Calling Golf owners...
- Thread starter Tom L
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Golfs are no more reliable than any other car these days. In fact my experience means i would think twice about getting another.
had my 2.0 TDI for 2 years, and in the time it was very reliable. Well, at being at the dealers. New gearbox, new turbo, new seats, new sat nav, new driveshafts, full new exhaust system......all within 60k miles. Sweet!
Friends 1.9 GT TDI...new turbo, new gearbox, plus loads others i cannot recall as not mine
Other friends 1.8t GTI... eventually sold it due to the rattles and got a 328Ci which rattled like hell....becuase he kept tic tacs in it!
Golfs, yup, great reliable well priced cars.
Oh hang on, think i would rather have a focus next time.
had my 2.0 TDI for 2 years, and in the time it was very reliable. Well, at being at the dealers. New gearbox, new turbo, new seats, new sat nav, new driveshafts, full new exhaust system......all within 60k miles. Sweet!
Friends 1.9 GT TDI...new turbo, new gearbox, plus loads others i cannot recall as not mine
Other friends 1.8t GTI... eventually sold it due to the rattles and got a 328Ci which rattled like hell....becuase he kept tic tacs in it!
Golfs, yup, great reliable well priced cars.
Oh hang on, think i would rather have a focus next time.
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Sep 2005
- Posts
- 3,312
yep
Well Ive had a much newer focus, and the golf and I know which I'd rather have by a mile. the same as any other car, depends on personal experience! I have heard far more horror stories on the diesels than the petrols though! the 1.8t and V6's seem to be bullet proof. (queue catastrophic failure on the way to work lol)
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Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Sep 2005
- Posts
- 3,312
[TW]Fox;11012891 said:
and yes, god! 18.5k can get you so much more car!
i played about with one of those a fair bit last year. just over 120k miles. most of the planet get scared after 80k. interiorwise youd never tell it was a fair way into its life.
it drove so nicely, only had a couple niggly issues. ive not played about with a focus for a long time, but the 100k ish mile ones id seen were naff, which only compounded my seriously bad opinion of fords that id got for the mk6 escorts and similar age mondeos.
I used to own an 2002 CTR and before that I used to have a MK4 GTI 1.8T, so I guess I'm fairly well qualified to comment here. The CTR felt lighter and a lot more stiffly sprung than the Golf. That made it much sharper to drive than the Golf on smooth roads. Also the engine sounded absolutely brilliant over 6k rpm. Overall, it felt like a 'proper' hot hatch and was really good fun in small doses.
However, I do a lot of mileage and spent a lot of time in the car, and it's bad points were really noticeable. For example, on poorly surfaced roads (ie. most of the UK!) the ride never settles. It always felt crashy, which got really annoying, as did the short gearing and the Fisher Price toy cabin plastics. For those reasons, I preferred the Golf overall to the Civic.
P.S - If you get a CTR, make sure it has A/C (it wasn't standard). The car has a really tall windscreen and mine felt like a greenhouse whenever the sun was out. You should be able to get a decent one for 7-8 K
i think that about sums it up. the golf has evolved into an ever more sensible/nice car, so for your everyday person doing everyday things, it does the job well. hardly anyone out there anymore wants something thats hardcore so the car makers dont make them
I've never ever said the Golf is a BAD car, which is something everyone seems to miss. I just think its an over-rated car that simply isn't worth the prices they command. The market can stand more than the car is worth, if you know what I mean.
look for higher mileage example if you want the golf. Should bring the price down a little more. As long as it got FSH, it should be fine.
With regards to fords, no doubt they are more value more money but I just found the interior to be a bit lower quality to the same equivalent and year golf specification. At the end of the day, its just personal opinions and the only way to find the right car for you is to get out there and test cars out etc.
With regards to fords, no doubt they are more value more money but I just found the interior to be a bit lower quality to the same equivalent and year golf specification. At the end of the day, its just personal opinions and the only way to find the right car for you is to get out there and test cars out etc.
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The 'last forever' thing is a particular bugbear of mine.
The oldest Mk4 Golfs are just over 9 years old. I'm sorry but this is not 'for ever'.
If there are millions still around in 20-25 years time, fair enough. But mileage is nowhere near the car killer it once was and to be honest any decently looked after car can acheive an almost infinite mileage provided its value exceeds the cost of repairs.
The oldest Mk4 Golfs are just over 9 years old. I'm sorry but this is not 'for ever'.
If there are millions still around in 20-25 years time, fair enough. But mileage is nowhere near the car killer it once was and to be honest any decently looked after car can acheive an almost infinite mileage provided its value exceeds the cost of repairs.
no, fsh does not make it fine. one that a friend bought last summer with full history (dealer and specialist etc) had not been looked after or worked on properly leaving a whole stack of problems.
like any other car, you really need to open your eyes and get under it yourself
my tip is to discard any car that doesnt have its engine undertrays in tact
In most cases, FSH is fine. Obviously a bit of common sense is needed but sounds like the previous owner was at fault for not looking after it. Your friend should have used a bit of sense in that case if it had loads of problems.
'My quick guide to buying a great car'
Buy the car from its original owner from new, have a good long chat to weigh up whether he's a moron or a thoroughly nice chap, ignore mileage completely, judge on condition, be happy.
I'm not saying I'm right but I'd feel far more comfortable about buying, say, a 1 owner from new car with 120k on it than a 5 previous owners car with 60k on it.
Buy the car from its original owner from new, have a good long chat to weigh up whether he's a moron or a thoroughly nice chap, ignore mileage completely, judge on condition, be happy.
I'm not saying I'm right but I'd feel far more comfortable about buying, say, a 1 owner from new car with 120k on it than a 5 previous owners car with 60k on it.
Of course, I forgot. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of people who try to justify what would otherwise be a crap buy with 'Its low mileage'.
Like the guy in that Rover HGF thread. It was a grand, the HG has gone but.. 'well its low mileage'
So what, doesnt make any less broken.
I personally think engine hours and age are a far more useful way of guaging the likely condition of a peice of machinery. Shame the car industry doesn't use it, as it's possible to have two cars with identical engine hours yet vastly different mileages..
Thinking about it, other than suspension and wheel bearings, what parts on a car are worn due to mileage rather than engine hours or 'time spent driving'?
Like the guy in that Rover HGF thread. It was a grand, the HG has gone but.. 'well its low mileage'
So what, doesnt make any less broken.
I personally think engine hours and age are a far more useful way of guaging the likely condition of a peice of machinery. Shame the car industry doesn't use it, as it's possible to have two cars with identical engine hours yet vastly different mileages..
Thinking about it, other than suspension and wheel bearings, what parts on a car are worn due to mileage rather than engine hours or 'time spent driving'?
i love the ones on the golf site who are all excited about having paid daft money for a mk3 vr6 (you just wont beleive what they pay) they supposedly have a low miler. on those engines they have guides for the cam chain, these can wear out and tend to make noises at around 120k miles. it is a common thing they do but people will still buy a 50k low miler despite these noises saying its wayyy over 100k in reality.
but, its engrained the country's culture and i dont think it will change
but, its engrained the country's culture and i dont think it will change
That CTR is a good price IF it has aircon. It's not too bad for a non A/C model.
Bare in mind that the spare alloy that is mentioned in the ad won't fit in the boot wheel well- there's only room for a space saver
