hey all
i am after some advice on what to and not to look for in maybe buying a lateish model golf or polo tdi preferred
i have nil experience with these babies but am after what others have enjoyed or suffered
year 06 onwards i suppose
tdi
3 or 5 door
manual preferred
any pitfalls would be appreciated as to what to keep an eye out for
look forward to your helpful comments
many thanks
pauly

buy a hyundai I30 or an holden astra
Ive only encountered people who have had problems
no one seems to keep them for long
when you see some one with one just walk up and ask them what they think
they will probably try to sell you theirs

If you type "VW diesl problems" into google youll get an Idea

I nearly bought a polo

ask the dealer how much does the serviceing cost small and big services.

As much as i love vw, i have been working in the new vehicle processing industry for 13 years and can honestly say that we have the most problems with the euro cars and now almost none with Hyundai.
If i was to buy new or a couple of years old as much as the wife hates it i would go i30, but for daily we both drive mk2 gti golfs because they handle great and i can fix them , plus if we look after them they wont depreciate in value.

i30 wash your mouth out bob.. really I'm sorta shocked (btw for that u know the drought will be acoming :P)
15 hail marys for such heethenism :0
really.. I cant fathom the loathing I am hearing on here about the baby water pumpers..?
shite are there any good wraps??
starting to think otherwise

ha ha i know cant believe i am saying it myself, time to buy a Volvo to go with my hat

Quote:

Originally posted by kombibob ha ha i know cant believe i am saying it myself, time to buy a Volvo to go with my hat

ha ha better get a bigger bucket i think its full

In all seriousness the Hyundai i30 is a very good car. Last year Hyundai were #1 in the Australian market quality rankings. HSV were right down the bottom. Just goes to show that you don't necessarily get what you pay for.

I would much rather a Golf than a Polo, as from most of what I've seen the Polo tends to cost roughly the same as a Golf and they are not as well built.

i test drove the golf wagon the other day and i couldnt fault it in the test drive.
also i had a few people in the trade ask around and there has been very few problems with the latest model other than window winders.

I was looking to buy a new Golf about a year ago. I asked a guy I know who bought a new 2.0 FSI Golf (non TDI) a few months before that. He had a fair few issues with it like rain leaking into the cabin and a couple of mechanical things that I can't exactly remember now.. That pretty much stopped me from getting one. We ended up buying a Toy..toy..toy...I can't say it. Actually, I can. A Toyota Corolla. Probably the smartest move I've made in a while.

BUT I have heard that the TDI's are German built whereas the rest of em are built in good ol Brazil. For what its worth, I have a TDI Caddy (Golf based) and it's been absolutely awesome!!! Never an issue or a problem with it... I don't know if there is a quality different between the two.

You guys have said they're ALL ordinary. Could you give us specifics?? I'm curious...

Hyundai... fair dinkum. The Holden Camira won car of the year in it's day also.

For what it is worth my missus has a TDi New Beetle

I am VERY happy with what I paid for it
My biggest complaint is how much I have lost on depreciation although I saved a BUNDLE buying it new out of Brisbane ($7k)
Pity those that bought them new in Sydey
My wife LOVES it
I have had no problems in 2 years of owning it
The turbo diesel is BRILLIANT


I REALLY doubt my wife would be happy hopping into a Hyundai - no matter how much I saved. She gets lots of comments from her friends about the car.
I have also sat in a few Subaru Imprezas and I am not very impressed with the quality ambiance of them - very cheap I thopught

My wife had a 94 VR6 Golf, and now has an V5 05 Bora. She hasn't really had any problems with either of them.

At times when she has been away (flying) and has hired cars (one was a Tiida I think, and another was a Camry from memory), she always thinks there is something wrong with them (constantly getting tire pressures checked etc) because she is used to the precise handling of the Volkswagens. I tried to explain to her about comparing apples with apples.

i have a tdi with dsg and sports pack , bought new 12 months ago..its brilliant...only a couple of very minor warranty issues
and just got back from a trip to sydney and mountains..sat on 115kph for most of it, did 1100k and fuel just short of the red zone ~1200k on a tank
looked at a polo..not in the same league
driven a 1.4 twin charged non sports pack, i found it a totally dif. car to tdi..

the Polo is very small so you be better off buying a Toyota yaris

Yaris 4 door would have to be THE most insipid looking car ever

If you want good info on a polo sign up to http://www.vwwatercooled.org  there they have the whole history faults of all golf,polos,bora etc
its a good site and very informative.
i had a polo 1.4 petrol for 2 months while my car was getting repaired i drove the polo to melbourne and back and fanged it around sydney as my daily driver and thought what a great lil car
very chuckable for the city traffic.
only thing i didnt like was that stupid DSG crap i need a clutch to feel like im really driving apart from that i liked the polo

baaah. I've driven or riden in a lot of those jap/korean things plus the golfs number 1 competitor mazda 3, along with every model in the golf range (dealers are sick of me, I have to go out of town now). The asian cars arent crap, but they arent as nice as the golf. They only beat it in price. They dont match on feel, and handling. A top of the range i30 is quicker than the slowest 77tdi golf but ends there (wheels magazine figures). I get driven to the pub in a Yaaris every friday, it doesnt come close. Havent been in the latest Corolla but the previous one is very rough comparitively. And certainly none of them give you the fahrvergnugen of the VW. Only thing stopping VW selling more cars is their customer service and FRIGGIN HELLBENT ON SELLING DSG GEARBOXES!!! I have probably said the opposite in the past but I have seen the error of my ways. I'm a true convert now. Job interview April 12. Might just get to own one some day soon.

Check out this http://www.fixedpricecarservice.com.au  It doesnt seem to have 2011 figures sadly, but possibly a reasonable guide. A while back I compared vw to citroen to toyota and vw by adding all services up to 100,000km vw came out cheapest, toyota dearest. And that was using the gti golf because I wanted something that reflected having a turbo.

The yaris sevice 10,000K $109 and about $266 for the big 40,000K service

Buying a newish VW out of new car warranty is asking for trouble.
Unless you absolutely love the shape or driving experience (both of which are forgettable unless you're looking at GTI models) I'd steer well clear and go for something far better value and cheaper/easier to run as others have said.
Get servicing costs from dealers and research watercooled VW sites for long lists of issues if you want specific info.
That being said, I still find myself thinking of purchasing a mkVI TSI from time to time.

Every car has its lemons. I bought a lancer brand new in 1993. Was perfect for 18 months and then began to spit radiators out as fast as I could have them replaced. In the first 12 months I was influential in getting 2 other people to buy one, plus a couple of other people I knew had one. The guy next door bought an identical one even same nepia blue colour! None of them had the problems 2 mitsubishi dealers couldnt fix with my radiator. I got another one that has done 250,000 with no issues to speak of.

Cars arent assembled by craftsmen. They are slapped together by process workers watching the assembly line go past while their boss stands behind them with a clip board and a stop watch. You'll have a decent chance of a build problem with anything. Google for issues with any car. You'll find they all have them.

my sister has a '08 TDI golf and has had no issues with it... its a very nice car to drive. The dealer was VERY pushy with the DSG gearbox but she was very firm she wanted a manual... the services are about $700 from what I recall.

During purchasing decision we also drove the mazda3, hyundai i30, fiat, and a pug and none came close to the golf on road- though of course the golf was also the most expensive out of what we looked at. She was initially looking at the Polo but once we looked at the Golf the polo didn't come close, I think its a lot better now with the new model but sadly only comes in auto

i have a 125kw TDi Passat, absolutely awesome car, i know some have problems, not all, so definately buy one.
have you tried the watercooled forum?
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au 

Quote:

Originally posted by Hutcho I was looking to buy a new Golf about a year ago. I asked a guy I know who bought a new 2.0 FSI Golf (non TDI) a few months before that. He had a fair few issues with it like rain leaking into the cabin and a couple of mechanical things that I can't exactly remember now.. That pretty much stopped me from getting one. We ended up buying a Toy..toy..toy...I can't say it. Actually, I can. A Toyota Corolla. Probably the smartest move I've made in a while. BUT I have heard that the TDI's are German built whereas the rest of em are built in good ol Brazil. For what its worth, I have a TDI Caddy (Golf based) and it's been absolutely awesome!!! Never an issue or a problem with it... I don't know if there is a quality different between the two. You guys have said they're ALL ordinary. Could you give us specifics?? I'm curious... Hyundai... fair dinkum. The Holden Camira won car of the year in it's day also.

If you want a trouble free VW
manual & diesel