Faults:

Paneling inside the car creak and groan as you drive. Coolant leak from the EGR valve. Oil leak from Turbo. Cylinder gasket leak. Upper control arm bushing (both sides). Moisture entering side signal lights. Heating coils replaced because of excessively smoky starts. Door locks not working (computer had to be replaced). Front end shake at higher speeds (unable to solve).

General Comments:

I love driving this car. That is why I bought it in the first place. It drives great. Corners great. Panic stops are excellent. Its wonderful driving a small car that you don't have to rev the crap out of it to get the horsepower. Handles great in the snow and ice. It very comfortable.

But... its built like crap. I bought a diesel car because I put on a lot of kms for my job, and I needed something good on gas that would last for a long time. Well it is very good on gas, but it certain is not going to last for a long time. Up to now every things been covered under warranty, but its still a pain because with my job it very inconvenient to have it in the shop all the time. Also the things that have gone wrong with it would have been extremely expensive to fix. There is no way I can afford to keep this car outside of warranty. For the cost of repairs, driving a full size truck would be more economical than my little golf.

Faults:

Centre console rattled - fixed myself by discreetly wedging 2 small blocks of card between transmission tunnel and dashboard.

Clutch pedal slightly squeaky.

Clock very fiddly to set.

Mechanically and electrically (touch wood) very sound. Hope it stays that way.

General Comments:

Performance is adequate rather than outstanding, but still has plenty of poke to keep up with fast moving traffic. Handling is rather "safe" but certainly not "soggy" or "lifeless" like some other reviewers have described. The engine is generally very smooth and doesn't complain too much when pushed.

The interior is rather unassuming, but very neatly finished off with the usual German-quality plastics and there are lots of neat touches present like the damped glove-box lid, the individual reading lights for rear-seat passengers and the tactile operation of the switchgear. Plus of course there is that gorgeous red and purple dash lighting. The trip computer display is thoughtfully positioned in the instrument cluster rather than on the centre console which aids visibility. The boot has lots of useful features like bottle straps, luggage tie-down hooks and is a large useful size.

Dealer-wise the sales section has been very impressive. However I will reserve further judgement until the car requires a service or (hopefully not) fault repair.

Overall a sound package and would have no hesitation in recommending a Golf to someone.