Faults:

Chronic Oil Leak due to missing dipstick shaft seal - cured by repeated applications of silicone sealer and not overfilling oil. Several perished water hoses and snapped alternator belt.

Nothing that I can't put down to hard use and old age.

General Comments:

Bought the car for £700 in the depths of winter as an unwanted part-ex from a Skoda dealer. Car was full of water (as I later found out) and sadly lacking in TLC. It is also a left-hooker having been sold to a lady in the forces based in Westphalia.

It has been thrashed up and down to London 5 days a week for the last 2 years and regularly serviced by an excellent VW specialist in Luton.

It is both noisy, and I guess by today's Turbo Diesel standards, slow. However I can sit at 90 all day and never dip below 44mpg however hard I drive it.

The paintwork is faultless and only now is the drivers seat getting a bit tired. I have owned every version of the Golf, but would have to say the MK2 is far and away the best.

I have been surprised at the performance of a set of budget tires - Kormoran's (Michelin owned, made in Poland), which at £20 a wheel from Costco have been every bit as good as the Michelin's I put on it when I first bought the car.

Faults:

Slight oil leaks from rocker gasket (replaced) and sump gasket (not yet replaced).

Number plate lights erratic, but respond to occasional thumping.

The passenger lock cylinder broke at 105000, the drivers lock had already been replaced before I owned it.

Rear passenger foot-well fills with water in heavy rain, possibly due to fault in front passenger door seals.

Driver's seat now has worn through in parts, but remains quite supportive. The other seats are fine.

The interior fan is very noisy in all settings.

The original loudspeakers now buzz a bit and are not straightforward to replace.

General Comments:

This car starts every time. Although with its small engine size and 4 speed gearbox it is a little noisy at speed, it manages motorways and is a joy to drive.

The steering is very heavy at low speeds. If I needed to replace this one I would look for power steering.

The car feels safe and solid whatever speed I am driving at.

The build quality is generally high, compared to other cars I have owned.

After 15 years there are a few rust spots on the body, but it has never required any welding and has passed its last two MOT tests without any problem. In 18 months, I have only needed to spend £100 on it.

I plan to drive this car until it becomes uneconomical to keep on the road, unless I see a Golf or Passat turbo-diesel at an attractive price.

Faults:

Near side and off side C.V. joints - Nearside twice!

Starter Motor failed at 100,000 miles.

Wash / wipe switch (loose and dirty contacts).

Thermostat stuck open - ice in carboretta resulting in constant under-cooling.

Final drive unit failed - £800 to ream out old case and overhaul the unit, fit new seals etc.

Automatic gearbox failed - £1200 to recondition fit etc.

Clutch plates disintegrating and contaminating gearbox oil.

Water in gearbox (after initial repair due to the garage forgetting the gearbox to torque converter gasket) causing total loss of drive at 70mph on the M4 (what fun that was!)

The paint work is looking it's age. Serious fading back to primer near the petrol cap.

General Comments:

This car runs absolutly perfectly after I had the automatic gearbox and final drive cum differential problems sorted. The initial cost of £750 with a full V.W. service history seemed like a dream deal, but I would like to ask VW what they actually do during routine servicing, because the car should have been in tip top condition (mechanically at least) when I bought it!

Now that all the work has been done, it goes like a dream. Quick off the mark, even for a three speed automatic, and the fuel economy's not too heavy. I get between 25 in town and 40 on the open road if it's not pushed too hard.

The interior is a bit scruffy, but 15 years and 146k stand testament to it's durability and longevity.

It's not the quietest car I have ever owned, it really booms on the motorway leaving you with a dull headache after a long journey. However, the seats are firm, but supportive. The dash is very well laid out, everything in east reach.

Even now, I still think it's the best Golf V.W. made. It's Germanic looks and tank like build means there will be many Mk2's around for a while.

Only real quibble I have about the car is the boot space and the way the spare wheel isn't sunk far enough into the floor-pan, leaving the load area uneven. Petty thing I know, but it's annoying. Over all, it's a good little run around, but not good for long haul.