Faults:

The vanity mirror light stays on all the time.

General Comments:

Smooth effortless acceleration, holds the road well and not at all tiring to drive.

Superb radio/CD player and quality interior except the carpets which are thin, poor quality and the driver's side has worn badly in just over a year. I have tried to buy good quality replacements but have had no luck and have resorted to rubber mats!

The back of the car gets exceptionally dirty in wet weather, would fitting mud flaps and/or a roof spoiler cure this problem?

It's very easy to park.

Faults:

From day one this car has rattled. Rattles in all four doors, sunroof, centre console and now rattles in the boot area. Very poor quality in workmanship.

This car has been to the dealer 10/15 times in under 2 years and their comments are that cars do rattle. They always take the car in, which stops the rattles for a few miles, then they start again.

Both front seats also squeak when going around any bends.

General Comments:

Car looks fantastic, seems quicker to 0-60 than VW figures.

Faults:

Something weird with the driver's door, it was quite noisy and would occasionally leak if water got into the seal. Seal was replaced and it was better for about a week, but then back to normal.

Other than that, no problems.

General Comments:

I loved this car and was very upset when I returned it when leaving the company.

Always had sports cars previous to this so was worried about owning a diesel. Opting for the 110bhp engine was the best move I made - great performance and handling, and really quick to pick up.

Economy is brilliant, but parts and servicing from the dealer are high (but no worse than others such as Renault or Honda).

Very safe car. Just close the door and the thud tells you how solid it is. I was involved in an accident when a wagon hit the rear of the car while I was stationery. Considering the force of impact the rear bumper was intact, the rear window didn't break but the rest of the back end was seriously buckled costing £5000 to fix.

So good I have recommended it to 3 other people who all bought one too after testing it against the competition.

Can't be beaten, I am jealous every time I see one on the road!

Faults:

I have been driving the 2000 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 for about 10 months (after driving a 10 year old Nissan Sentra for 3 years) and I think that this has been the worst 10 months of my life.

Within the first month of buying the car (brand new), I had VERY STRANGE problems with the transmission, and I got stuck on the highway quite a few times with the car refusing to budge, even when I go all the way down on the gas pedal. I have never ever seen such strange behaviour coming from a car. This happened no less than 4 times, and my life was in danger each time. I described my problems to Volkswagen, Germany, but they couldn't care less.

Additionally, the car has shut off on me no less than 5 times. This happens when I slow down (at an intersection, say), without coming to a complete stop, and then try to go again. The car either shuts off, or responds very slowly. This is extremely dangerous, as many times I shut off in the middle of the road and nearly got killed. And even when it does not shut off, the response is so slow that my life is in danger from oncoming vehicles. I have driven many different cars before, and this has never happened.

There are many other nagging problems, but the two above are the most dangerous and I would definitely NOT advise anyone to buy a Golf. The problems may not affect all Golfs, but you may be unlucky like me to get the lemon. It is unfortunate in this age of advancing technology that Volkswagen seem to be going backwards! I would advise potential buyers to buy a Honda Civic instead.

General Comments:

The car has a good sound system though.

And a very nice interior.