Faults:

The front axle had to be replaced at 10,000 miles.

The clutch had to be replaced at 25,000 miles.

The starter motor had to be replaced at 28,000 miles.

The ignition system had to be replaced at 42,000 miles.

The front axle has gone again again at 60,000 miles.

The wipers have never worked properly.

General Comments:

Volkswagen build quality and after sales service have deteriorated dramatically.

I bought this car for £7,000 pounds from my local VW dealership, when it was still under warranty in 1997.

I have spent several thousand pounds on it (replacing the front axle twice was not cheap; why it needed replacing remains mysterious). Today I have just had it towed away; I had to pay the scrap people to take it. The clutch had gone (again), and the front axle is going (again). I drive very sedately.

I have always bought VW. My dad always bought VW. My wife has always bought VW. All my brothers have always bought VW.

But never again. This car has cost me a fortune and has left me stranded on 5 occasions (most recently in the fast lane of the M25 with two small children in the back, when the axle bolts all suddenly fell out).

The local dealership are astonishingly expensive, unhelpful, unreliable, slow, unconcerned and complacent. Judging by the hundreds of negative reviews on this site, it seems as if I am not alone.

This looks like the sad end of a once great car company.

Faults:

Rear Exhaust box required replacing for first time at 100000 miles.

Rear shock absorber required to be replaced at 105000 miles.

General Comments:

Economy is a dream. 700 miles plus on a tank of diesel. Comfort is in how the suspension copes with all, but the roughest of roads. Handling is best shown in how it copes with snow and ice. Performance may not be up to my mates Impreza P1 which is quite simply the fastest thing I have travelled in with 3 other mates, but use the torque and gears properly and you can move A to B very quickly. Most "faster" saloons find it a bit difficult to shake off and as one Mazda driver found, cost him his V6 when it went puff and he slowed down in a cloud of white and black smoke. 100000 miles? easy! Here's to the next 100000.

Faults:

Fuel injector pump died at an expense of 900 pounds - guess what its computer controlled - Volkswagon have made a simple thing unnecessarily complicated!

General Comments:

This car is very very fast and handles well. It has very good fuel economy, but a visit to the dealer will offest any savings you make. They tried to charge me hundreds for a front headlight - happily I got it a Volkswagon copy at 30 pounds. In short Volkswagon rip you off for parts.

The interior is cramped and it has very thin seats. Don't try to sit in the back unless you are a midget! Anyone over 5 feet will have his knees protruding into the front seats.

Faults:

I have had no faults with the car so far.

General Comments:

This is my 4th Golf and my second MK3. The VR6 engine makes the vehicle exceptionally easy to drive, lots of low and mid range power mean frequent gears changes are eliminated.

Handling and ride are good compromise between sports and comfort with very little road noise penetrating the cabin.

In 5 door form the car is proving to be very practical and the increase body size offers much more comfort for rear passengers than my old MK2.

I'd recommend this car to anyone who can live with the fuel bill. Running costs are higher than the smaller engined version, but the smile on your face more than makes up for it.