I'm buying a VW Golf - help please?

qwerty

qwerty

qwerty

Associate
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Posts
2,351
My beloved car was written off last week. It was parked and some muppet in a 911 GT3 (which he'd bought the day before) smashed into it and completely destroyed it. So I need to buy a new car.

I have decided on a VW Golf Mk V. I have so far narrowed it down to either the 2.0 GT TDi or the 2.0 GT FSI. If insurance will not cover me for those, I will go for the 1.6 FSI SE.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the petrol 2.0 GT FSI because I would guess it'd be more fun to drive and slightly faster than the other two (I'm not bothered by fuel economy or engine longevity).

Has anyone got any of those cars? Or would anyone recommend a different golf altogether? I'm not really sure why I've narrowed it down to those three, so I'm very open to suggestions!
 
Last edited:
Hi,
If you are looking at a Mk IV golf I would suggest the 1.8T GTI. I bought one of these new in 1998 and it is still going strong. If you find one with 5 gears it will be 150 bhp and 6 gears runs at 180 bhp.
Easy to remap up to 200 bhp for about £350.
Many people are critical of the Mk IV GTI as it is a bit soft on the corners or the bumps. It is a great cruiser being comfortable, nippy and quiet. In some ways it is easier to drive than the Audi S3 I also have, much more relaxed although not as quick. Only major fault in 9 years has been a new clutch and I had to replace the plastic brackets holding up the front windows. Cost £60 for the parts. Early cars had recaro seats as standard.
Cheers, PeterT
 
qwerty said:
My beloved car was written off last week. It was parked and some muppet in a 911 GT3 (which he'd bought the day before) smashed into it and completely destroyed it. So I need to buy a new car.

I have decided on a VW Golf Mk IV. I have so far narrowed it down to either the 2.0 GT TDi or the 2.0 GT FSI. If insurance will not cover me for those, I will go for the 1.6 FSI SE.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the petrol 2.0 GT FSI because I would guess it'd be more fun to drive and slightly faster than the other two (I'm not bothered by fuel economy or engine longevity).

Has anyone got any of those cars? Or would anyone recommend a different golf altogether? I'm not really sure why I've narrowed it down to those three, so I'm very open to suggestions!
Click to expand...

Those are mk V Golf models not mk IV :)
 
Assuming you mean the current MkV Golf...

The 2.0 FSI is quite a rare beast - I've only ever seen them at the VW dealer and a bloke in my flats has one. They're not that popular - most people get the TDI instead so FSI costs around £500 less.

I'd take the TDI. Slightly less power therefore slightly slower against the stopwatch, but shedloads of torque so you don't have to thrash the nuts off it. The 2.0FSI is on the way out - Skoda and Audi appear to be in the process of dropping it for a new 1.8 Turbo FSI and VW are pimping the 1.4 TSI (Supercharged and Turbocharged) mainly because exhaust emissions are lower.
 
We need clarification of which Golf you are looking at here.

So we can tell you which alternative to buy instead, as Golfs are overpriced by virtue of their undeserved 'image' and reputation for reliability and the performance variants, GTI and GT 1.4TSI models excepted, are also living on unjustified reputation.
 
[TW]Fox;10602711 said:
We need clarification of which Golf you are looking at here.

So we can tell you which alternative to buy instead, as Golfs are overpriced by virtue of their undeserved 'image' and reputation for reliability and the performance variants, GTI and GT 1.4TSI models excepted, are also living on unjustified reputation.
Click to expand...


He is talking about the MK5.

There isn't a 2.0 GT TDI in the MK4, only the 1.9 PD 115, 130 or 150bhp.

Wouldn't mind a GTI MK5...
 
the mark 5 golf is a good solid car

my mum has a 1.6 fsi and it's nice and tidy, really comfortable, reliable, quite economical, good car for the money.
 
This is true but unfortunately for VW the market is awash with mid sized hatchbacks which are nice and tidy, comfortable, reliable and quite economical but cost less money.
 
Ah, apologies, I do indeed mean the Mk V.

Hmm...interesting. One of the reasons I'm slightly against the TDI is my (perhaps old fashioned) view of diesels not sounding very nice, and not being as fun to drive. But MagicBoy makes some good points in favour of it.

Also, one of the problems I've found with the TDI is that it's so commonly used as a company car, it's very hard to get used ones with low mileage, whereas you can comfortably get an FSI with about 22k miles for around £9-10k.

I am encouraged that no-one has said there is anything majorly wrong with either of them, so I can't really make a bad decision here.
 
Mk V interior quality is not as good as the Mk IV. One of the reasons that I did not buy a Mk V R32.
PeterT
 
PeterT said:
Mk V interior quality is not as good as the Mk IV. One of the reasons that I did not buy a Mk V R32.
PeterT
Click to expand...

Also true.

I ran a MkIV (well OK, it was a Bora...) for 5 years and when I went replacement shopping the MkV didn't feel like a step forward on most counts. If I want a cheap feeling VW then I'll buy a Skoda. So I did. Got myself the interesting bits from a Mk IV Golf TDI 130, better build quality than an early MkV and walked away with a 5k left.

I'm still not convinced by the MkV styling and the interior on earlier models feels like the 90's Ford Beancounters got their way - the MkIV is a nicer place to be. Best bit of the MkV is the handling - the MkIV was a bit soggy and the independent rear suspension is a major improvement. I've kinda got a soft spot for the 1.4 TSI.

I'd love a MkIV R32, but I just can't afford to run one. Maybe one day!
 
I've found a very nice GT FSI for £9.5k which I think I'll go for, if my insurance company will insure me on it. It's group 13 and I'm only 20 - will that be a problem?
 
Two points :
1) Take it for a test drive. Don't buy a car on spec without trying it. You might decide you would prefer the TDI - my dad did.
2) Get an insurance quote - there's near infinite choice since the invention of the internet. Give it a try!
 
MagicBoy said:
Two points :
1) Take it for a test drive. Don't buy a car on spec without trying it. You might decide you would prefer the TDI - my dad did.
2) Get an insurance quote - there's near infinite choice since the invention of the internet. Give it a try!
Click to expand...


Good idea with the test drive. If possible I'll try out an FSI and the TDI.

As for insurance, I seached on moneysupermarket and got a nice range of quotes between £2400 and £7000 :eek: Fortunately my current insurance company does a flat rate of £900 pa whatever the car, only it's very black and white as to what cars they will or will not insure me on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom