Faults:

In three years I had to change on this car:

Head gasket.

Clutch.

Radiator.

Water pump.

Muffler (3 times).

Springs.

Rust never stopped coming out on the body.

Red engine light came on especially in summer time.

With the beep noise, the car was burning oil (2 litres in 5000 km).

I would never ever buy a VW made in North America. Generally VW it's not worth the money, the worst car I ever had... In Europe they have a good reputation, but here...

Faults:

Dealer replaced both the head gasket and rear brake master cylinders after 4 or 5 years, dunno if it was really needed or not, but it was expensive.

Most problems are breakage of controls/trim: heater control switches, glove box latch, rear hatch release.

Parts however are not the most expensive, and used parts are readily available.

General Comments:

A very simple car by 2009 standards, but this car hasn't left me stranded once in over 430,000 km.

Can't justify replacing it, frankly, as it still only uses 6.9 - 7.0 L/100 km and it was paid for a decade ago.

Somewhat harsh ride, and the noise level makes long trips a dreary prospect.

If you have a trusted mechanic and can find parts, this is a very economical, safe and reliable ride.

Faults:

Nothing major. Just carried out usual maintenance.

One tappet was particularly noisy on cold start up, but frequent oil changes (every 3,000 - 5,000) quickly solved that problem!

Coolant leak - again I was able to fix that myself - the part cost peanuts from the stealership.

Ignition barrel went, but easily replaced by myself.

Tip: Buy the Haynes manual and be prepared to get your hands dirty - older cars are a lot easier to work on than modern cars.

General Comments:

My first car! My Dad always said to get a VAG car - as long as it has FSH and is well looked after, then you can't go wrong!

Being a 17 year old male who had just passed his driving test it was brilliant! It had previously been lowered with larger alloys and an aftermarket exhaust (tastefully done of course!)

Engine was superb - very torquey, and had a low growl about it. The car was not fast off the mark but it was very safe, solid and comfortable, especially compared to my mates' "tin can on wheels" Fiesta's!

It has been so reliable that I have passed it on to my younger brother who has just passed his test. The trick is to buy a good one, look after it and never sell it! Now that I have been driving for 3 years I have been able to upgrade to an Audi - You just can't beat VAG cars!

Faults:

I need advice on this car! I love it! great drive, reliable, etc.

Had a starter motor a couple of months ago.

Condensation badly inside.

Back wiper if-y.

Lately when warm is sluggish so don't know if we should get another car or what~ told it could be a carburetor injection part of about 500 pounds!

Kimla_johnson@yahoo.co.uk.

General Comments:

Solid and sturdy car! Gorgeous to drive!

Faults:

Had a lot of work on this car, new gearbox, new front brakes, new clutch, new fuel pump.

Still, nothing too unexpected for a car near the 300000 km mark.

General Comments:

The car drives nicely. It's pretty good in the corners, and feels good to drive compared to the small cars I drove before (Ford Ka, Hyundai Atos).

Fuel consumption is a bit high (about 9-10 liters/km, 26mpg). I have a LPG-converted version, so it's not very expensive, and part of the high consumption may be caused by the conversion (quoted consumption is when running on petrol, it used 11 l/km on LPG).

Other than the high maintenance this is a pleasant and surprisingly fun car to drive, if a bit boring on the outside as well as the inside.