Is this golf good value

Rudolph Claus

http://www.vwcommercials.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=519983

Im looking to get a car/van in the new year and am trying to decide between the golfs and the focus vans. I need it for commuting to college and work and ill be bringing light farm and plant machinery bits in it and towing my quad and other light loads. I had 2 306 vans before and they were very reliable and economical but i want a turbo diesel now as i dont think i could go back to too low power after having my civic. My budget is E10grand.

There was some forum for ford members i was reading a while ago but cant find it now but the members issues with the focus diesels(members cars, not the van but same engine) were putting me off. There are a few well known issues with the TDCI engines, 1 of these issues was somethign to do with a sensor but there were a lot of complaints of fairly big engine issues. They certainly didnt fill me with confidence and from reading that forum those engines are definitely reliable enough to keep for a few years and put high mileage on them without a lot of repairing. Ill look up the forum later and link ye, but i was seriously surprised to read of the all the trouble people had and they`re obviously a weak enough car.

Im leaning towards the golf but havent looked at any vw forums yet to get owners opinions and known issues. I think the MAF sensor in the golfs can be prone to the odd problem. Ive never being a mad VW fan, i always saw them as over-rated heavy slow boring yokes but even i have to admit them Tdi engines are fantastic and will easily do 200k miles with just regular servicing. Or will they??

My current car is a civic coupe which ill have a year in February, its a `99 black EK with just under 55000miles, air con, e/s/r, etc and unmolested apart from a spoiler and subtle type r lip and grill. Would i get a good trade in on this against a golf van seeing as its low mileage and a reliable honda or would i be better selling privately (which i reckon i`d have no bother doing) and going to a dealer with cash. Would a VW dealer even give a cash discount, a lot of folk on boards here seem to reckon VW dealers are the worst to deal with but maybe that was with new cars.

Rudolph Claus

The focus forum is: http://www.ffoc.co.uk



You`ll have to register and go into the diesel section to be able to read and post. Anyway, heres an interesting thread titled: "TDCI Repairs so far with 162500 on the Clock" where the owner has listed his repairs on a 2002 1.8TDCI, he does 40k a year.

---

"TDCI 115 Ghia 2002 162500 Miles Whats been fixed so far >

DMF
ABS Pump
Clutch actuator on the pedal (Leaked into car)
Brake light switch on pedal
3 YES 3 Starter motors.
2 Injectors
Vacum Control Valves on top of engine.
Sender Unit on fuel tank (Mod from Ford)
Water Pump
Oil Separator
Handbrake cables
Exhaust heat shield fell off !!
Wiper Relay intermintant causing wipers not to park at bottom of screen
Steering wheel replaces (Worn other one out..went like bluetack!!)

Damaged wires from heated washer jets on right hand bonnet hinge causing reverse light to stop working and Fuse to blow.

Broke lumber support knob off in car !!"

---

Theres a host of other serious isses that a lot of people had, common faults we`ll say. these included an "EGR" fault if that means anything to ye.

bazz26

Nuttzy wrote:

http://www.vwcommercials.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=519983

Im looking to get a car/van in the new year and am trying to decide between the golfs and the focus vans. I need it for commuting to college and work and ill be bringing light farm and plant machinery bits in it and towing my quad and other light loads. I had 2 306 vans before and they were very reliable and economical but i want a turbo diesel now as i dont think i could go back to too low power after having my civic. My budget is E10grand.

There was some forum for ford members i was reading a while ago but cant find it now but the members issues with the focus diesels(members cars, not the van but same engine) were putting me off. There are a few well known issues with the TDCI engines, 1 of these issues was somethign to do with a sensor but there were a lot of complaints of fairly big engine issues. They certainly didnt fill me with confidence and from reading that forum those engines are definitely reliable enough to keep for a few years and put high mileage on them without a lot of repairing. Ill look up the forum later and link ye, but i was seriously surprised to read of the all the trouble people had and they`re obviously a weak enough car.

Im leaning towards the golf but havent looked at any vw forums yet to get owners opinions and known issues. I think the MAF sensor in the golfs can be prone to the odd problem. Ive never being a mad VW fan, i always saw them as over-rated heavy slow boring yokes but even i have to admit them Tdi engines are fantastic and will easily do 200k miles with just regular servicing. Or will they??

My current car is a civic coupe which ill have a year in February, its a `99 black EK with just under 55000miles, air con, e/s/r, etc and unmolested apart from a spoiler and subtle type r lip and grill. Would i get a good trade in on this against a golf van seeing as its low mileage and a reliable honda or would i be better selling privately (which i reckon i`d have no bother doing) and going to a dealer with cash. Would a VW dealer even give a cash discount, a lot of folk on boards here seem to reckon VW dealers are the worst to deal with but maybe that was with new cars.

Close to €10k for a 7 year old Golf van sounds overly expensive to me. I would also have than low mileage verified.

Incidently the later Peug 306 vans had the excellent 1.9 HDi engine and are alot cheaper:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=554956
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=479144

Also have a look at the Renault Megane van:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=549654

Rudolph Claus

Close to €10k for a 7 year old Golf van sounds overly expensive to me. I would also have than low mileage verified.

Incidently the later Peug 306 vans had the excellent 1.9 HDi engine and are alot cheaper:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index...r&carid=554956
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index...r&carid=479144

Also have a look at the Renault Megane van:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index...r&carID=549654

Yeah, the golf vans are very expensive in general or any Tdi golf for that matter. I hate renaults and wouldnt touch 1.

I had 2 306vans a `99 and a `00 models and they are 1.9L engines. Them 2 you linked to are not Hdi turbos, they are just a straight 1.9L engine as far as im aware. When the 307 came out and the 306 was stopped being made, peugeot kept making the 306 in van form only for a year or 2 and it was called a 306 polar van. Polar came from the fact they were only available in white in the year or 2 they kept making them and were a special sort of. I think they were just made with the older standard 1.9L engine though.

The Hdi engines were 2.0L if i remember correctly. I was big into the 306 for a while so thats how i know so much about them incase im coming across as a 306 anorak.
Maybe im wrong on this, do you know for sure they`re Hdi`s?

maidhc

I'd say there are very very few focus vans with the TDCi engine in the world. Most are TDDis with 90bhp. Only a small handful of previous generation Foci were sold with TDCi engines due to the cost premium.

My Focus TDCi (115bhp, car) has 75k up. In its lifetime so far it has had a modified EGR valve fitted and a camshaft sensor failure. I paid 11k for this car (2003) in Jan of this year with 60k on the clock, a fsh, and I even got to ring the previous owner. It makes the Golf there look very very dear.

If you read about problems people have with cars on the net you will buy nothing.

Rudolph Claus

My Focus TDCi (115bhp, car) has 75k up. In its lifetime so far it has had a modified EGR valve fitted and a camshaft sensor failure. I paid 11k for this car (2003) in Jan of this year with 60k on the clock, a fsh, and I even got to ring the previous owner. It makes the Golf there look very very dear.

Hi, You done well on getting an 03 diesel like yours for E11k. I have to agree, it makes the golf van there look very very very very very expensive. I suspect its only the 90bhb model aswell, i emailed them to ask but if its the 90model then it does seem extremely expensive considering you got 115bhb with 12000miles less and a 3year younger car for 11K.

Is that the general price for your focus or did you just haggle yourself a class deal? Did you trade in or deal out straight. Do you find your focus to be very economical?

I wonder if i`d save anything by getting 1 in England? Its usually only on more expensive stuff where you save by buying in the Uk i think.

bazz26

Nuttzy wrote:

Hi, You done well on getting an 03 diesel like yours for E11k. I have to agree, it makes the golf van there look very very very very very expensive. I suspect its only the 90bhb model aswell, i emailed them to ask but if its the 90model then it does seem extremely expensive considering you got 115bhb with 12000miles less and a 3year younger car for 11K.

Is that the general price for your focus or did you just haggle yourself a class deal? Did you trade in or deal out straight. Do you find your focus to be very economical?

I wonder if i`d save anything by getting 1 in England? Its usually only on more expensive stuff where you save by buying in the Uk i think.

Not sure if the 306 vans are HDi or not, probably not if they are 1.9 though.

Maidhc's Focus TDCi is the car version afaik not a van. Not sure they ever sold the Focus van in the UK. I'd say you have a better chance up North. There could have been a few imported from the south.

maidhc

Nuttzy wrote:

Is that the general price for your focus or did you just haggle yourself a class deal? Did you trade in or deal out straight. Do you find your focus to be very economical?

I didn't do any haggling, and bought it from a rather large Toyota main dealer who also leases any model of car. It was a leased company car from new, and subject to a service contract every 9k (the toyota interval, even though ford suggest 12.5!). I was looking at a new Corolla and offered to buy the focus in "as is" condition, they suggested the 11k. It needed a valeting, and I got no warranty, but the car itself was immaculate.

It is worth doing a bit of research into leasing companies. They normally offload very good cars at very low prices.

The Focus does about 52 or so mpg at the moment, but was doing closer to 55 during the summer. That is about 1/2 motorway driving, 1/4 city and 1/4 country roads.