2001 Volkswagen Golf S 1.6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The last time VW were reliable

Faults:

Really nothing more than servicing and wear and tear parts. Do not remember any major issues. Change the oil and any belts as applicable and this engine is a winner.

General Comments:

In the late 1990's and early 2000's VW were at their best in my opinion, good solid cars.

My very basic 1.6 S model Golf was no different. I had it for years and never caused me any big problems.

The car was very dull however. Functional interior. Seats were OK. Ride was OK. Average in all departments.

1.6 petrol engine - again, average performance and economy, but very very reliable if looked after.

I sold it at 17 years old and it didn't have a spot of rust on it, bodywork was great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th July, 2023

2001 Volkswagen Golf Variant 1.6 petrol from Sweden

Summary:

Why on earth do people buy Volkswagens?

Faults:

Sway bar linkages, ignition coil, EGR-valve, oil pressure gauge, air vent outlet, brake discs.

General Comments:

I bought this car since the mileage was relatively low. I wanted a cheap car that would just keep working if I just maintained it. I was told a VW Golf would be the best choice. What a piece of crap it was.

When I first serviced it, I replaced the original cam belt. One of the tensioners was loose and was about to fall off.

The front suspension was rattling, but new sway bar linkages took care of that.

I took care of some rusty spots on the body of the car. Not a lot so I can't complain there.

A heat shield above the catalyst had come loose and needed to be fastened.

One day the oil warning light came on and I thought the motor was dying. I towed the car to a garage and it was the oil pressure sending unit that was broken. After this the car started to rev up and down at red lights, which was caused by a broken vacuum hose from the power brake system.

Shortly after that hose was fixed, the check engine light came on. An ignition coil had broken down. I replaced it and the car worked fine for several days. Then it started cutting out and this time the EGR-valve had given up. I fixed that too.

Now the car was running perfectly well, so I sold it and bought a car made by an entirely different manufacturer.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th May, 2016

11th May 2016, 21:02

You must have bought a bad example that had not been looked after. That's evident with the tensioner about to fall off as you said. No one who maintains a car well would let the timing belt and tensioners get that bad.

People buy VWs because generally they are good reliable cars, at least in Europe; usually the negative reviews on here come from the USA where VWs are built elsewhere and suffer quality issues according to some reviews.

In reply to 11th May 2016, 21:02

19th Jul 2023, 11:34

It's a pattern I have noticed also on this site. A lot of negative VW reviews on here are from the USA. In the UK we have German built VW's - maybe that is the difference. I heard a while back they were assembling VW's in Mexico for the USA market - not sure how this would affect quality, but it seems to have done so.

In reply to 19th Jul 2023, 11:34

19th Jul 2023, 20:42

This particular review was not from the USA, but I know what you mean.

In reply to 19th Jul 2023, 11:34

19th Jul 2023, 22:29

Writing in from New Zealand - a friend's wife owned a 2006-ish VW Jetta 2.0, manufactured in Mexico (but RHD export to NZ), for nearly 8 years with no issues, they gave it to his parents; she since bought a new 2017 VW Golf, while he replaced his 2011 Passat 1.8TSI (also since given to his parents) with a new Tiguan. They lived in Memphis, TN for a short time, around 2 years, and also bought a VW Jetta there. Clearly, if they had more than their share of issues, they'd have stayed well clear of VW. There must be enough VWs out there that don't actually give substantial problems, keeping people buying them.