1997 Volkswagen Golf review from North America

The first week, the automatic transmission stick fell apart. I've lost the plastic undercarriage cover twice. I had to have a new transmission. I had to replace several components of the fuel/air mix system. The plastic molding on the sides has come off three times. I had to get a new starter. Most recently (and I've stopped having it worked on for the time being), I've been told I need a new ignition system.

I initially liked this car a great deal: it had a lot of pick up, was comfortable, and seemed reliable, except for a few problems with the moldings. Over the last year, I've had endless mechanical problems that, with the exception of replacing the transmission, were not covered by the warranty. The bills for these repairs have been extremely high, and the service has, most recently, been unreliable, i.e., work requested not done or done incorrectly. I have serious concerns that a car that has been well maintained is have so many problems, and that the dealership tends to find things that need repair that aren't necessarily malfunctioning. The cost of the repairs at the dealership, too, are very high. Unfortunately, I would never buy a Volkswagen again. While the Golf is inexpensive, I can't say that it is reliable.