1997 Volkswagen Gol review from Colombia

1.6 engine CL 2 door Brazilian model.

No problems until it passed 40000kms.

At 65000 kms:

Started leaking rain from the roof in the rear.

Many electrical problems with the central blocking system, with the electric windows and displays.

Noises I can't seem to find where they are coming from.

In the past year I've spent about 450US dollars in the dealer because of the electrical problems I have been trapped inside the car without being able to go out (it's no joke).

I live in Bogota Colombia (South America) a city full of traffic, where it is good to drive a Gol since it has more than enough power to out run almost every same range car (Renault Clio or the Chevrolet Corsa)

this also goes to the feel of the gear box, and room space.

I'm a 28 years old guy who doesn't use the car to race, I rather like to go from point A to point B. Never had a car accident or crash. This is to give you an idea of how the car has been handled.

The service of VW in Colombia since it's an import car is:

a. very expensive

b. Spare parts are not always on stock (very important if you need a quick fix)

in a city of 9 million people there are only 3 recognized dealer shops to fix it.

I used to own a 79 Beetle or Bug, that made me fall in love with VW.

So I bought my brand new GOL in 97.

Here is the story so far:

The altitud of bogota 2600 above the sea will never let you know if the car gets rust easily if you live by the coast, but there has been rust inside the trunk since there is a leak in the back window every time it rains wich is a big problem in bogota.

For unpaved roads the GOL is not the car you want to use, however if you intend to have long trips in it, it is awesome to drive in the hightways of the andes (mountains and hills sharp curves, passing trucks etc). The suspension of the car is far better than any other car in the same range.

The fuel consumption is good for me (380-400kms) on a full tank.

The passengers in the back fit perfectly if they measure 1.85mt or less. (in the 4 door version my sister has, the passengers in the back will hit their head against the roof and have poor to none leg space)

The trunk space is enough for me. but it does not fit a bicycle with the back seat rolled to the front.

Although the interior of the car is big enough for me, it does not mean is big enough for all.

The engine has never had a problem, but bear in mind it is only 65000kms in 6 years of use. I was told the engine is good for at least 300.000kms.

After 3 years of use the Blaupunkt casette factory radio did not sound and never worked again. I replaced it with a Kenwood casette radio that is sounds better and was inexpensive (100US).

The electric windows are not designed for this model since the window is heavier because of the size than the power given by electric motor that runs it. The "zipper" that tracks the window is too weak to keep up with a person that likes to open the window every time that rides this car (my case). The car is a well balanced engine in a not so classy interior package, this means there are absolutely no luxuries in the the car what so ever (don't be fouled by the blue displays which are now running well half the time including the gas reader) the spare parts are not available.

Right now the car is in the shop for electric faults such as windows not working properly (5th time this year), central blocking system gone crazy (2nd time this year) and a front bearing being changed (i consider normal the last one). I gave up trying to find spares for the front displays.

The back door seems to have a problem with the alarm switch that has never been repaired (no stock of spare parts again) and because of the temperature of a changing environment the electric contacts seem to fail.

In the past year I've gone to the shop so many times I can't remember. This is making me re-think about the love I have for this brand since no spare parts are easy to find and expensive to fix on my salary. This leads me to think I'm in service for the car rather than the car in service for me. My old college days of bus riding are here again.

Other economical factors to consider:

Insurance is expensive considering the fact that I get discounts because i've never crashed the car in 6 years. Owner taxes are increasing rather than decreasing. Compared to a low range 4x4 it is more expensive to run around in a VW Gol in terms of taxes.

Criminal attacks:

Never been robed or high jacked, not even the car stereo or head lights although I installed the metal anti-thief protection. (something to show off and talk about in Bogota). I do park the car in safe places every time I can.

I'm now thinking of buying a car I can take to the shop and get the spare parts when I need them rather than when they're in stock (finally price does not matter that much if you can actually buy them when you need them). I need to go to farms with unpaved roads for which this car is not made to go and travel around Colombia without the inconvinience of having a dealer or shop in only 3 cities without spare parts.