VW Golf opinions / comments / experiences

[Chris101]

Hey all,

I have finally graduated, started working fulltime, cleared off the student debts, blah blah blah, and now I'm in the market for a new used vehicle. My number 1 choice right now is a 2002-2004 VW Golf.

Now I have some questions:

If I were to go with the GTI, would I be better off getting the turbo or the VR6? I have heard from a friend that the turbo'd GTI has some reliability issues.

Is there any reason I should contemplate the non GTI route and just buy a 1.8 non turbo'd Golf? Obviously money IS an issue and a base Golf has an appealing price, but at the same time I want to buy a vehicle that I am going to enjoy, and I am willing to spend more for that.

As a long-time Honda owner I have very little experience with Golfs or VWs. Are there any big issues/potential deal-breakers that I should be aware of?

Thanks

[Euro_Trash]

There is no such thing as a MK4 1.8L base golf, the lowest is the 2.0L which is a very reliable motor, but you will probably get bored with it pretty quick.
The 1.8T is your best bet if you want to mod the car.
Personally I would go with the VR6, I have an older VR in my Jetta but my dad has the 24V VR in his jetta, and he loves it. Very quiet, very smooth, and if you want to spend some extra cash it has high potential for some big HP numbers. He has had it for more than 40,000 km and has not had any problems at all.

[omfgcurtis]

mk4 route is a little pricey, if you were to go the mk3 route there is alot more options IMO, my mk4 golf isnt as fun as my mk3 gti and the gti has alot more performance and visual styling routes you can go.
There isnt much VW owners on this website to give you there input, id suggest checking out http://vwvortex.com/ a vw enthusiasm website and this calgary based website http://www.clubveedub.com/


enjoy your dub:thumbsup:

[teggypimp95]

Hey bud. I just sold my GTI 1.8T. It was the best car iv had. So much fun. I also tested the VR6 when i bought it. They dident even compare. The 1.8T was soo much more fun. Tourque was awesome, spooled really fast. I had no issues with it at all. High way driving was awesome. You will get way better gas with the 1.8T. I got around 800 on the highway. But remember this 99.5-2001 GTI 1.8T only150 hp, not that much fun to drive. 2002 and up 180hp alot of fun to drive. They were very easy to work on and there are some great sites for parts like www.ecstuning.com.

EDIT : But remember, if you do have to take any VW into a dealership for anything. Be prepared to pay out the ass. Parts and labour are very expensive!!!

[Chris101]

Cool, thanks for the info guys.

[eibbor]

My opinion of the mkIV's is pretty varied. In general, they just plain aren't as sporting as the previous A platform cars.

The suspension on all but the 20th AE/337 GTI is decidedly soft, and the steering, also on all but the 20thAE/337 GTI is too uncommunicative for my likings.

Also, the mkIV's are pretty much what gave VW a reputation for unreliability. Extremely common issues are window regulators and coilpack, and oil sludging in the 1.8T cars.

They're decent cars, but do your homework first. If you find one you like, make damn sure that it was maintained properly. If you're after a 1.8T, make sure it's never seen a drop of anything but synthetic oil. Otherwise, pass.

As for which engine... the 2.0 is called the 2.slow in VW circles for a reason. Don't expect any pep from this engine. It's extremely reliable, but for a reason. It's a very "relaxed" motor. It makes good torque in the low end of the rev range, and doesn't rev very high either. There aren't many power gains to be made with this engine. If you're after performance, look towards any of the other engines, including the TDI. The TDI can be chipped to yield pretty decent power gains. The 1.8T will definitely yield the highest power/torque gains with the least amount of money put in. A friend who drives a 337 edition GTI chipped his car, and it's putting down 210hp (up from 180hp) and 240lb/ft. The car is otherwise stock, and all it took was a ~$700 chip, which is completely undetectable to dealership diagnostic computers. If you aren't into modding it, then the VR6 would be a great choice. It makes nice power, it's silky smooth, and sounds AMAZING.

All that said, consider saving a bit more and look at either a new Rabbit 2.5, which can be had for ~17k new. The chassis is much more compliant, the engine gets similar fuel economy to the 2.slow, but makes 150hp (170hp for 2008), and it's been much more reliable in Europe, where it's already been sold for ~3 years. The mkV GTI would also be worth a look... it's vastly superior in every regard, but might be out of your price range.

Hope this helps. PM me if you have more questions :)