2000 Volkswagen Golf GTi Turbo review from UK and Ireland

Paint defect on the rear hatch.

Loose/ill fitting front seats (Recarros).

Leaking rear windscreen.

Both doors creak under acceleration and heavy braking.

Various rattles in the dashboard which were dismissed by the dealer as nothing.

Passenger seat lifter broke.

Air bag faults. Originating from the driver's seat and caused I believe by poor workmanship when the dealer repaired the front seat problem listed above.

Build quality is less than average which I find disappointing, especially when VW seem to pride themselves upon this point.

Performance is poor when compared with my previous car (Megane Coupe 2.0l 16v 150BHP). Also the car is less economical.

3-door model owners watch out when opening doors in windy conditions. If the door is snatched from your grip and opened to its limit, it will become misaligned and will not shut properly!

The dealership after sales service is shocking. When the paint defect was rectified, the car came back covered in overspray. When valeted by the dealer (after respray of boot), the alloys were all scratched. Demanded and got new replacements.

Dealer attempted to fix my car with components from an ex demonstrator (1 year old). This happened when the seats were fixed and when the wheels were scratched. They also would not have told me they had done so if I hadn't asked.

This is by far the most disappointing car I have owned.

I intend to get rid of it after only 14 months of ownership.