hey, im 19 and want to buy a Mk 4 Golf 1.4
Anybody know the real pros n cons of this car?
thanks
The engine's are only 75bhp in a pretty heavy car so it'll be quite slow. Don't buy one built between 1999 and 2001, due to dodgy gearboxes. If you are buying one from this period, make sure you get someone to look under the car for gearbox leaks.
The 1.4 E doesn't come with electric windows, central locking or alarm. If you get the 1.4 S, make sure you get it delocked as they are very easy to break into using just a screwdriver. Apart from that, they're solidly built cars, excellent reliability, cheap on petrol, insurance and tax too.
Decent cars, i've got an 03. I think it's a bit on the slow side, but all my friends reckon it's actually pretty quick.
Volkswagen build quality and probably fairly safe but probably pretty sluggish. I'd try and opt for at least the 1.6 model or one of the tdi's if insurance isnt too bad.
Thing is, i'm 19 with 1 years no claims...
insurance on a tdi would be a killer
....not to mention the price of fuel!
The TDI's won't hit you that hard for insurance. Get a quote and check. A 1.4 Golf? Don't go trying to out accelerate any ice drifts..
1.6 aint much faster dude i thought it would be but still bit on the sluggish side
Another vote for the TDI. Get a quote, you'd probably be surprised. Only 90hp but twice as much torque as the 1.4/1.6 petrols. Also really good on fuel. My Passat from the same era (with essentially the same engine, just tweaked up to 130hp/230lb-ft) and is happily chugging on with 170,000 miles and still returns 40-50mpg. My old mk3 Golf TDI hit 60mpg once on a long trip with the cruise control set at ~65mph. I also had a mk3 Golf with the 1.4 in it (60hp) and it was slooooow - not to mention that it struggled to get 30mpg on the motorway, significantly less than that around town. The TDI in the same car did almost double the economy and was more powerful.
What insurance company do you use?