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The Volkswagen Golf IV
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Comments
I have not driven the GLX. Im afraid if I do I may not want the GLS. But I was trying to keep my cost bay below $20K. If I were to go with the GLX I would be inclined to go to the Passat. Im kind of confused at the moment since I have a chance to get a 99 Trooper pretty loaded for $21.5K wich is a great deal. I have had a Trooper before and I enjoyed it, very reliable. Hope I can make my mind up soon!
As to whether Golfs for the US will come from there, the people at www.vwvortex.com, who have ALL the up-to-date VW/Audi info and scoops, have apparently received confirmation that Golfs for the US will begin coming from Brazil, starting in Spring 2000.
Just because it's from Brazil doesn't mean it won't be well made. Recent VWs from Mexico score higher in quality than the ones from Germany. The plant in Brazil is as modern as any Golf plant in Germany.
And there's no reason to expect Brazilian and Mexican workers to be as dedicated as German workers. Of course, there will probably be some initial teething problems, as with any new production run, especially at a brand new factory.
Jared
Feels better to me than any other car in its size/price range.
Drivce it, you'll like. If not, its not the car for you.
DD
I have to disagree. The 2.0 Golf is significantly slower than the competition. Let's compare 0-60 times:
Golf 2.0 10.4sec
Dodge Neon 8.8
Ford Focus ZTS 9.6
Honda Civic DX hatch 8.7
The base Dodge Neon is not exactly a performance car, but it is 1.5 seconds faster 0-60. 0-60 in about 9 seconds is acceptable. 10+ simply isn't acceptable (at least for me).
Jared
Let's compare weight/hp rations:
Golf: 2820 lbs, 24.5 lbs/hp
Neon: 2567 lbs, 19.45 lbs/hp
Focus: 2564 lbs, 19.72 lbs/hp
Civic: 2388 lbs 22.53 lbs/hp
The Golf is very heavy and the 2.0 is weak for its displacement.
The Golf is a much nicer car than any of the other three, but you pay for the stiff structure, and quiet, refined cabin.
Jared
'00 GTI GLX
As others have said, I don't see any reason to be concerned about VW production quality when the cars are made outside Germany.
carlady/host
my second oil change tomorrow. The service has been great.. but of course I only used it for the 5k service..and don't expect to need it for anything but the regular checkups.
I think the power is fine. I come from a 4cyl automatic Camry wagon, so the Golf is much better.
I actually like not having the overdrive.. and like the sound. I like having the RPM's up there so I don't need to really downshift. It's a German car and feels like one. Don't know why I've never looked at a VW before but now trying to talk my wife into a Passat wagon.
Just my 2 cents worth!
Can anyone comment on towing with a TDI? I need to occasionally haul stuff to the dump or a couple of dirt bikes to the trails. Max towing weight = 1k. Speed would generally be back roads stuff an occasional highway at 65 max.
I don't want to jeopardize the longevity or reliability of the drive train but I hate to get another pickup just for an occasional need.
Any real world TDI Towing experience out there?
Thanks a lot!!!
Workingman (aka Marc)
My '99 GTI has been nearly perfect thusfar, sorry to hear you're having problems with your cars.
-kc-
I'm in the market for a car which would primarily be taken on road trips--the 600 mile weekend, or several thousand mile week--and not be used for much else. I live in a smallish town, and it's easy to get around with other means (although, from what I hear about the Golf and fun, I may not want to use other means). As such, two primary concerns are affordable (under 20k) comfort and reliability; comfort attracted me to the Golf, and now I'm wondering about reliability. I really don't mind paying a moderate premium of money and time for the better car, but how much does it take to keep the car running well--or would you suggest looking at another car? Fords and Subaru's just don't seem as appealing to take for a long drive; but nothing's less appealing than being stuck on the side of the road.
The Golf seems like a car I could fall in love with. But I don't want to fall in love to lose half my estate in a messy divorce.
The good news is that VW has finally agreed to let a District Manager take a look at the car after 2 months of asking.
carlady/host
.....enough said
It is NOT fast, but then again, I did not buy this car for its speed. If I wanted to, I could keep up or out run most traffic on the road, if I just step on the accelerator hard enough. I sometimes fear my car is too slow so I step hard on the pedal only to realize I have gotten away from the rest of the traffic. Not bad for a car that can only do 10.9 sec from 0-60.
One concern I do have is a tapping noise that comes from the engine on cold starts. The tapping stops usually after 1-2 minutes, then it won't be noticeable until the next "cold" start. I have read this is a common "problem" with Golfs and that dealers do not "deal" with it. Has anyone else noticed this problem?
I got my car with the alignment off and had to take it back to the dealer for realignment only to find that it is still off alignment. I read on an Internet post that VW dealers are famous for botching alignments. I will probably take it to a service station to have it done right.
Oh, and my car had a linking coolant which was patched by the dealer. Now everything is a-okay.
All and all, I still love the car. It's almost scary how much attachment I have to it.
Don't go to a tire shop or dealership for alignment, go to a frame and ALIGNMENT shop - a specialist - they will do the job right the first time and are generally not as expensive as a dealership... good luck.
-kc-
several thousand mile week
With miles like that you might want to look into a Golf TDI, I have one and think it is a great car to travel in. Quite a few TDI owners get better than 50 mpg on road trips and it is a very comfortable ride. It might also help with the reliability as diesel engines tend to last longer that gas engines.
first car, but
experiences with it's
maintenance needs have
caused me to question
if I want to take
chanced of having same
problems in a newer and
more expensive model.
I've put in over 60k
miles. Repairs covered
under warranty include
battery being changed
2x, gears being
replaced, padding in
driver seat changed 2x
and it's broken again.
expenses out of my
pocket for new set of
tires before 32k (which
for those all season
tires may be normal),
1st minor brake job at
25k miles, 2nd brake
job just over 50K (
including rotors,
shoes, pads, etc.) 3rd
brake job @ 60k miles
because my caliphers
went bad and wore out
everything I got fixed
back at 50k miles).
I've spent over $1k on
brakes in the last 5
months alone. However
I should note I don't
have abs brakes. Would
I have gone longer than
every 25k miles if I
did ? Is ABS more
expensive to repair and
how often do you need
to check them? If I
can get some reliable
advice about what to
expect for repairs on
newer models that'll
help. I'm really, really just hoping that I'll experience this JUST with this car. Thanks to anyone!
My current car is a 1988 VW Jetta which I bought in 1990. My first VW was a 1985 Golf which I bought new.
I obviously think well of small VW's. They combine space efficiency, drivability and safety like nothing else on the road. There's a reason the Golf is the best selling car in Europe and the third best selling car of all time. (Beetle #1, Toyota Corolla #2 and Model T #4.)
Not only do I buy their cars, I buy their stock! (Which isn't doing so well despite record sales.)
i'm sending in my second complaint letter to VW about their lack of customer service.
please email me at trouphaz@hotmail.com
Also check out tech.vw.com, they have ALL the recent TSBs and circulars online going back a few years. Very handy!
-kc-
in Germany, Mexico, or both? I understand
the JEttas come from Mexico.
Thanks
Now word is that Golf production is moving to Brazil, and there are reports of them already arriving in some places..
-kc-
I wonder how much the current owners paid for their cars?
Any reply would be appreciated, I want to get a general sense of what's a fair price for the car.
p.s. I live in the Tri-state area.
Thanks
Some dealers have been reported to have 4-5 of 'em on the ground now, other places they're still very rare. Call around - at vw.com, you can do a dealer search based on miles from your zipcode. Make a list and start dialin'...
-kc-
Known Golf radio problems (trouphaz) Fri 19 Nov '99 (01:01 PM)
'98 GOLF RADIOS HAVE A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE AM RADIO AND THE TAPE PLAYER.
there is a huge backorder on replacements. My girlfriend's tape player just stopped working recently (she puts in a tape it says side A, then it switches to side B and then it says TAPE ERROR and pops the tape out). I took her car to VW to check this out and they said they have to change the radio and it might take a while because they have them on backorder. I asked if I could have the info on the radio to see if someone else has one in stock and he gave it to me. After checking with 3 or 4 dealers, one of them finally told me this is a known problem and there is a backorder for the entire US that may take weeks. I called VW service and they could offer no help or estimate as to how long it will take.
Scomo
scomo@email.com
-kc-
number17