Faults:

Usually it's fine, but at low revs the engine sometimes cuts out completely when I take my foot off the gas, like there's no idle speed - does anyone know what the problem is?

General Comments:

I love my Golf! Having upgraded from a Fiesta it feels incredibly solid and well bolted together, and cruises un-shakably smoothly at any speed.

I'm a real fan of Volkswagens and this is an excellent example of a thoroughly reliable, comfortable family sized car, easily capable of carrying all your mates and luggage for under £2000.

It even looks solid as a rock with its angular styling, extended wheel arches and twin head-lamps like a GTI.

Under the bonnet there's actually a surprising amount of space making basic maintenance easy. It's all tough as old boots of course, but in this respect make sure previous owners have bothered to look after it!

I intend to keep this car for a while as it's always a smooth and relaxing pleasure to drive.

Faults:

Tired standard suspension (now uprated!)

Seized rear brake calipers.

Worn engine mounts (engine movement causing exhaust downpipes to crack!)

Sheared exhaust mounting due to stainless steel (heavy) exhaust.

Idle stab. valve.

Running off tune.

Misfiring (new ignition leads to cure).

General Comments:

The Golf is a very solid and generally reliable car. Although heavy for a hot hatch, it has enough torque to allow swift progress and handles superbly.

Engines are reliable, and, if looked after, power improves with mileage. From a standard output of 112BHP, my car achieved 121BHP with the aid of a performance air filter and stainless steel exhaust. Very respectable for 115,000 miles.

Standard brakes are reasonable when heated up and have a nice feel to them.

My car runs very well generally and the problems I have experienced are fairly common Golf faults. 40+MPG is achievable and servicing is cheap thanks to "German & Swedish" parts shops.

Faults:

Fuel Hose victoria clip loosened letting too much air into the fuel/air mix causing poor acceleration. Fixed during service by turning the screw!

Plastic box attached to the engine with two thermostats and three coolant pipes developed a leak.

Both this and my previous Golf developed very heavy clutches. I am used to this, but may deter other people.

General Comments:

Unfortunately once the pleasure of owning a near perfect condition Mk2 Golf wears off I began to realise that the 8 V (115bhp) just wasn't fast enough - even though it was an improvement over my old GL4+e (90bhp). I think I will be upgrading to a VW Corrado VR6 next time if the bank balance allows.