| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.1 Manual |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 2 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
4.0 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 50000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 60000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Golf |
Summary:
Ideal town car
Faults:
Cold starting in damp weather.
Gear selector stiff.
Wipers noisy.
Automatic choke over-revs.
General Comments:
Reliable small car for running around town.
More risky on journeys over 50 miles on the motorway - just doesn't have the power.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 30th November, 2001
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.4 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 18000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 39000 miles |
Summary:
A TRUE super mini
Faults:
Very few faults.
Windscreen wiper blades needed to be replaced frequently.
Leak at the filler inlet of the petrol tank.
Replaced the battery (own fault).
General Comments:
A top little motor, if a bit scary with the brakes. The car never let me down at all and I was very pleased with the car during the time I owned it. I would strongly recommend this car to anyone.
One slightly off note, the VW dealers wanted to offer very little in trade in against a newer car whilst wanting to charge above average prices. I bought a Peugeot instead.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th January, 2001
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 supercharged petrol |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
6.6 / 10
|
Faults:
Nothing apart from parts expiring after 6/7 years which you would expect. Oh and criminals mistakenly thinking it belongs to them, and that they must have lost the keys.
General Comments:
Genuine pocket rocket. Very light - high power to weight ratio (160 bhp/ton after rechip). Very smooth supercharged power delivery. Very quiet considering. Standard brakes are crap - replaced with upgraded - much better. Mine was rechipped 45k miles ago by AmD - has been fantastic since. Needs GOOD tyres to really perform well - Yokohama A510 are the best I've used.
4 years with this car were all great.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd August, 1998
I used to own a 1991 G40 "coupe". Yes it was fast, rare and head turning. But I sold it after having to wait 6 weeks for a new exhaust manifold to come from Germany (The UK Volkswagen dealers - mainly LEX could not source one in Britain). I was also charged £350 for the part and this didn't include fitting!!! Also charged £120 for a timing belt change at a main dealer, the belt itself cost £14!!!
Volkswagens are too expensive to own for what they are. I haven't bought one since and never will.