Faults:

After I brought the car home, about 5000 km later, the front left wheel bearing went. It cost $200 CDN to fix.

I replaced the alternator. The cost was $180 CDN. In the process of replacing the alternator, I broke the bolt off the starter solenoid because it was so horribly rusted. The rebuilt starter cost me $180. I replaced the starter myself and it was surprisingly easy to do--The motor mount mounts on the starter, so the engine will drop if not properly supported.

General Comments:

Okay. So I bought the car for $3500 CDN. New alternator/starter $360 and new wheel bearing $200. So some money is sunk into it-but, I still love this car! Here is why:

1. Extremely well built. This car is very solid.

2. Easy to work on. There is no air conditioning. It's a non-turbo diesel. No power steering. Manual transmission. Simple. Luxurious? No. But simple.

3. Cheap cheap cheap. Parts are not as pricey as everyone says import cars are.

4. Excellent mileage. I get anywhere from 850 to 950 km's per tank-depending how I drive (hard&leadfooted or conservative)

5. Diesel is cheaper than regular in Canada. Currently, diesel is 10 cents cheaper per litre and the last time I filled up I paid 54 cents/ltr.

6. Biodiesel. Hey I'm not a tree-hugger extremist, but humankind really needs to get way more aggressive with alternative fuels and environmental impact.

7. Very little maintenance. Oil changes, air/fuel filters, empty water in the fuel tank. No tuneups.

8. When my alternator died, I could still drive home and start the car! Hey no spark, no engine computer. Without an alternator, a gas engine stops dead!

9. Starts in winter. Even the coldest days without the block heater plugged in. May take a few cranks, but it always starts.

10. 52 Horsepower. Okay, so 52 is embarrassingly little, but 71lbs of torque at only 2000 rpm. I climbed a steep hill in 2nd gear and never touched the gas pedal. The car didn't stall or even struggle. Try that with a gas engine.

Faults:

Problems with wear on front tyre's. Toyo Proxy's where being eaten alive, 2 sets in 3 months! Apart from that no problems what so ever.

General Comments:

This car is seriously quick and handles like it's on rails. The bodywork is solid. As standard they look fairly tame but if your into modifying cars then with a Golf there's so much you can change and alter to make them look meaner and smarter. I've made some modifications which has really set the car off:

A full stainless magnex system.

K&N 57i induction kit.

Lowered the car which produced better handling.

Fitted 15" Hockenheim alloys.

Fitted crystal and clear rear lights, clear side repeaters, clear front indicators, front de-badged grille the list goes on and on.

Faults:

Slight oil leakage now and then. This is normally just my reminder that I need to give it a little attention.

The interior head liner dry rotted over the years and needed replaced in 1999.

Replaced muffler around 250,000 miles. Muffler was difficult to install because it needed to be bent around framework of the car's body to avoid it rubbing slightly here and there, causing noise. Easy fix though.

General Comments:

I have owned many different cars, mostly Volkswagens. By far, this car has been my pride and joy since I purchased it used in 1997 for a mere $600.00.

The person who sold it to me said that he was frustrated that it was always under repair and just wanted to sell it off. I jumped on the deal and she has never let me down one time.

I have driven my Golf in the snow in Northern Pennsylvania and on the sunny highways of Southern California. She always starts, she always has a hard time keeping under the posted speed limit, and in most cases, is the first leaving the light in response as well as the first to hit the next light.

The rear hatch area holds a ton of gear for anything from a bicycle to baggage. My four kids love the car and with over 500,000 miles on it, I still plan to give it to one of my sons. I am that confident that it has only reached half of it's lifetime.

Gas mileage is outstanding and that combined with reliability and performance makes my Golf the best purchase I've ever made. (The 14 inch rims I installed helped over the manufacturer 13 inch rims) Just remember that before you complain about a car needing repairs all the time, try giving it a little required maintenance and it will never fail you.