VW Golf - The most hated car on boards

Biro

The biggest problem with the Golf is that anyone who owns one (apart from a few owners on this thread) will try to convince you that they're the best car on the road.
Saying that "Oh it feels more expensive" when an Octavia is using the same materials in it for a few grand less is just silly. If you like the feel of a Golf, then you can't not like the feel of an Octavia. However, there is a diffence a bit on the road.
The Golf is comfortable, and well sound insulated. But other than that I can't see the attraction, and most certainly can't see the price premium.
The worst of all is the amount of crap spouted about the chipped tdi's with red this and red that on the badge and it can p!ss on anything and still get 65mpg. In reality, I've never seen a tdi p!ss on anything.

unkel

Melion wrote:

How much would you all consider over-priced?

I just paid 8k for a 01 1.4 Golf. Very happy with it so far

That's a lot of money for a 6 year old 1.4 Golf. Having said that, if you're happy with it then fair play to ya! I just hope you're not planning to sell it on in the next year or two, as you would be in for a bit of a shock...

Melion

unkel wrote:

That's a lot of money for a 6 year old 1.4 Golf. Having said that, if you're happy with it then fair play to ya! I just hope you're not planning to sell it on in the next year or two, as you would be in for a bit of a shock...

As i said, its my first car. A lot of people were telling me to go for something smaller and cheaper but i just cant see the point? Why pay money for an older car that will break down constantly. This should last me 3-4 years til i can afford something better.

colm_mcm

unkel wrote:

Is that true for the Golf too? I thought that a same spec / condition Bora would be worth more than a Golf, but I might very well be wrong

Boras generally make a good bit less and take longer to shift, even though I prefer them to Golfs.

littlejukka

i've seen an awful lot more boras with kits, exhausts etc than golfs. the golf just has a reputation for dull reliability that none of the recent models have done anything to overcome.

colm_mcm

Modified Golfs tend to be very subtle.

JoeA3

unkel wrote:

Good point. It's unfair to just compare years



Is that true for the Golf too? I thought that a same spec / condition Bora would be worth more than a Golf, but I might very well be wrong

Used Bora's tend to be very unloved! Poor image, terrible name (hence the return to "Jetta"), etc. Though oddly in Ireland, saloon versions of small hatchbacks have traditionally been popular - Corolla, Astra, Focus, Bora, Octavia

colm_mcm

Octavia's a hatchback, (with a huge boot, it HAS to be said)

Stephen

The Octavia's boot is a tardis.

FGR

Well I'm after ordering a 1.4l Comfortline Golf and I'm damn glad I ordered it.

Reason?

I've driven the Auris, the Kia Cee'd and the Octavia and none of them suited my needs. The Golf just has that 'feel' to it. It was sturdy and absorbed bumps better than the other three. I was impressed by the Auris. It was much cheaper but couldn't handle the small bumps on the South Ring Road (Cork) nevermind what it would do on Irish Roads.

It was worth the few bob extra, IMO. I'll be waiting until Mid September to collect it but the comfort factor's what I'm after - I've had my adrenaline rushes in my 2 litre Mazda.

Henry Ford III

ForegoneReality wrote:

Well I'm after ordering a 1.4l Comfortline Golf and I'm damn glad I ordered it.

Reason?

I've driven the Auris, the Kia Cee'd and the Octavia and none of them suited my needs. The Golf just has that 'feel' to it. It was sturdy and absorbed bumps better than the other three. I was impressed by the Auris. It was much cheaper but couldn't handle the small bumps on the South Ring Road (Cork) nevermind what it would do on Irish Roads.

It was worth the few bob extra, IMO. I'll be waiting until Mid September to collect it but the comfort factor's what I'm after - I've had my adrenaline rushes in my 2 litre Mazda.

News flash!

Cork is confirmed to be no longer in Ireland

p.s. Buying a new car (even a Golf) in mid September is utter madness. 10 weeks after purchase it'll be viewed as 1 year old.

Henry Ford III

colm_mcm wrote:

Modified Golfs tend to be very subtle.

Indeed

unkel

Henry Ford III wrote:

Buying a new car (even a Golf) in mid September is utter madness. 10 weeks after purchase it'll be viewed as 1 year old.

More like 15 weeks?

Jack Bauer999

Theboinkmaster wrote:

IMHO the average golf is worth the extra money compared to it's competitors. For example I think it looks far better than a focus and when sitting in the drivers seat for both I much prefer the look and feel of the golf's cabin - the focus just seems cheep in comparison.

I do agree however that there is a 'yuppie' thing going on with it but I couldn't care less - I just prefer the golf.

In Jan i went searching for a new car,
Id only been driving for a year so no allegiance really to any brand before that
so pretty open minded.
I went to a cuple of garages at home with the old man,
I test drove a
05 astra njoy
03 focus lx
and a 03 golf

all 1.4's because of insurance purposes plus i like in dublin so no need
for a lot of power!

Was not really impressed with all of them to be honest, didnt like the astra because it would lose too much money, didnt like the focus lx because its
didnt look great, and didnt like the golf becuase it didnt feel like it was much
bigger inside it than my current car at the time, a fiesta!!

We then stoped at one more garage on the way back,
Found a red 03 focus zetec collection there, test drove it, loved it
and bought it. The point being i still paid less than what i would have paid for the golf and i got a car with a much better spec and a lot better looking.

Theboinkmaster

ForegoneReality why did you buy are car in September?! Like someone else said I think that's utter madness unless there's a specific reason.

Jack Bauer999 a focus being alot better looking than a golf - you're having a laugh aren't ya

I agree the poverty spec golf with no alloys might not look great but there's no way you can say my black sportline with 17" zandvoorts, front fogs etc looks worse than a focus!

Everyone had their own opinion & taste though so we'll agree to disagree i guess

Marcus.Aurelius

VW golfs, the bane of my brother's existence. (Mechanic)

He's forever repairing turbos in TDIs, rewiring half the electrics of the dash, fixing their awful petrol engines.

Personally, they're so boring!!! Why would you buy a new golf? So overpriced, so unreliable!! What's wrong with having a bigger engine and some comfort, style and handling??

My son bought a 98 Lexus LS400 for €8,500. It does 25 mpg, insured (23, full licence, 2 years NCB, 3 years licence) for €2,000 (Wexford)

more or less like this one http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=752318

It's incredibly fast and he'll never spend the money he saved by not buying a brand new golf or similar, even with the lower mpgs. This new car sh*t is sheer madness, the Irish only see the badge and the numberplate. And the Lexus would beat the crap out of VW for badge appeal!!

Theboinkmaster

maoleary wrote:

VW golfs, the bane of my brother's existence. (Mechanic)

He's forever repairing turbos in TDIs, rewiring half the electrics of the dash, fixing their awful petrol engines.

Personally, they're so boring!!! Why would you buy a new golf? So overpriced, so unreliable!! What's wrong with having a bigger engine and some comfort, style and handling??

My son bought a 98 Lexus LS400 for €8,500. It does 25 mpg, insured (23, full licence, 2 years NCB, 3 years licence) for €2,000 (Wexford)

more or less like this one http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=752318

It's incredibly fast and he'll never spend the money he saved by not buying a brand new golf or similar, even with the lower mpgs. This new car sh*t is sheer madness, the Irish only see the badge and the numberplate. And the Lexus would beat the crap out of VW for badge appeal!!

Golfs unreliable?! I think not sure anyone I know who has one has never had a problem. And that lexus - looks ugly I wouldn't be seen dead in it, don't care about mpg but then again im sure you think the golf is ugy - each to their own

whippet

maoleary wrote:

It's incredibly fast and he'll never spend the money he saved by not buying a brand new golf or similar, even with the lower mpgs. This new car sh*t is sheer madness, the Irish only see the badge and the numberplate. And the Lexus would beat the crap out of VW for badge appeal!!

so you are comparing a LS430 with a 1.4L golf ... right !!! s1ht and chocolate .. most of the people talking about 1.4 golfs are talking about city driving etc .. the LS430 will not appeal to anyone anyway concerned about MPG and cost of ownership!!

As for not buying a new car, again this is a personal thing, for me buying new means I 100% know the history of the car, have 100% control over every spec, colour and option on the car, have the comfort of knowing the warranty will cover any potential faults and that the previous owner's farts are not compressed in the drivers seat!!

Back to what the thread is about, is the golf the most hated car on boards? open to opinion, personally while on Boards I hate the Octavia, because no matter what car someone asks for advise or opinions on there will be sway of posters suggesting the Octavia .. and personally I just don't like them.

Although more worrying is this new plague investing irish roads, it is an Eastern virus and has really spread like wildfire .. the medical term is Qashqai and the obvious symptoms of those infected is the type of smugness that Alan Partridge was aflicted with when he was with his mate Dan discussing their Lexui.

The Qashqai virus causes a mental imbalance in the carrier leading them to believe that their 1.5, front wheel drive hatchback is really a 4x4 tank and is the envy of all other road users, allowing them to park side by side the army of X5s in disabled spot, loading bays and their own exclusive double yellow line parking bay !!

r3nu4l

maoleary wrote:

...the Irish only see the badge and the numberplate. And the Lexus would beat the crap out of VW for badge appeal!!

Yeah right. I'm Irish, I don't see VW as a badge of prestige, I drive a Fiat, certainly not a badge of prestige and for me price is more important than anything else.

As for the VW golf holding it's value...go to "what car" and use the depreciation index to do a comparison of a new 1.4, Bravo and Golf. The Golf costs far more than the Bravo and only holds slightly more than the Bravo in value. False economy for people hoping to hold value. (EDIT: Okay the golf holds 42% while the bravo holds 37%, maybe it is slightly better )

I've attached a screenshot of a comparison of the basic 1.4 model in each class, obviously for bigger engines (like-for-like comparisons) the VW may hold even more value but we are talking about the majority of Golfs on Irish roads being 1.4 L.

RobAMerc

r3nu4l - be careful when quoting UK figures for depreciation etc compared to here.

UK buyers are far less anti Fiat than Irish motorists - and are generally more savvy when it comes to ability vs badge I think.

r3nu4l

RobAMerc wrote:

r3nu4l - be careful when quoting UK figures for depreciation etc compared to here.

UK buyers are far less anti Fiat than Irish motorists - and are generally more savvy when it comes to ability vs badge I think.

Very true RobAMerc but I live in the UK so this is relevant to me. It's about time people understood that a car is a car. Value is relative to the country you live in and just because a car holds value well in Ireland does not mean it's a great car. It may be the more financially astute buy but it's not necessarily a better or more reliable car.

Interestingly, I've noticed far more Fiat Stilos on the road in the UK than in Ireland, is that due to better marketing or it being a better car than it's reputation in Ireland? I don't know. I bought mine because it was dirt-cheap second hand and I've not had a single problem with it yet That's all that matters to me.

FGR

I ordered my car at the start of July. There's a two month waiting list apparently. Not my fault that I want a nicer stereo/steering wheel controls. ;D

Stephen

Steering wheel controls still aren't standard? lol.

colm_mcm

didn't know Polos had an internal boot release. thought it was an exterior handle and key?

johnplayerblue

I have an old 93 mk3 1.4 golf and at the moment i'm having a few minor issues with her but apart from that i love the thing to bits. No power steering, abs, air bags or unnesseray expensive electronics to go wrong.
Just a straight old mechanical engine.

It was up until i got her an english car and as such, (in my experience anyway) extremeley well looked after.
Great engine, plenty of engine space to work with when you need to tons of space inside, comfy, good on the road and great on juice. Also. I think the mk3 had the best looking body.

Depends on who and what you want from a car. At the end of the day i want to know that if i have to do 400mls today she will do it and do it at my pace which apart from the motorway is at 60ishmls an hour. Fast enough for me lads. Sorry. Only other car that i can say i loved was a 91 1.8 primera think it was a P9 model. Great, great old car. Man that was a good car.

Hand on heart, given a choise the only other car i'd love to have is a mk5 gti golf in white. Very cool looking car. I only have one rule when it comes to cars and that is, Is it German or japanese. And you can't/won't go wrong.

Biro

Theboinkmaster wrote:

Golfs unreliable?! I think not sure anyone I know who has one has never had a problem. And that lexus - looks ugly I wouldn't be seen dead in it, don't care about mpg but then again im sure you think the golf is ugy - each to their own

See? That's his second reply to a post with an air of smugness and a smiley face at his golf ownership being superior to another posers suggestion. That's the sort of crap that bugs me. The Mark 4 golf is not a design classic. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It's plain.
The interior is boring, however it is assembled to a high standard and doesn't have cheap plastics, so that's positive. However the Mark 5 seems to have lowered the bar, because despite finally catching up with the Focus in terms of independent rear suspension, it actually has a cheaper looking interior than the Mark 4. And now we learn that the Mark 5 is costing VW too much so the Mk 6 is coming sooner than planned and back to basics with the suspension.
The Mk 5 GTi is a good car, and the interior is a big step up from the bog standard one. Also I love the steering wheel in the GTi. To my mind it's the only Golf worth having. Any other model I'd just save my money and buy something else.
If you like the comfort and quietness and dull but well finished interior of your Golf, then fair play and enjoy owning it. But don't act smug and think it's so much better than everyone else's car, because it's not.

Sonnenblumen

Golfs are super cars, and lots of ++++ and yeah a few

---

(extras for example), but overall a great car and a standard for many years now.

Theboinkmaster

Biro wrote:

See? That's his second reply to a post with an air of smugness and a smiley face at his golf ownership being superior to another posers suggestion. That's the sort of crap that bugs me. The Mark 4 golf is not a design classic. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It's plain.
The interior is boring, however it is assembled to a high standard and doesn't have cheap plastics, so that's positive. However the Mark 5 seems to have lowered the bar, because despite finally catching up with the Focus in terms of independent rear suspension, it actually has a cheaper looking interior than the Mark 4. And now we learn that the Mark 5 is costing VW too much so the Mk 6 is coming sooner than planned and back to basics with the suspension.
The Mk 5 GTi is a good car, and the interior is a big step up from the bog standard one. Also I love the steering wheel in the GTi. To my mind it's the only Golf worth having. Any other model I'd just save my money and buy something else.
If you like the comfort and quietness and dull but well finished interior of your Golf, then fair play and enjoy owning it. But don't act smug and think it's so much better than everyone else's car, because it's not.

Smug?! If you'e getting that from my posts then that's your problem as I'm certainly not smug. I do think the golf is best in it's class and in every one of my posts I've qualified my remarks with saying it depends on personal taste, each to their own etc.

But this thread was started on golfs so why can't I defend my choice of car?

And what's your problem with smiley faces

colm_mcm

I reckon the A3 divides opinion more.

Theboinkmaster

A3 ambition is a gorgeous looking car. People complain about the premium you pay but by god once you sit inside an audi you see the difference. IMHO no other car manufacturer builds better interiors.