Faults:

Flat battery.

Power steer fluid leak.

General Comments:

I glanced upon this car one morning while in bed on FB Marketplace. With nothing to do for the day, I decided to go and have a look. A little negotiation later and it was mine and off I went.

Some of the interior fittings were broken or missing, but I have hunted out new replacements. I normally have Fiat group cars and can say the quality is mildly better, although clearly nothing lasts forever. I do like the leather Recaro seats, which were a key selling point. Heated too which is great as the heater demister itself is a no go.

My god it leaks though. For a very tidy example, I can't quite figure where the water gets in. A trip out in the winter months requires some forward thinking, and a towel is the best accessory to carry for one's safety.

I'm not sure how long I'll keep it, as it has been a cheap little flutter for me, but has being quite useful on trips away. For having 300000 km on the clock, it's quite rattle and thunk free so I can forgive some of the foibles I've listed.

Performance. Yeah it goes. Not the best road burner on the block, but I like the ease of driving and relaxed way it pulls through the gears being torquey, but not encouraging you to rev it to any screaming peak.

These are regarded as the disappointing GTI, but the handling is quite good and it's fun to hustle through the twisties.

Overall quite fun for the money and good on gas. I vowed I'd never own a VW group car after a very disappointing fling with a TT. Utter rubbish and like a gorgeous woman who is a bit mental. Maybe I will get a later model as I can sort of see what all the GTI furore is about.

Stepping into my Honda again after the Golf though, I am more at ease. 3.5 stars.

Faults:

So far the only thing was the replacement of the brake pedal light switch, which was cheap and easy.

General Comments:

I bought this car about a year and a half ago to replace the worst car I've ever owned (a BMW 320 Cabriolet, that was an unreliable money pit and always in need of expensive repairs), and so far I feel like I've died and gone to heaven with my GTI. This car has turned out to be everything the BMW was supposed to be, but wasn't. It has been reliable, FUN to drive, reliable, comfortable, reliable, roomy, reliable, a great size for Tokyo, reliable, convenient for hauling people and things, reliable, and a joy to own. Before I used to dread going out to the BMW when I had to drive, but now I actually look for excuses to drive this great Golf GTI.

The Recaro seats are comfortable for long trips and have great lateral support for energetic driving, and the back seat (4-doors in the Japan market) is easily accessible and reasonably comfortable for even bigger folks. The versatility of the hatchback and folding seats has proven to be a huge asset.

Perhaps my review of this car has been colored by the horrible experience of my previous car, but I have to say that after owning over 25 different cars in the last 40 years, that this one is about my favorite - and the list is not made up of your typical, run-of-the-mill people movers, either, it includes some interesting vehicles and some enthusiast cars.

Granted, this is not a perfect car, but it does what is says it will do with a good measure of fun thrown in to the mix. For this kind of money, what more can you ask for?

The only thing I would like to see improved is better handling in wet weather. My friend's Jetta has the same issue. Better tires help, but not enough.