2006 Volkswagen Jetta

What started out as a bit of an afterthought-a slightly different version of the popular Golf hatchback with some extra space in an appended trunk-became over decades one of the company’s strongest-selling cars. At various points in its history, the Jetta has challenged the big players in the compact-sedan world, provided exceptional fuel economy, and provided driver thrills via the GLI variant, a slightly more grown-up version of the hot-hatch Golf GTI. Not every Jetta has hit all the right notes, but most have been among our favorite sedans of their time.

The Covid pandemic has brought out the best in some of us. Be it taking up hiking, kayaking, reading, home brewing, and spending more time with our children or grandchildren. If nothing else, it taught us that life is too short to squander away without a hobby. Our consignor took this opportunity to enhance his creative side and now for consignment, a 1 of a kind 2006 Volkswagen Jetta pickup. With Dupont paint, an interior that doesn’t reflect the miles, some minor exhaust and suspension performance work and a full photo documentation of the build this sedan turned ute is drawing eyes and creating a buzz in our Hallowed Halls.

Exterior
Wearing a respray of Dupont Tuxedo Black in basecoat/clearcoat format this 2006 Volkswagen Jetta is the second year of the A5 type 1K5 design. An undulating hood now sits between the front fenders and leading the way is a much cleaner look to the neoprene fascia with a chrome highlighted honeycomb grille and new crystal-clear headlights all working together to give the Jetta a much sportier appearance. Large slabs of steel make up the sides with the only hint of chrome being some highlighting trim around the door windows, just body color for the door handles, the rocker trim and mirrors. The rear body sections of this once sedan were carefully removed and a Smyth Ute kit was installed on the back effectively making this a light duty pickup reminiscent of the El Camino and Ranchero of yore. Underneath the tan canvas cargo cover is the structural aluminum box. The installation of this box is a breeze and requires only 3 cuts of the factory metal to adapt. No suspension, structural integrity or wiring had to be changed for this custom job. Cathedral style taillights flank the small fold down tailgate and hover above the wrap around neoprene bumper in Tuxedo Black. Grounding this ute are OEM 16″ Volkswagen wheels that have been chromed by LA Wheels. A splendid mix of thunder from Germany and down under!

Interior
Sculpted door panels in a mix of beige topped with taupe plastic greet us when first swinging the doors open. These panels retain their ergonomic design with tight material and black switches are on for the power windows, locks, truck and fuel door releases. Some wear is noted on the power window switches and the door pulls. More cream leather for the stylish front buckets which show only the slightest signs of wear on their smooth bolsters. A cream plastic console races toward the dash and houses the manual shifter and requisite cupholders and the ESP, (electronic stability control), switch. A simple but effective dash shows in taupe and cream with a round inset cluster in front of the driver showing a myriad of gauges for the driver to monitor. We see a bulbous outcropping of the dash holds the AM/FM/CD player, heater/AC slides and buttons and further down the heated seat dials. Clean tan carpeting floods the floors and a tan broadcloth headliner is above framing the sliding moonroof. Wrapping things up is a sliding rear window on the back. Groovy man!

Drivetrain
Lifting the hood we see a 2.5 Liter fuel injected gasoline inline 5-cylinder making 150hp. This engine is fairly well exposed for the world to see. Sending power to the 3.65 geared axle is a 5-speed manual transmission. Sehr Gut!

Undercarriage
A clean and original underside is seen up on the lift with only bits of road dirt and minor patina. A strong steel unibody is seen as well as gray rust-free floor pans. Independent Macpherson suspension is on front and for the rear we see an independent Raceland coilover arrangement with multilinks. Power steering is noted as well as 4-wheel power disc brakes. The original single exhaust system has now been upgraded to a Borla stainless steel cat-back system.

Drivability
Slipping into the comfortable leather buckets I had come to realize that I wasn’t in just any Jetta. I was in a pickup truck version, something the engineers never saw as feasible to produce. A twist of the key and the engine came to life and settled into an almost inaudible purr. Out on the patented Classic Auto Mall Test Track it exhibited good acceleration, adequate handling and surprisingly good braking. All functions were operational at the time of our drive and my partner in crime, crack decoder and all-around good guy wanted to ride in the bed, so I allowed it and enjoyed listening to him slide around the aluminum lined bed. Fun Fun Fun!

Long gone is the college sophomore young lady image that the Jetta seems to be known for and now it is replaced with not only a new take, but some custom thrown in for good measure. A sleek aluminum custom bed that integrates well with the smooth lines and a plush leather interior it’s easy to fall in love with. Visit our Hallowed Halls and enjoy an homologation of reliable German engineering mixed with a bit of Aussie ute flair!

VIN DECODE
3VWSF71K26M840459
3-Mexico
V-Volkswagen
W-Passenger Car
S-Jetta, Luxury Package
F-2.5L 5 Cylinder 150hp
7-Manual Belts, Front & Side Airbags
1K-Jetta
2-Check Digit
6-2006
M-Mexico City, Mexico Assy Plant
840459-Sequential Unit Number

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.