Opinions on 1999 VW Golf Automatic please

taxiphil

I'd appreciate opinions on the following car I'm thinking of getting for the Mrs. It's for sale at a used car dealer which I'm told has a good reputation.

It's a 1999 (V Reg) VW Golf 1.6 Automatic with 69,000 miles, for sale at £1,295. Looking at comparable models on eBay's completed listings, this seems like a very good price.

I've had a quick walkaround and it's in a very good condition, interior looks clean (considering it has beige fabric seats), no sign of any rust, full set of matching Firestone tyres, but I'm going to test drive it this evening.

Any known issues with this particular model? Anything in particular I should be looking out for when I'm checking it over?

hethmar

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/usedcartests/55406/volkswagen_golf.html

BlastRedeye

My Missus has the same car.

Returns 37mpg+ quite gutless for a 1.6 due to the automatic box. Issues since she has had hers include new sump, coil pack and the usual wear and tear items like brakes and tyres.

Similar milage now and still feels solid and reliable with no rust. Think the tax is quite high though (£200+) for a year. She is still more than happy with it after all these years.

I forgot to say actually this car suffers with the O2 sensor, meaning that when it goes it runs very rich dumping fuel into the oil and making a creamy mayonnaise under the oil refill cap. We have had 2 fail now, always panick thinking head gasket when it wasn't.

johnnyratcliffe

I used to have an X reg 1.6 manual - will do good mileage is driven carefully.

Price is OK if it's got tax and a long MOT - the tax will be around £245 if I remember rightly, so its a £1k car with tax (if it has it)

:money:

The other concern is cam belt - old car, low miles for sure. It's these kind of bills that will make the thing leak cash. If you have a mate who is into cars take them along, and have a reel good look round it.

That said, Golfs are good and are not as expensive as you might recon.

Hope that helps a little.

sunshinetours

And its from an era when Golfs were solidly made and had a reputation rather more deserved for their reliability.

I had a 96 VR6 golf and it was an awesome car in every aspect including reliability although that was some years ago now in fairness!

Hammyman

Do the automatic gearbox checks:

1) With the engine running, check the oil level with the dipstick for the gearbox. Check the colour of the oil which should be a nice clear cherry red and smell it to see if you can smell burning. If it is brown and/or smells burnt then it isn't the end of the world but the gearbox will need an oil and filter change (all of them have an internal filter if there is no external one) so budget for that.

2) With your foot on the brake, place it in 1st gear. Press your foot down on the accelerator. The revs should rise to somewhere around 2000-2500RPM (varies on car) and go no higher. If they do and climb slowly or just go up to the redline then walk away - the gearbox is stuffed.

3) On the road test check that it changes gear smoothly. On a stretch of open road, plant your foot hard to the floor very quickly. The gearbox should change down a gear or two. If there are any problems with either of those tests, walk away.