.8 gas engine is all original, as is the 5 speed trans, both still operate well, engine is down some on power, doesn’t want to rev past about 4000 RPM. It had 90hp new, lost a few over the years, but still uses no oil. Steering rack and pump are also still untouched as well. Most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned. Towed twice, once for a broken timing belt, once for minor accident that punched the radiator open. Bought it in ’91 from original owner, had about 100k miles on it. Its German built, k-jet fuel injection. Paint and interior held up well, no cracks or tears, just a hole on carpet from my heel under the gas pedal, and a hole in the drivers door panel from my elbow, I covered that with a small pad where the elbow rests.
Big butt and all, served me well. Still gets started once a month and run for about half an hour to keep things going. Got replaced with a 2013 Mazda 3, even though its about 700 lbs heavier then the Jetta and has a 5 speed automatic, its 148 HP engine feels like a rocketship in comparison, no longer need to plan ahead and rely on momentum in traffic, still gets 25/35 MPG town/highway, same as Jetta.
I suppose I should eventually sell it, along with the ’87 Jetta gl I bought in 2015 for a family member who decided to not take it. It was damaged in a accident, I repaired it and it runs and drives well, but has a hammer straightened door and fender, doesn’t look too bad.
I think the Mazda has a bloated butt as well, but I think it looks better then the hatchback version. I’ll post a rear picture of it.
67Conti, great write-up, thanks for sharing. 300k miles, is amazing!
I’m a big A2 fan! I’ve had two 86 GTIs and currently have an 85 GTI. My first new car was #1, 145k 1986-99, #2 was a lucky find, owned from 2000-20, added 35k for total of 106k, and #3 another find, added 3k since 2019, currently has about 38k.
None of them was as reliable as yours sounds. Still, the first two were very reliable. Never left me stranded on the road, the closest I came to that was #1 water pump expired at 130k…at the Henry Ford Museum parking lot on a cold Saturday.
#2 had the fuel pump relay issue. #1 and #2 the moldings. #3 was definitely garaged, looks like a one-year old used car, but sat for long time had fuel injection issues. And other, lesser issues, so I’ve slowly brought it up to speed as time permits.
The two common failings on all three have been the shift linkage–rebuilt on 1st two, needed bushings on third; and the water pump. I preemptively replaced it in #3.. The weatherstrip/drip molding on the first two.
They all did well with rust. #1 was only garaged for the last two years of its time with me. All outdoors, in the southern VA/NC summer sun, but had spent many winter weeks in NY/NJ/PA. #2 was a Michigan car–good bones though, looked good after 34 years when I sold it. #3 probably has never seen snow or salt, so hard to tell.
#3 has non-power steering. It feels just like a Rabbit GTI. The first two had power assist. Never had any issues with it. I remember reading back in the day what a great power steering set-up it was. The car magazines were right. But I like the uncluttered look of the engine with no power steering or AC.
Only #1 had A/C. It was exceptional. After 10 years, it needed a charge. I charged. After 2 years, it must have had a leak, I just never bothered to fix it.
Your Jetta GLs are the color I liked too, when I debated a Jetta GL vs a GTI.
Not to state the obvious, but perhaps you can cannibalize one of your Jettas to fix the other one, if you have time and room to keep the car.
So, as you can see, I like Mk2s. And I don’t think they got the respect they deserved, probably because by the time they came out, there were many other excellent cars available. The Mk1, is kind of like the original Mustang, first of it’s kind in many regards in the 70s, and in the US, the Rabbit GTI was also the “first” in the 1980s.
If there’s anything I miss about living out west, it’s the ~30 y/o economy cars that look better than 4 year old Altimas around here. I don’t just mean styling, lol, I mean condition.
If I were up your way and if you decided to sell one, oh I’d be very interested.
Big Mazda3 butt.
Big Jetta butt. Best rear shot I have of the “twins”.
Very handsome pair. great picture. Brings back memories of my teacher’s parked outside our house (story above). His was the same color.
Thanks, lots of memories in those cars. The color LA7V paint code, called Polar Silver wears like iron. I’ve seen several old Jettas this color and the paint still looks good!
I think of this phenomenon as “Inverse Gremlin”.
Someone described the VW lineup thus:
Basic car – Rabbit/Golf
Chop the top off – Cabriolet
Add a trunk – Jetta
Put on curvy retro sheetmetal – New Beetle
Does my Golf look big in this? Well, yes, you bet, even a beater beta-Golf is better, but for golf, even a beater Jetta is a big-bummed beta-Golf beater.
And frankly, I don’t know why that wasn’t their tagline.
I had the pleasure (or misfortune) of riding as both a front and rear seat passenger in a few of the last of this generation as locally-produced FAW-VW Jetta taxis (2010-13 A2 Jetta Pioneer characterised by a blunt modernised nose) in Chengdu in 2017. The interior showed it’s age, a lot of hard cheap plastics, lacking in basic safety kit, pretty tired fabrics, etc.
The driver was a maniac the time it was decided after fancy restaurant dinner that cost next to nothing that I would ride in the front in order for my height and need for legroom to be somewhat satisfied as the tallest one. It was a terrifying late evening ride where we would constantly skip traffic queues by swapping to driving in the cycle lane or, failing that, the pavement. The latter almost resulted us crashing into the downward sloping entry way to an underground car park. About similar in fear was how close he’d squeeze between waiting luxury cars miraculously without contact – we did not want the cost of repairing a Maserati or Maybach to be passed on to us. We were in the end unceremoniously dumped at the side of a major inner city motorway with a difficult crossing to our campus. I’ve had violent in-flight turbulence that was less unsettling, though it was better than the next day’s driver’s attempt in a panda-liveried Dongfeng Citroen C-Elysee to cross a major highway on the way to a mountain reserve by launching onto it in front of heavy trucks without pause, where I genuinely thought I’d die.
The other front seat occasion was my first taxi ride in the country (I’d missed a campus bus) and involved much negotiation with my confused driver about my destination via various maps he couldn’t understand and a phone call to a relative of his who could translate. In the end he got me there before everyone else. As for time spent in the rear seat, a heavily beaded bench seat cover hid the seatbelts. It felt distinctly unsafe, though realistically I’m not sure how much difference they’d have made in an inner-city crash in such an old design. Pretty basic overall but well-suited to the task at hand.
I guess nowadays with high-tier cities mandating taxi fleets start switching to electrified models and tightening emissions regulations, the scores of A2 Jetta will not be long for this world with many probably already gone/scrapped. I definitely saw a few older examples than the 2010-13 models I rode in still in service in the silver and green liveries, though nothing older than a pre-facelift Jetta King from around 2000. Even by then, just 4 years after end of production, most of the A2s had been replaced by the then-current FAW-VW Jetta.