How bad is a 2000 Golf going to be?

[chaseracer]

You wouldn't expect me to say anything nice about them. And I won't.

 

Gutless, over-rated, rusty, over-rated, hopeless, over-rated, awful seats that you just perch and slide round on, over-rated, and just plain dreadful. A good mate of mine is an ardent and totally committed Golf fanatic and even he says they're awful.

So...

 

...it's like a Golf, but shit?

 

[Pillock]

/\

He's only bleeding right! 1997 apparently.

to be fair, keeping track of Golf release dates is like trying to catalogue every phone box in the UK. Dull, pointless and there's millions of them. I know the mk5 was out by 2004 although I can't honestly recall what one looks like.

 

Are we on the Mk8 yet? They're like Transits, only less useful.

[Asimo]

Because my Renault had annoyed me by carburettor falling to bits I over-reacted and bought a 1.4 2 door new in 2000, kept it for nearly 7 years / 100 000miles and yes it was dull. I took one photo of it in all that time, and I take hundreds of photos of cars. Thats how dull.

The bodyshell and interior is well made, the boot is big and I never had to walk home. It did me about 45mpg. When I got rid, the body was still really good, hardly a mark of age in or out but it felt absolutely worn out to drive. Hate to think what they are like at twice the age / mileage.

The VW service is awful, it had an engine management fault all the time I had it which was never fixed.

It would cut out briefly, every hundred or so miles, and then run in "limp mode" (indicated by pinking) for a few minutes. Sometimes the tacho would go to zero when this happened.

VW always blamed dirty petrol.  

"How would that affect the tacho?"    Blank look from VW drone who repeats "Golfs are perfect" mantra.

Other probs were cam belt tensioner failiure, short exhaust life, rear wheel bearings, useless hand brake.

 

VW say the engine cannot be rebuilt: if the main bearing deck is removed, the block will go out of shape so if the bottom end wears out, the game is over.

 

Part-exed for another Renault, but thats another story.

[Barry Cade]

Do not, under any circumstances, be tempted by a 1.4 16v VW. They are 100% chocolate, gearboxes too. A recon gearbox (diff spat it's rivets through the casing. New clutch- drowned in gearbox oil after the previous. New window regulators -2- New locks, all U/S, new wishbones, new discs,new pads,new shoes,new front pipe and Cat, new exhaust mounings, new centre console.... 2 weeks on the road and the camshaft seized...FVAGSH.....camshaft bearings are the head and rocker cover...needed new head and rocker cover....threw in the towel and gladly accepted £180 for it. Bah. Still to painful to talk about..lesson learned.

 

[HH-R]

Sounds like a few people on this thread need to book in at their local VW dealer sharpish to have their "Volkswagens are perfect" software updated.

[urpert]

Sounds like a few people on this thread need to book in at their local VW dealer sharpish to have their "Volkswagens are perfect" software updated.

For the full re-education experience I strongly advise mentioning that you want to PX something French.

[twosmoke300]

Is that a common software up grade to the all audis are ace one ?

[I_am_Diesel]

Ooohh!!!! Let's all knock Volkwagens*

*Volkswagen owner been drinking Stella since 5pm.

[lisbon_road]

The bottom wears out, presumably the main bearings, and it can't be taken apart?  I never heard of that.  Are many cars like that now?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

Would sooner have a focus and spend the difference on waxoyl to protect it.

You're kidding.........?

 

I've just been in a W reg Focus and it's fucking horrible. Rust everywhere (and it's been garaged) and the interior is just vile, typical old Ford shit. From experience of these as new hire cars, the Focarse drives better but now they're old crap, the Focus is really nasty - bollocks to ther control blade suspension, look at that dash FFS. Forget the 1.4 Golf, a 1.8 or 1.8 is mandatory. Buy a basic 5 door on steels and unlike the Focus you won't look like a two bit smack dealer from Gleadless.

[Squire_Dawson]

Might I suggest a better choice of steed for your mother, sir?

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-METRO-114SLI-/111387599016?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item19ef37e0a8

[red5]

Too heavy for the 1.4 - they had short ratio/chocolate boxes in some/most as well as odd/random cam tensioner failures. Throw in piston slap a la Polo 1.4 randomly and 'no'. The rest pretty much as per previous posts.

 

Avoid 2.0 8 v unless you KNOW it hasn't got oval valve guides.

 

Sam

Ex VW workshop controller and current 'Mk5' 1.9tdi owner.

[spike60]

I thought it was the 1.2 3 pots that went wobbley if you took the bottom end off. Shit idea either way.

[Barry Cade]

I'm off to Wolfsburg on Monday. Anyone got any millitary grade stink bombs?

 

In other news. The Volvo was reversed into yesterday,by an Audi... Add parking sensors to the things that VAG fit that are shite. Mirrors too-daft bint. No damage to the Volvo though, at least none that couldn't be clipped back together.

[Asimo]

The bottom wears out, presumably the main bearings, and it can't be taken apart?  I never heard of that.  Are many cars like that now?

See page 13 of this VW document describing the mighty 1.4 engine. http://vwts.ru/engine/ahw_akq_ajv.pdf

[Pillock]

See page 13 of this VW document describing the mighty 1.4 engine. http://vwts.ru/engine/ahw_akq_ajv.pdf

 

That file isn't linkable directly, however I got it via the main menu and my immense grasp of Russian, and this is the very worrying bit....

 

[twosmoke300]

Fuck me . How " on the edge " is that design ? It's a shitty shopping car engine ffs , not a top fuel drag motor.

Like most vag design - no fucking need.

[Barry Cade]

 

 

 

 

Plenty more where they came from....

[Cavcraft]

Might I suggest a better choice of steed for your mother, sir?

 

 

 

 

 

 

EFA

[Pete-M]

You're kidding.........?

 

I've just been in a W reg Focus and it's fucking horrible. Rust everywhere (and it's been garaged) and the interior is just vile, typical old Ford shit. From experience of these as new hire cars, the Focarse drives better but now they're old crap, the Focus is really nasty - bollocks to ther control blade suspension, look at that dash FFS. Forget the 1.4 Golf, a 1.8 or 1.8 is mandatory. Buy a basic 5 door on steels and unlike the Focus you won't look like a two bit smack dealer from Gleadless.

I drive an 03 plate ST170. It's great.

[Junkman]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131224758394

[Richard]

my immense grasp of Russian,

 

Word Lens?

[Partridge]

ALL WV ARE PINEAPPLE AND BAD KARS 4 WANKERS MY VOXALL R BETTER M8 SOZ

[Guest Limpet]

We've had a 2002 mk4 Golf since 2008 and I would recommend them to anyone. Bought with 80k on it. Now on 140k. In six years, apart from a clutch, front wishbone bushes and a coolant hose, it hasn't needed anything other than fluid and filter changes and consumables.

 

Must be pretty horrible as a 1.4, but they are very painless to own if you get a decent one. Cheap bits too via the likes of ECP and GSF.

[Spiny Norman]

For a non-car enthusiast type I can Imagine an old Golf is a pretty sensible buy, but the 1.4 must be marginal on the speed/power thing. My mate had a 1.6 and it WENT, but that was about it. 25 fewer horses must be quite noticeable in what is quite a big heavy car, but if your Mum doesn't care about such things why worry?

 

The thing that makes me wary about VWs in general and the base spec Golf in particular is that an awful of of the older ones will have fallen into the hands of the penniless fools who believe the hype about VW reliability, and when they get told that a well maintained VW is reliable car. what they hear 'You never need to waste any beer money servicing them or looking after them in any way whatsoever', and because they don't visibly rust and usually polish up well, what looks like a decent car is often a ruin.

[wackywacerwill]

We had a 1.9 NA derv Mk3 and it was ace. The only Mk4 I've driven was a GTI and although it would hit motorway speeds quite happily it never did feel particularly swift.

All of this matters not here I guess. It will rust less and feel more modern.

[Des]

I can haz negotiation skillzors, talked her down for now by pointing out that the mileage is just a tad too high for a puny engine dragging a heavy car, wait for a 1.6 to turn up, what's the hurry?

[cms206]

A colleague of mine has a 1.4 Golf Mk4 that sounds exactly like the first one in post 48. He's had it for nearly two years, it's done a huge mileage and hasn't died yet so I suspect they are quite reliable... but they are dreadful. We ran a fleet of Mk2 1.6D and Mk3 1.9D vans and I'd have had any of those - even those with 190k on the clock - over ANY Mk4. I'd have a Focus or a Mk4 Astra over one, despite the Focuses dissolving in a light shower and the Vauxhalls all being shit or some other nonsense.

If the Mk3 hasn't died, keep it.

[twosmoke300]

04 to 55 plate civic 1.4 .

Soooo reliable it's boring but great cars . Just budget for brake calipers every now and again ( Lucas rubbish).

[Grundig]

I can haz negotiation skillzors, talked her down for now by pointing out that the mileage is just a tad too high for a puny engine dragging a heavy car, wait for a R32 to turn up, what's the hurry?

 

 

EFA