Putting together various stories and reports I've read around the place (Parkers, message boards etc), and adding in personal experience - are Golfs just not *that* good anymore? I'm not saying they're rubbish, just not as good as the reputation they still seem to enjoy and the premium VW charge for them.
I know two people who have Mk4 Golfs, a 1.8 GTi and a 1.9TDi (the 110bhp) and they've both had problems for stupid quality issues that really shouldn't crop up on a 17 grand plus car.
Electric windows falling out of their mountings, air con leaks, problems with hi-fi equipment, electrical gremlins and so on, nothing serious, but I got so used to seeing a courtesy car outside one friends house I wondered if she shouldn't have just bought a 1.0 Polo to start with..... She's had a Mk2, Mk3 and now a Mk4 Golf, it's the Mk4 that's put her off the car and the brand.
(Problems aside she doesn't like the ride or handling, and thinks her Mk3 GTi was a better all round car).
Parkers owners reviews carry a lot of negative comments (far more than other modern brands and makes seem to), and elsewhere there just seems to be a "they're not as good as they used to be" sort of feeling.
Is it worth paying the extra for a VW badge and a Golf these days?
Alex.
P.S. I was actually going to buy a 1.9TDi myself, but after seeing the problems my friend and father-in-law had, plus the negative comments elsewhere, I went for a Honda Accord SE Exec instead, a lot more car for the same money, and just as quick....
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Alex
I think that MK4 Golf owners, like myself seem to be perfectionists and the slightest niggle will upset them. There are quite a few well known problems, but they are all easily sorted by the dealers, but for some reason VW don't seem to address the some of them e.g. the rear washer pipe leaking into the boot has been a trait since its launch, my 2002 model did it a few weeks ago.
Andrew
Alex M wrote:
>
> Putting together various stories and reports I've read around
> the place (Parkers, message boards etc), and adding in
> personal experience - are Golfs just not *that* good anymore?
> I'm not saying they're rubbish, just not as good as the
> reputation they still seem to enjoy and the premium VW charge
> for them.
>
> I know two people who have Mk4 Golfs, a 1.8 GTi and a 1.9TDi
> (the 110bhp) and they've both had problems for stupid quality
> issues that really shouldn't crop up on a 17 grand plus car.
>
> Electric windows falling out of their mountings, air con
> leaks, problems with hi-fi equipment, electrical gremlins and
> so on, nothing serious, but I got so used to seeing a
> courtesy car outside one friends house I wondered if she
> shouldn't have just bought a 1.0 Polo to start with.....
> She's had a Mk2, Mk3 and now a Mk4 Golf, it's the Mk4 that's
> put her off the car and the brand.
>
> (Problems aside she doesn't like the ride or handling, and
> thinks her Mk3 GTi was a better all round car).
>
> Parkers owners reviews carry a lot of negative comments (far
> more than other modern brands and makes seem to), and
> elsewhere there just seems to be a "they're not as good as
> they used to be" sort of feeling.
>
> Is it worth paying the extra for a VW badge and a Golf these
> days?
>
> Alex.
>
> P.S. I was actually going to buy a 1.9TDi myself, but after
> seeing the problems my friend and father-in-law had, plus the
> negative comments elsewhere, I went for a Honda Accord SE
> Exec instead, a lot more car for the same money, and just as
> quick....
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Also I don't think they have any more problems than other brands and the interior definately feels up to BMW standards.
Andrew
www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
>
> Alex
>
> I think that MK4 Golf owners, like myself seem to be
> perfectionists and the slightest niggle will upset them.
> There are quite a few well known problems, but they are all
> easily sorted by the dealers, but for some reason VW don't
> seem to address the some of them e.g. the rear washer pipe
> leaking into the boot has been a trait since its launch, my
> 2002 model did it a few weeks ago.
>
> Andrew
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Alex M wrote:
> >
> > Putting together various stories and reports I've read around
> > the place (Parkers, message boards etc), and adding in
> > personal experience - are Golfs just not *that* good anymore?
> > I'm not saying they're rubbish, just not as good as the
> > reputation they still seem to enjoy and the premium VW charge
> > for them.
> >
> > I know two people who have Mk4 Golfs, a 1.8 GTi and a 1.9TDi
> > (the 110bhp) and they've both had problems for stupid quality
> > issues that really shouldn't crop up on a 17 grand plus car.
> >
> > Electric windows falling out of their mountings, air con
> > leaks, problems with hi-fi equipment, electrical gremlins and
> > so on, nothing serious, but I got so used to seeing a
> > courtesy car outside one friends house I wondered if she
> > shouldn't have just bought a 1.0 Polo to start with.....
> > She's had a Mk2, Mk3 and now a Mk4 Golf, it's the Mk4 that's
> > put her off the car and the brand.
> >
> > (Problems aside she doesn't like the ride or handling, and
> > thinks her Mk3 GTi was a better all round car).
> >
> > Parkers owners reviews carry a lot of negative comments (far
> > more than other modern brands and makes seem to), and
> > elsewhere there just seems to be a "they're not as good as
> > they used to be" sort of feeling.
> >
> > Is it worth paying the extra for a VW badge and a Golf these
> > days?
> >
> > Alex.
> >
> > P.S. I was actually going to buy a 1.9TDi myself, but after
> > seeing the problems my friend and father-in-law had, plus the
> > negative comments elsewhere, I went for a Honda Accord SE
> > Exec instead, a lot more car for the same money, and just as
> > quick....
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A look through FleetNewsNet.co.uk has a review of the diesel Focus, 307, and a comparison with the Golf SE TDI PD.
The quality of the bits and pieces inside my wife's GT TDI PD is excellent and it's a great place to spend a long drive. There've been no more problems with this car than we or anyone else we know have had with any other.
We'd consider another Golf at the drop of a hat.
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A friend of mine has a T registered 1.6 SE golf - it has been a disaster since he's owned it, it pulls to one side, the central locking has gone haywire, the interior rattles and squeaks - in short it is far inferior to his MK3.
It now turns out that it was built in Brazil - so there's your answer, if it's built in a genuine VW factory it might be Ok ! otherwise avoid.............
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Either What Car or Top Gear - perhaps both - tell you where the cars are actually made.
Stick to Japan.
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Everyone always seems to completely overlook any faults in build quality on VW based cars and never seem to add them up to be able to say hey, v-dub's build quality IS starting to go downhill isn't it?
Leaking SEATs, VW diesel engines packing up if the wrong oil is used, Golf electrical and dashboard problems, Audi aircon issues and suspension arms breaking(!) - In fact the best of the bunch seems to be Skoda at the moment.
If someone writes in with a problem on a Vauxhall or other non-german mainstream car you can hear all the sucking air in through sets of teeth - Shoddy build quality, should've got a VW etc etc. Why? They're no better...
I worked at Ford in 98 and learnt that they considered their main competitor at the time to be VW. Surprising to me as I would've guessed Vauxhall. Seems VW are trying to emulate Ford in all areas including obnoxious and unhelpful dealers too.
I am not stating here that VWs are horrifically awful cars as some people will read this as but for crying out loud wake up and smell the coffee - they are not perfect, they're not significantly better than everything else in their class and they are getting worse...
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The sense of quality and attention to detail in VAG cars is higher than most others. As in location, people will put up with quite a lot if it's a nice place to be.
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Make sure its built at Wolfsberg Germany and not S Africa or S America. Its a bit like Bosch electricals - it has to be German built or it wont be any more reliable than other makes. My Golf 130 TDI PD was built in Germany although the dealer wont confirm country of build just stipulate it in the agreement.
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If you value reliability,buy Toyota,1st,2nd and last.
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I seem to remember Jeremy Clarkson likening the buying of Japanese cars because they're reliable to marrying someone because they're punctual!
I'd need more than reliability to tempt me to buy a Toyota. How about style? The Japanese still haven't really got the message.
Pat
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Golfs started to lose the plot a bit with the mark 2,the mark three was utterly execrable and the mark four only marginally less so.
Most of their problems stem from this simple fact:it is possible to buy a mark four which weighs twice as much as a mark one.
I dont care if its bigger,because a)why did it need to be?you bought a passat if you needed bigger,and b)with the ever developing materials market bigger for the same weight is only to be expected.
There is nothing tangible in the things that need account for any extra weight,anyway.
Its just sloppy design control.
Having reduced the weight to an entirely reasonable800kgs most of your problems evaporate,as the ghost of Chunkie Chapman could tell us.
Sadly,peugeots and toyotas are going the same way.
You wait till the CAFE regulations hit the fan,whole hundredweights are going to disappear like twenties in my wifes purse.
All in all it couldnt happen to more deserving people.
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