1995 Volkswagen Golf GL 1.6 SPI (AEA) from Netherlands

Summary:

Overall, a good car, but a bit more power would be useful. 2.0 liter engine suits the chassis better

Faults:

The Clutch was slipping early in 2002 and has since been replaced in October.

Passenger door has sagged at the hinges and doesn't close correctly.

General Comments:

I've had the car from new and haven't had to much trouble with it. It's quite economical if driven in the lower rev range, but for a 1.6 it can still go quite fast.

Acceleration isn't all that good, but what can you expect from 75bhp.

Handling is OK, but the narrow, high profile tires spoil a lot of the driving immersion.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd February, 2003

1995 Volkswagen Golf GL 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Golfs are great. I am also looking forward on buying 1.8 GTI when I need a new one

Faults:

Clutch needs to be replaced since it has been slipping if accelerator is pressed to hard, about 34K.

Interior lights in the odometer and tachometer is no longer working and side marker lights due to faulty electrical.

Muffler was giving away, but replace it with DTM mufflers that gives this nice low sound.

General Comments:

The previous owner did not really took a great care of the car, and that annoys me. When I just got it, the front light reflector was missing from the driver side and one vane was missing.

Over all, the car runs great especially in the highway. Throw a little bit of rev-matching and double-clutching technique and there you go speeding up and passing cars ahead of you!

You just have to know how to take good care of the golf!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th November, 2002

1995 Volkswagen Golf TDi 1.9 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good fuel economy, outrageous garagebills

Faults:

Fuel injector pump died at an expense of 900 pounds - guess what its computer controlled - Volkswagon have made a simple thing unnecessarily complicated!

General Comments:

This car is very very fast and handles well. It has very good fuel economy, but a visit to the dealer will offest any savings you make. They tried to charge me hundreds for a front headlight - happily I got it a Volkswagon copy at 30 pounds. In short Volkswagon rip you off for parts.

The interior is cramped and it has very thin seats. Don't try to sit in the back unless you are a midget! Anyone over 5 feet will have his knees protruding into the front seats.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th August, 2002

1995 Volkswagen Golf VR6 2.8 V6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

An excellent performance VW

Faults:

I have had no faults with the car so far.

General Comments:

This is my 4th Golf and my second MK3. The VR6 engine makes the vehicle exceptionally easy to drive, lots of low and mid range power mean frequent gears changes are eliminated.

Handling and ride are good compromise between sports and comfort with very little road noise penetrating the cabin.

In 5 door form the car is proving to be very practical and the increase body size offers much more comfort for rear passengers than my old MK2.

I'd recommend this car to anyone who can live with the fuel bill. Running costs are higher than the smaller engined version, but the smile on your face more than makes up for it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2002

29th Oct 2002, 08:02

I wrote this review sometime ago, not too long after buying the car and after living with it for sometime thought I would add some further comments. The car is still putting a smile on my face, but like all new toys it has now lost it's shine. The running costs of the car aren't as bad as what I had anticipated. I've had to renew the front brakes (disks and pads) but at £88.00 GBP for the parts and couple of hours with the spanners I was quite pleasantly suprised. The average fuel consumption for the last 2000 miles has been 24MPG which I think is reasonable. This car has left me in a bit of a dilema though, when the time eventually comes to replace it I will have a difficult time. What else will provide the same levels of performance and refinement at such low cost?