Bora V5 Auto - experiences?
Discussion
My parents are after a cheapish, 4 door car to replace their ageing Rover 600. Don't do many miles, <3k a year so a petrol is fine, and an auto would be a bonus as my mum prefers them. Not looking to spend much, about £2k as the Smart car is their main transportation.
They really liked my bro-in-laws Bora he had a few years back, and they have spotted a nice 2.3 V5 auto Bora locally in their price range with 80k on the clock.
What's the opinion of the 2.3 170bhp engine, and the Autobox in them? 2.3 is apparently bulletproof, if a little thirsty, and I can't find much on on the 4sp auto.
Anyone owned one (or the Golf equivalent) and care to comment?
They really liked my bro-in-laws Bora he had a few years back, and they have spotted a nice 2.3 V5 auto Bora locally in their price range with 80k on the clock.
What's the opinion of the 2.3 170bhp engine, and the Autobox in them? 2.3 is apparently bulletproof, if a little thirsty, and I can't find much on on the 4sp auto.
Anyone owned one (or the Golf equivalent) and care to comment?
My mrs has a v5 golf mk4 year 2000 model. Not had any drama with anything really, it just works . Its not Auto so cant comment on the box. Its on about 85k now.
She does around 4k a year and it does need an oil change every year , it starts to get a bit rough around the time a service is required. We take it to a garage who are vw specialists for peace of mind for servicing.
She does around 4k a year and it does need an oil change every year , it starts to get a bit rough around the time a service is required. We take it to a garage who are vw specialists for peace of mind for servicing.
One of my work colleagues had one of these, and in conjunction with my huge, overflowing garage full of all kinds of car spares and car bits - including badges - saw me taking a solitary letter 'T' from my badge collection to work one night.
And hence, my colleague ended up with a VW 'BORAT.'
Well, we thought it was funny
And hence, my colleague ended up with a VW 'BORAT.'
Well, we thought it was funny
The V5 auto is one of the nicer to use mk4 Golfs (sorry Bora). I've had early and late model V5 auto's they drove very nicely, that engine suits the auto box, I dont remember there being a huge difference between the early model and later 170 to drive.
The 5 cylinder engine and leather etc do give these cars a more quality feel to use than the lower models.
Not a sporty car to drive, quite soft with plenty of roll, beware of the larger speed humps eg do not brake onto a speed bump the V5 sump will meet the ground nose first!
Make sure all windows and c/locking are working when the electrics go wrong on these bits they can be a pain to sort out.
The 5 cylinder engine and leather etc do give these cars a more quality feel to use than the lower models.
Not a sporty car to drive, quite soft with plenty of roll, beware of the larger speed humps eg do not brake onto a speed bump the V5 sump will meet the ground nose first!
Make sure all windows and c/locking are working when the electrics go wrong on these bits they can be a pain to sort out.
Cheers all. Very few 'bad' stories about the Auto, which in the days of the Internet gives the "No news is good news" adage more relevance than ever.
Chain driven V5 too, I think? Small bonus.
1.8T would be the other choice - but they seem few and far between. They spotted a lovely 1.6 Highline, but I'd have thought with the weight of the Bora it'd need some thrashing to get around.
Chain driven V5 too, I think? Small bonus.
FreeLitres said:
If they are used to Smart car MPG, are you sure they wouldn't mind a 5-cylinder?
You may be right. But as I've explained to them, they will hardly use it, so it won't break the bank either way. Seems 25mpg is to be expected from an Auto V5, but his Rover is only managing about 30mpg and given the difference in build/performance/refinement its a small price to pay.1.8T would be the other choice - but they seem few and far between. They spotted a lovely 1.6 Highline, but I'd have thought with the weight of the Bora it'd need some thrashing to get around.
I have experience of a golf 4 1.6 auto - not sure of its the same box as V5 but it started giving problems- would not engage reverse until warm and clunky changes. Gearbox specialist said it would be low on oil and would have to investigate the reason for the oil loss too.
It also started using a fair bit I water. This was an 80k mile car with fills evict history. Gearbox issues seem common on the Internet with these but v5 may be better.
Lovely cars otherwise and for very low mileage worth a punt?
It also started using a fair bit I water. This was an 80k mile car with fills evict history. Gearbox issues seem common on the Internet with these but v5 may be better.
Lovely cars otherwise and for very low mileage worth a punt?
Used a V5 Golf that work had for sale for a while about 5 years ago. Beautifully smooth and refined, and the V6 4motion I used afterwards didn't seem that much quicker. Drank a fair old amount of fuel though, and that was a manual. Sure, your parents may not do big miles, but jumping into and driving something like this may come as a shock. I wouldn't have thought a Bora V5 auto (let's face it, it's a wee bit odd-ball) would command much money in the trade, so make sure they're not paying anything like over the odds.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff