1994 Volkswagen Golf CL review from North America

Automatic all door lock mechanism: too flimsy; If you turn to much using the car key, trigger breaks. I bought improved replacement parts (cheap) and replaced them myself. Np problem since.

Trunk key: when you push too hard, plastic holding plate breaks: It seemed to be a good job to repair so I plugged the key socket and now open the trunk from the glove compartment.

A bit noisy: door gaskets are not too efficient.

Brake shoe pads jingle on rough city roads: quite annoying. Never was able to have them fixed properly. After 2 or 3 months, starts over.

Coolant temperature gauge: never seem to indicate the right temperature.

This is a diesel car. When I bought it, it had 150,000 miles. I added another 200,000 miles since and it is still running perfectly. Of course, there's regular maintenance to do: change timing belt, shock absorbers, brakes, wheel bearings, glow plugs, and so on. But the motor, transmission, steering, cooling system: absolutely nothing to do. Incredible for the mileage it has.

Before, I had a 1993 Ford Escort I had bought new: I also liked this car. At 100,000 miles engine was running well, but everything else was falling apart. Then I bought a Mercedes diesel: I sold it when it reached 400,000 miles and bought this Volkswagen.

This is the best car I ever had. 100% reliable. Had it towed only once because of ice in the fuel tank during extreme cold. But now I add gas treatment in the tank when temperature falls below 0, and everything is OK.