Changing from Mercedes to W Golf?

[smudge]

Over the years, I have owned three Mercedes cars & have never found any problems with any of them. Just for the record, I currently own a Mercedes C180 Esprit. 

However, just lately I have been thinking of selling it & maybe buying a VW Golf 1400/1600. I would never buy a brand new car, due to the immediate depreciation, but would go for one say 3-4 years old. Does/has anyone owned one & what did you think of the performance of it, etc., please?  

[smudge]

The title should of course read VW Golf! (Not W Golf).

[Cockney_si]

They generally put underpowered engines in Golfs and Polos too, unless you specifially buy a sportier one.  Don't expect much help from vw dealers though.

Better off buying japanese like a honda or something, quiet, bomb-proof engines with high reliability and comfortable ride.

try looking at www.carsurvey.org there's some good info on there.

[smudge]

Thank you for that Cockney - I've been havng a nose at the Merc reviews on that site, but will take a look on the the VW's when I get back from shopping - cheers!

[derekpara]

My Golf 1.6, bought new in '03, leaked like a sieve and went back to the local main dealer four times before they sorted it out. When it was just over a year old the driver's window fell out and as it was just outside warranty ( I bought it from Motorpoint in Derby and as an import it only had one year) the main dealer wanted to charge over �200 to put it back !  A strong letter to Customer Service at VW HQ resulted in the job being done as ' good will' !

 I think the problem with VWs at the moment is quality control at the assembly stage.

No, I wouldnt buy another VW. The after- sales from main dealers is terrible and chronically expensive. Also, I've never understood this 'import model' business. I thought all foreign cars not assembled in this country were imported ! or do they just materialise ? I go along with Cockney_si, go Japanese.

[smudge]

Thank you Derek - Sorry you had so many problems with your new VW Golf. I wouldn't be buying from a main dealer though - we've always bought privately.

I'm not in a great hurry to change my car yet, but have always liked the look of Golfs - although that could rapidly change if I read many bad reviews on them later! Cheers.

[Ralph]

I bought a 3 year old Golf a few years ago, a '99 reg. It's the 1.9 diesel GTTDi engine with 110bhp. Much as I've tried to not love a mechanical device, I love my car!

It accelerates well, is fairly comfortable to drive long distance should you need to, and best of all, if I take it fairly easy, I can get 600 miles to the 50ish litre tank.

The only thing that went wrong was a dodgy battery. Once I got a new one from Halfords, it's been as good as gold ever since.

The only bit that regularly annoys me about it is that it rolls too much going around roundabouts or tight corners.

[Impret-Sir]

As Ralph has said, if you are any sort of Driver, (note capital D), you wont enjoy the Golf a great deal. VW do a handling kit of firmer springs and dampers, and boy does it need it, the things have a reputation for wallowy handling, due to excess flab and soft suspension. A pity, because the turbo deisel GT versions have a truly fantastic engine, the GT TDI PD 150 produces more torque than my Impreza turbo!, and they still do 50 odd MPH, and are are low insurance group!  For the record, a 1.4 petrol Golf gets to 60mph in a fairly glacial 13.5 seconds. Buy a Focus!

[smudge]

Thank you Impret-Sir, I think I've made my mind up already - I'm going to hang on to my current car for a while!