Faults:

Oil and belt changes, suspension springs at the front. New battery etc. No major or expensive problems.

General Comments:

First of the newer shape 2004 Golf's. FSi S model is very basic, but is all I wanted. The car had a very solid feel, VW from this time have excellent build. Certainly compared to my previous Fiat anyway. This car felt worlds ahead. A little more expensive to run, but that is expected.

The car drove OK, not fast by any standard, but did over 40 mpg, had nice handling, and the seats were comfortable. Lots of space.

Very nice looking outside, mine was a light blue. Kind of hard to say much more about it, just a boring hatchback from the early 2000's, but a very nice and reliable car if that is all you want.

Faults:

Clutch slave and master cylinders replaced at 70500 miles.

Front exhaust down pipe replaced at 70500 miles (£500 fitted at a non-franchised garage!).

EGR valve replaced at at 75000 miles.

Currently:

Cruise control not working.

Engine light on - possibly lambda sensor.

General Comments:

Good:

Comfortable ride, quite entertaining to drive. Quiet motorway cruiser. Feels well built.

Some nice extras - auto lights and wipers, lumbar adjustment on front seats. Enough space for 4 and has taken surprisingly large loads. Never failed to start, even in -15C temperatures.

Could do better:

The 1.6 FSI engine is a noisy and unenthusiastic performer, and is not particularly economical (35 MPG average, never got better than 40). 6 speed gearbox unnecessary - one gear too many, flat performance in 6th, particularly on motorways.

Some trim parts starting to corrode, e.g. VW badges (!), window seals are particularly cheap looking.

Avoid main dealers for servicing unless you've just won the lottery! Spare parts are expensive too.

Faults:

Coil pack - 80000 KMs. Car still got me home, even though it was vibrating like crazy on the motorway. Fixed it myself. Replaced all 4 for €30.

Interior trim - Pieces are literally falling off in my hand. So far: Grab handle on driver's door, parts of the driver's door trim, plastic panel on floor that covers wires, clips that hold down floor mats, roof material is coming loose, passenger side window switch broke off, uncountable rattles from loose trim around the car.

Windows - The windows in this car have annoyed me so much that I disconnected them last week. The regulator and motor were replaced on the driver's side, and the regulator on the passenger side. The window is far too sensitive, ie going back down on its own if it hits the slightest bit of dirt or a leaf etc. So even on the rare occasion that they are working, they don't work very well.

Driver's seat - Wow, this was a scary one. A kid went in front of my car on his bike, and I slammed on the brakes. My seat slid forward, and came off the rails. Funnily enough, Volkswagen were keen to keep this quiet. Fitted a new seat to the car, new rails on the floor, threw in a free service and a brand new turbo diesel Passat as a courtesy car while it was being done.

General Comments:

Handling: Very good. I have Pirelli wheels on the car, and it handles great. not complaints.

Safety: This car feels solid, has more airbags than you can count, and has a great safety record. You really do feel safe in this car. (apart from the seat incident: see above)

Performance: This car is seriously underpowered. You have to really put the foot down to get it moving. Really uninspiring to drive. Motorway driving is a real pain.

Build quality: Worst I have ever seen. The inside of my car is literally falling apart. I'd expect it if I was buying a €500 first car, but not a 2004 golf. Volkswagen should be embarrassed by the trim in this car.

Engine: Bulletproof. Never once let me down. The coil pack was the only thing to go on this car in 120,000 KMs, and even then the car kept driving, and only cost me €30 to fix.

Comfort: some nice extras like carbon inserts on the interior, lumbar support, rain sensor controlled wipers, automatic lights. Seats are very comfortable in the front and back.

Running costs: Very uneconomical car. Drinks petrol. The car is too big for the 1.4 engine, so it's always working hard. I don't know much about dealer costs as I service the car myself.

To summarise, This car will not let you down. The engine is indestructible. The interior is pathetic however, and the car is falling apart.

But if you want superb reliability, and don't mind a crappy interior and high fuel costs, this car is a good choice. The car itself is quite boring and dull, but I would buy another Volkswagen. Just a more powerful diesel.