Our 2020 VW Jetta: Driven by Nostalgia

After 20 years of living carless in New York City, I was ready for a change. It was March 2020, a week before NYC, and much of the rest of the world, shut down due to coronavirus.

Cars had been a big part of my suburban Massachusetts upbringing – my dad was a passionate car guy whose pride and joy was a red 1957 Ford Thunderbird (and later, improbably, a 1986 Dodge 600ES convertible that he bought new and, at the time of his death in 2013, had less than 20k miles on it).

My dad and his first love, his 1957 T-Bird

But what should my husband and I get? My husband, NOT a car guy, suggested we get a VW Corrado (a car discontinued in 1995, but the last car he can remember caring anything about). My friend Katie suggested we get a Mini Cooper, probably just so she could laugh at how big-guy-in-a-little car I looked. We sat in one and, spoiler, were brushing shoulders with each other. No thanks.

I pretended to research (“Oh yes, we should consider used – you can get some great values!”), but I knew what I wanted. We spent a morning walking that West Side No Man’s Land where all the car dealers are in Manhattan. BMW. Audi. Mini. Volvo. None of the cars we saw were right because none of them was a VW Jetta.

I grew up near Beverly, MA not Beverly Hills, CA so wealth at my upper-class high school presented itself quietly – more New England and less New Money. The really preppy kids got their parents’ hand-me-down Saab 900s and Grand Cherokees. But the car of choice for the coolest, richest new drivers in my class (Masconomet Regional High, class of 2000!)? Jettas for the guys, and New Beetles for the girls. The soundtrack of my senior year was VW switchblade keys snapping open and shut repeatedly. It was annoying. I was jealous.

Pictured: Me in 2000
Not Pictured: Me in 2000 driving my 1988 Nissan pickup truck

Why? Because my parents gave me my dad’s 1988 Nissan pickup truck (maroon on the inside AND outside). As a style-conscious baby snob (there, I said it so you don’t have to), there wasn’t a car on the planet could be less me. Instead of a switchblade key, I had a generic key from an auto parts store that would slide out from the ignition while the car was in motion.

Yes, I was lucky to get a free car to tool around in (my parents even gave me a credit card to use for gas!). Yes, I had tons of fun in it for the two years I drove it and I even wrote my college essay about it. Yes, I was ready for my dream car – even if it took me almost 20 years to get it.

We walked into the dealership, past the families looking at the Atlas and the Tiguan SUVs, and checked out the Jetta on the corner of the floor. The only other car back there with it was a bright red AllTrack wagon (alas, no digital dash – a must-have on my list). An hour later, we walked out with a signed contract – and the two VW logo hats I insisted the dealer throw in free of charge.

As the unknowns of the pandemic raged on, my husband and I spent weekends driving around the ghost-town that was NYC. A nervous driver, my husband loved getting to drive in Manhattan without the threat of cabs, bikes, or pedestrians. We went to Coney Island. We went to the Bronx. We went to Jersey more than I should admit.

First roadtrip: a month-long stay in Maine in April 2020

Owning a Jetta might be a silly dream car, but it’s MY dream car. After owning it for two years and 20k miles, I only have two regrets about my decision: VW no longer offers the Jetta in navy blue, and we have keyless entry with push button start – no switchblade key required.