Thinking of buying a Golf with high milage. Good or bad idea
Discussion
Been looking at this presumed beauty: Golf 1.9 GT TDI 110
Obviously, the high milage is a worry. Then again, I've never owned a Golf (owner nearly every other make) and hear good things about their reliability.
Opinions and experiences would be great.
Obviously, the high milage is a worry. Then again, I've never owned a Golf (owner nearly every other make) and hear good things about their reliability.
Opinions and experiences would be great.
DanB7290 said:
Looking at the ad, it says that the cambelt was changed at 113k, and its currently near 170k. Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't a cambelt be changed every 60k? Don't know how big and expensive a job it is on a Mk4 Golf, but if it's quite dear then I'd walk away.
Thought that too. I've fallen in love with the look rather than the thing that makes it run. My mechanic would probably charge around £350 all-in (he's a decent chap.)golfs cope fine with big mileage as long as good service history
look out for on older mk4's
gearbox worn - diesel mk4's can have problems with this at big mileage and its hard to find a second hand gearbox
worn rear suspension bushes - makes a horrible thud over pot holes/speed bumps and difficult to change them
elec windows and door locking can have problems which can be a pain to fix.
how does it drive? even when they are in good order they are rubbish to drive - imagine driving a bowl of jelly, so if its got knackered shocks and bushes it will feel like you are driving a boat.
look out for on older mk4's
gearbox worn - diesel mk4's can have problems with this at big mileage and its hard to find a second hand gearbox
worn rear suspension bushes - makes a horrible thud over pot holes/speed bumps and difficult to change them
elec windows and door locking can have problems which can be a pain to fix.
how does it drive? even when they are in good order they are rubbish to drive - imagine driving a bowl of jelly, so if its got knackered shocks and bushes it will feel like you are driving a boat.
I had a 2001 mk4 Tdi which was perfect up to about 140k when it developed turbo problems. I chopped it in against my new car as I didn't fancy forking out for a new turbo and also didn't want to sell it on privately with the problem. Other than that it was a good car, decent performance and good mpg, I would certainly consider having another one anyway.
RevNuts said:
Just found Gonna arrange a viewing, unless someone's got something to say against this particular model?
Reasonable price for one of them, looks ok, notice it says service history not full service history maybe ask for more details (a lot of these Golf tdi's had done 80-100k miles by the time of their first mot so they are ideal for clocking).Again when you drive it check for knocking from rear suspension over bumps its common issue and a real pain to fix.
Edited by rallycross on Thursday 18th August 09:17
Unless you absolutely must have a diesel, I'd look for a petrol 1.8T GTI.
You'll get 35mpg over an average tank if you don't absolutely thrash it everywhere - this is probably 15mpg worse than the diesel, but you'll get a much better and lower mileage petrol GTI for your money - they're also less likely to go expensively wrong as they age, too.
You'll get 35mpg over an average tank if you don't absolutely thrash it everywhere - this is probably 15mpg worse than the diesel, but you'll get a much better and lower mileage petrol GTI for your money - they're also less likely to go expensively wrong as they age, too.
The 1.9 tdi engine is pretty tough in general, it's reputed to be one of the most long lived engines available on cars of that era.
My brother has a Passat with that engine (110hp) that's done comfortably over 250,000 miles, and still runs fine. It's on its original clutch too. It was my Dad's from new, and was serviced on the button, every 10,000 miles, which is probably why it's still running well.
Suspension bushes wear and need replacing, but they're not that expensive to do, or you could do them yourself if you're so inclined, although it's not the easiest job for a novice.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about the 170k of the first car, provided it has a comprehensive history to back it up. You could probably talk the price down to £1000 anyway, which will cover the replacement cambelt that's almost due. Condition wise, it looks pretty good from the photos, but you'll know by looking at it whether it's any good or not.
The second car looks as though it's not got enough miles on it, if that doesn't sound a bit odd? I'd be suspicious of it being clocked.
My brother has a Passat with that engine (110hp) that's done comfortably over 250,000 miles, and still runs fine. It's on its original clutch too. It was my Dad's from new, and was serviced on the button, every 10,000 miles, which is probably why it's still running well.
Suspension bushes wear and need replacing, but they're not that expensive to do, or you could do them yourself if you're so inclined, although it's not the easiest job for a novice.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about the 170k of the first car, provided it has a comprehensive history to back it up. You could probably talk the price down to £1000 anyway, which will cover the replacement cambelt that's almost due. Condition wise, it looks pretty good from the photos, but you'll know by looking at it whether it's any good or not.
The second car looks as though it's not got enough miles on it, if that doesn't sound a bit odd? I'd be suspicious of it being clocked.
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