HIGH MILES mk4 Golf diesel ?

[jackal]

chaps, is this a good choice for a reliable economical spare car ?

i need something frugal and not too much trouble and im not interested in handling or acceleration


it seems like a Golf diesel for around the £1800 mark is the best buy

car has a classless image as well so people will know know whether I am aristocracy or the local tunrip picker

Edited by jackal on Sunday 28th March 14:25

[Chris_w666]

1.9TD or Non Turbo 306 or Citroen ZX would get my vote ahead of a golf.

[anonymous-user]

How high are we talking?

[jackal]

errrr yeah, no offence and all that but has a Peugeot or Citreon ever actually made it to the M25 without falling into a million tiny pieces ?

[Chris_w666]

If they set off from Reading they usually cope.

[jackal]

MSTRBKR said:

How high are we talking?

i was thinking of something like this:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1594689.htm

or

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1537266.htm

[uuf361]

Had a few MK4 Golfs at work for my team (the 100bhp version) and they went over 100k in 3 years with nothing other than normal maintenance.......since we have subsequently changed to Ford and now Vauxhall it has been a completely diferent story

[jackal]

yep.. all the machanis say buy then if you are looking for a gen purpose high miles car

i like this one as its an auto

auto diesel seems to be VERY rare:


http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLK...

[dome]

It's maybe a wee bit pricey for you(price is ONO tho) and a bit far away (Glasgow) but my mates one is about as good as they get for the price. Watch out for back axle bushes-they get noisy with age and affect the handling. He gets 50mpg on a run easily.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1572286.htm

[V]

jackal said:

MSTRBKR said:

How high are we talking?

i was thinking of something like this:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1594689.htm

or

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1537266.htm

Both of those have the wrong alloys for the year

Edited by V on Wednesday 31st March 00:55

[Zordrak]

Get a Bora or a SEAT with the same engine, you will get more car for your money without the 'Golf' premium.

[koolchris99]

my golf has never ever skipped a beat.. nothing has ever broken at all.

those sound like alot of money for what they are though.

[Ynox]

Not sure if it affects all engines (maybe just the 150 bhp) but a mate of mine has a mk4 golf derv and at around 105kish it required a new camshaft at a£1k+ cost.

[d3dna]

The engine's are pretty bullet proof and a friend of mine has a 52 plate MK4 GT which is nearly on 100k it and has not skipped a beat. The engine, if kept serviced will be good for 150k until it starts to show its age. The other components on the car itself will likely need more attention such as the bushes, brakes, exhaust etc.
I have the sister car to the MK4 Golf (Seat Leon) and the front bushes on mine need changing soon. The rear bushes seem to go quite quickly and on mine they have been replaced twice in 42k (6 years OTR) so check for signs of 'squeakiness' if you go to test drive. Track rods have been MOT advisories for me so they may need attention, so look for 'numb' steering and check the tyres for unusual wear. On mine and other people with MK4 based cars the outside edge [of the tyre] seem to go when the track rod end bush is worn.
It may be worth while looking at VW specific forums as these will hold vital information into the cars and high mileage examples. On them you could find people local to your area with a system called VAG-COM which is a diagnostic program which reads the ECU and can show faults which you may not be able to pick up on, very handy.
Hope this helps

[the-photographer]

Hi, I managed 190,000 miles over 7 years with a 1.8T, all with the original clutch etc.

Engine was the least of my problems, (in fact no problems) but you will have to carefully
check all suspension components, which will definately need replacing over 100,000 miles.

[Matt_N]

Ynox said:

Not sure if it affects all engines (maybe just the 150 bhp) but a mate of mine has a mk4 golf derv and at around 105kish it required a new camshaft at a£1k+ cost.

Its a well documented problem that affects only the 150bhp version.

[MynameisRob]

Zordrak said:

Get a Bora or a SEAT with the same engine, you will get more car for your money without the 'Golf' premium.

Those are the ones that are like a golf, but not a golf, with a hatchback right?

I've been considering exactly this option myself so this thread has been of much use, thanks guys.

[JB!]

the-photographer said:

Hi, I managed 190,000 miles over 7 years with a 1.8T, all with the original clutch etc.

holy crap! Standard 156bhp model?

[Rob Crutch]

I've had 3 (well 2 Bora's & 1 Golf) all Sport or GT Tdi 115 bhp models (so PD engines and 6 speed boxes), they've all been nice cars but my current one (a 2000 model Golf) has needed a new head gasket, rear suspension bushes, front arb bushes, rear dampers, brakes all round, the front arches are now both rusting badly following since all the salt has been thrown around this winter, the dash clocks work 99% of the time but sometimes freeze for up to 40 minutes (only happens rarely but v. annoying when it does!) and the abs light keeps coming on when I can't see a fault anywhere... all within 6 months/ 17k. I should have picked up on the front brakes being worn, the rears only wore out recently, but the car genuinely has been the worst car I've ever owned (that includes 16 other VW's).

They are nice comfy cars that cover distances happily and frugally but make sure you get a good one as at the age you're looking at there are plenty of problems which can arise, also keep an eye out for Boras (if you like the saloon styling) as they often represent better value for money over the Golfs.

Rob

Edit - just to say mine was bought with 116k and now has 133k

Edited by Rob Crutch on Wednesday 31st March 10:17