Faults:

Front driveshaft gaiter and rear exhaust bracket at 7 years / 110,000 miles.

MAF sensor at 8 years / 120,000 miles.

Clutch and dual mass flywheel last week (132,000 miles).

General Comments:

Gutsy, reliable, frugal old car that still looks good, and still drives well.

Almost impossible to get less than 45 mpg out of it. Perfectly possible to squeeze 60 mpg on a gentle run. Averages 50 mpg with no problem at all.

Faster and more economical than our E90 BMW 318d, although dynamically it's not even in the same league. The PD130 engine is a great match for the Golf though. Effortless grunt, regardless of gear. Runs out of steam early compared to modern diesels, but the lower-midrange muscle is still impressive to this day.

Plenty of kit - all round electric windows, electric heated mirrors, electric sunroof, Climatronic, CD player, etc etc. Driving position is a little "high", but good seats and overall comfort levels.

Good looking interior, which although a little dated, still has good quality materials, and a very clean design.

Serviced and maintained for buttons by a family friend who is a VW tech. Even the clutch and flywheel set me back less than £400 fitted (Sachs parts used). That's the biggest bill the car has given me by a significant margin.

Still worth a couple of grand, and would be easy to sell on. Can't say that about many near ten year old mass market hatchbacks. Very cheap car to own in TCO terms.

Faults:

The glove box lock broke, and now the glove box doesn't close/lock.

General maintenance with Volkswagen is quite expensive, but that's what you get with European vehicles.

The central locking has the odd problem, but is infrequent.

General Comments:

The performance for the 2L Golf GLS is 85kW max. and reaches its revs quite quickly, even in the automatic model. The Golf wasn't generally manufactured for performance, but it still manages a fantastic output. It is a bit sluggish off-the-mark, due to it being an automatic. My last approximate 0-100km/h (6 or so months ago) was around 11 seconds.

The cabin is spectacular! Comfortable, quite roomy, the model I have has ESP and leather seats with seat warmers and headlight washers (what Volkswagen describe as the "winter package"), which contribute to the great ride comfort. The suspension is characterful, yet composed when it needs to be. Steering and handling is precise, and on the whole, the ride is safe and secure.

Faults:

I had a year 2000 GTI Polo before the Golf. Although a lovely car to drive, I had problems with the gearbox and clutch.

My Golf GTI 1.8 150BHP is a great car. Bought at 76000 miles. 89000 Miles now on it, and the only thing wrong with it are the front wishbone bushings have gone. I cannot fault this car at all. With a Revo SPS1 box, this can put the BHP up to around 195. And the turbo responds nice at lower revs up around 4500.

General Comments:

Handles good on corners.

Quick off the mark.

Top speed 145 MPH.

0-60 around 6.8 secs.

MPG around 32.

Suspension firm but comfortable.

Faults:

Support bracket snapped off rear silencer. Irritating as the exhaust itself is in very good condition. Told this is a common fault.

Split CV gaiter (expected at this age/mileage).

Clutch just starting to intermittently slip under hard acceleration in 6th (109k, it's had a good innings).

Interior rattles. Lots of them.

General Comments:

In most respects we are delighted with the car. It's reliable, very frugal, goes like stink when you need it to, has a good level of specification (electric windows, mirrors, sunroof, Climatronic, CD player, PAS, ESP etc). Nothing much has gone wrong with it, and what has is within expectations for a car of this age and mileage.

Biggest gripe is the rattly interior. Driving over less than perfect roads sets up a cacophony of buzzes, creaks and squeaks. I think this is the rattliest car I have ever owned, and that includes old 80's Peugeots. Somewhat at odds with the expensive looking trim and so-called quality badge.

Handling is also dreadful, with the heavy diesel engine and soggy suspension (this is no "GTI diesel", or anything like it) making it frustrating on twisty roads. It understeers comically early, and there's not much steering feel. As my commute is 90% straight A-road and motorway, it doesn't bother me, but this is not a car to enjoy yourself in on a good road.

The PD diesel is rough and ready, and makes a racket compared to a newer design, but the clout it delivers between 1500 and 4000 RPM makes this car feel genuinely quick at times. Coming out of 30 mph limits, you just leave the car in fourth, and squeeze it on. It hauls you from 30 through to 80 in one satisfying, sustained lunge without the need to touch the gear lever. Similarly once in 6th, it cruises quietly, but with bags left in reserve. It's still a great engine, with a far better long term / high mileage reliability record than a typical common rail unit. Assuming it's fed the correct oil, this 130 PD engine is known for doing starship mileages without problems.

If the interior didn't rattle, it would be a superb car. As it is, it's still very good. But the creaks annoy me.