Faults:

CV joint needed replacing at 147000.

Broken drivers door handle.

General Comments:

I had been looking to buy a Golf GTi and a friend offered me his for £500.

Looks fantastic, an example of the best hot hatch ever produced.

Responsive, very fast, solid and reliable, what more could you ask?

A future classic :)

Faults:

Nothing at all. I just had to do the normal stuff like changing tires, oil etc...

General Comments:

With its 66 kW and only 880 kg of weight this car is not too slow and top speed lies about 190 km/h. But driving at that speed will boost up fuel consumption to about 11-12l/100 km.

Wind noises are very loud at speed over 120 km/h.

Faults:

Except the usual worn out ball-joints, wheel bearing, track-rod end and shock absorbers, only the oil-pump gave up at 200000 kilometers.

Seats got worn, the handles fell off.

General Comments:

Big, roomy car.

Very economical, once on a Cherbourg - Rozvadov trip the fuel consumption was 3,9l/100 km.

As a small diesel with no turbo, the car is a bit sluggish, but climbs well.

The engine is noisy, van-like. That's why I like it so much. You know that something serious happens under the bonnet.

If I could insure it in Ireland, I would still drive it. Now my father drives it in Hungary. He loves it.

Faults:

Leaks on passenger side floor.

Door locks jam regularly.

Have recently had to replace the following: (at 118000 miles)

Water pump.

Radiator (good idea to get a re-conditioned one)

Timing belt.

Thermostat housing.

Rear rake pipes.

Fuel pump needs repairing.

General Comments:

A very heavy car considering that it is only a 1.3 engine, but overall it's a good car.

It is fairly stable, but watch out on emergency stops, the rear end will kick out.

Faults:

Air conditioning went out.

Shifter linkage had problems.

Brakes needed replacing.

Alternator went out.

Driver's seat is tearing up.

General Comments:

This car is really fun to drive.

It has a lot of pep, and the handling is very tight.

Repairs are more expensive than on comparable domestic cars.

This was my first car, and I'll always have fond memories of it.

At the same time, I would not recommend this car for a teenager. It is too fast and--while maintenance would not be horrible now, I didn't have the money or time to do the little things that would have kept it in better condition.

Faults:

The previous owner had lowered the suspension resulting in an awful ride quality.

New convertible roof fitted.

Alternator replaced.

General Comments:

The car needed restoration when purchased due to the neglect of previous owners.

I have fitted a Koni suspension and the car is now comfortable with great handling.

After initial repairs my Golf has been reliable and very economical.

Faults:

Pretty much everything :)

Complete engine overhaul including piston rings, big-end bearings, valve guides. You name it...

Automatic choke is broken.

Clutch recently expired, but to be expected given the high mileage.

General Comments:

I bought the car from a man on a grass verge. His name wasn't even on the registration document. Everything turned out OK in the end though.

The engine is superb now. It pulls like anything in second gear and can out-accelerate our recent BMW 318i.

Motorway cruising is fun however fifth gear, given the designation "E", seems a bit feeble. Dropping into fourth is the only way to accelerate in the outside lane.

Brakes seem to be fine although the pipes will need replacement for the MOT.

Handling is good with typical FWD oversteer. I recommend a decent set of front tyres.

Interior has cleaned up very well and seems hard-wearing and comfortable.

Bodywork OK. Slight rust, but more a function of the way the car has been treated in the past I think.

VW parts are quite expensive. I could have got a better car had I spent another few hundred pounds. However it's running very well now and I am proud as well as pleased with it.