Hi there,
Haven't been on this site for a while. Good to see some of the old faces are still posting here.
I hope someone has time to give me their opinion on this...
I have a problem concerning a car i'm buying this week. It's a Mk4 Golf 1.6 SE auto. T Reg. It's got 30,000 miles on the clock. 2 owners. private sale.
It has a FVWSH (albeit at a variety of places), and all MOTs bar one year (2003).
I HPI'd it and all is fine except issue date doesn't match.
I called up the VW dealer where it was serviced, and they say that when it was serviced in 2001 it had 7800 miles on it. Then the next year it had 72000 miles. Then 2 years later, it had the same mileage PLUS 1 single mile......
Is this a dodgy car??? The bloke i'm buying it off seems fairly kosher, and it was his wife that was driving it. And they bought it off a similar couple from nearby, who owned it from new up until march this year (yes, current couple only owned it since march his year).
My colleague reckons that it could just be an administration error. He says despite being main dealers, it still a bunch of jubs that work in the garages (sorry if i'm offending anyone!!) who always make mistakes...
Also, there was a funny large soft plastic cover on the near right of the engine. That i haven't seen before on any other golf. What's that all about?
What do u guys think........?
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sounds dodgy to me
there's always an admin error and the service history will always be posted to you in the next week. not.
if in doubt, leave it out
30k on an 8yr old car = less than 4k a year, suggests short runs = bad news
why are they selling? only keeping a car 7 months = dodgy (unless there is agood reason of course)
large soft plastic cover, no idea, have a look inside it, perhaps the 2003 MOT is in there!
finally its a Mk4 Golf = dodgy
Edited by nick1975 on 07/11/2007 at 20:05
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Yeah sorry. I should have mentioned, his wife is now pregnant (and that part was true cos i saw her in their house!) so they needed a bigger car for the now larger lady and forthcoming ton of baby gear. So the reason seems good enough......?
Is 4k per year that bad for a car? Especially today's modern cars? I figured that 4k would be the bare minimum that u could get away with..
and i didn't know mk4 golf was ropey!!!! and i've done a bit of research (albeit not real life opinions on forums for e.g.) and they get reasonable ratings..
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Have a look on the car by car breakdown section
These cars have been known as "German Piggy Banks"
But I think the 1.8T engine has been the biggest problem
It sounds like this car was a 2nd/shopping car = short runs = problems.
Inconsistent miles aside - it comes down to what you are paying for this
Just dont make the mistake of paying +£s for a VW thinking its better than the eqv VX/Ford/Nissan/Skoda et al.
Plenty of other stuff to consider
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zen
This car stinks. What was the "date of issue" reference?
What are the mileages on the MOTs? What mileages were written in the book at each service?
He's only had it a few months and the wife [stuffed with pillow?] needs a bigger car [XJ6?] for one tiny sprog? Sell a lot of motors, does he?
Avoid all Mk IV Golfs - especially early ones.
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Have to agree with the others, if the mileage of services and mot's dont add up just walk away, no shortage of used cars to buy.
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Well that's the strange thing. Everything adds up in the servicing schedule and MOTs mileage wise. The interior was in very good nick (checked pedals etc.) as was the exterior.
V5 number matched up and was ok. Just the date of issue. I figured a day a two off could've flagged it up in HPI. Or maybe i'm just being too naive......
It was just VW main dealer who had strange mileage in their systems...
I don't want to ignore this car over what could be just an admin error (which i was surprised to hear isn't rare).
Especially as good cars, especially something as specific as our needs (black auto 1.6 se golf) are NOT that plentiful.
Tricky..... I'll check out the reviews on this website. I just don't think any other car of this size and price bracket looks any good....
thanks for ur thoughts so far.
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Dear Zen
You are looking to buy a second hand mass-market hatch back!
I implore you to read HJ?s buying guide.
Rule 1, be open minded, talking about 8 year old golfs that HAVE to be black is a bit silly to be honest.
Good luck!
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This "dodgy mileage" thing happened on my wife's car. It's serviced once a year at the local Ford dealer but the distance covered in a year is peanuts, about 4000km. At the last service it was pointed out to me in the service department that the mileage* entered for the service previously was 70,000km which was far lower what the car was presently showing which was around 34,000km and had the car had a replacement speedo? I said no, pointed out that the service previous to that had been done at 26,000km (without pointing out that 44,000km in a year in a Ford Ka would firmly indicate masochistic tendencies) and we came to the conclusion that at the previous service someone had simply copied the the mileage number printed in the service book for what was the 5th annual service into the service stamp. Lesson learned - check the service stamp as admin errors do happen!
*Yes I know it's kilometres but kilometerage doesn't sound right.
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got to say i agree with bagpus i did the same thing this week, i had a car that was given a new speedo head 3 years ago in warrenty and it was nearly missed by me when adding the mileage up to cover my neck when filling the sales receipt in,so easily done if you are not careful,the other thing is the people that stamp the old type service books have a habit of putting the mileage and date in the wrong box (oh and to rub salt in the wound its been the wifes car for the last 3 years so i just forgot because i only get this car in twice a year for service ,visuals and mots )
cant comment on golfs tonight in case i offend someone
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Zen,
you don't "need" a black, 1.6 SE, auto you "want" a black 1.6 SE, auto. You're just creating a strait jacket for yourself, even by just insisting on a Golf, before adding all of the other conditions.
JH
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i hear you. it does sound foolish. but it actually helped me cos if u don't limit urself to something, there's such a wide range of cars and spec out there, that u tend to go mad checking its value etc etc. and u don't get a feel for the real market price. this is another debate tho.
i'll read the buying guides on this site right now!!!
but thanks to bagpuss et al for the other side of the coin. interesting to find out it does happen. ain't easy this 2nd car buying car lark..
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My diamond black Golf GTI 1.8T was great except I would say:
- Needed gearbox on delivery in 1999
- Black showed all the dirt - tailgate got filthy in no time at all especially the winter
- Lots of squeaks
- Needed new door locks
But it was stolen after 6 months.
I'd say that because these hold their price due to their perceived better quality (that is not true - had other unreliable VWs too) then for the same money you can probably get a newer car from another marque. Even a newer one from VW-Audi Group so basically a Golf underneath if that is the size of car you want. Cheque it out.
Also I really liked the Golf when I first got it compared to my previous Vectra B. Then test drove another before ordering a permanent replacement and it felt cheap and poor quality inside compared the the two Audi's I drove in the meantime whilst it was written off. And this was only about 7 months after I got it brand new!
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rtj70 you are definitely right. i could get a lot more car for the money. i've researched focus's, astras,leons, almeras etc. but just don't think any car of this size and my price range) looks as good as a golf (not that it's a stunning car). it's just unfortunate that it's considered a premium marque bumping up the price.
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>>Also, there was a funny large soft plastic cover on the near right of the engin>>
Do you mean the battery cover?
My Bora battery (1.6 petrol) has a Velco fastened soft cover for the battery on the near right looking at the engine from the front.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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A further point - if it's a T-reg, the engine is (virtually) certain to be the 100PS eight-valve 1.6-litre engine.
To compensate, there are no plastic cambelt tensioners and a cambelt replacement kit is about £47 plus VAT...:-)
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What's for you won't pass you by
Edited by Stuartli on 09/11/2007 at 00:29
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I don't know if you enjoy driving, Zen, but assuming you do (as most of us on this forum do) you'll get awfully bored with a 1.6 automatic. I like Golfs but the 1.6 isn't a ball of fire even as a manual, and anything with less than 2 litres and automatic is fine if your style is leisurely but not if you like to get a move on.
That said, if a Golf auto is what you want, I'm sure there must be plenty on Autotrader or at dealers. 4,000 miles a year wouldn't be unusual for a 1.6 auto as many of the people who buy them are probably elderly and - leisurely.
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thanks stuartli. battery cover. never knew something like that existed.
avant, i live in central london, and medium term this car is for my partner, hence the auto. it's almost impossible to enjoy driving round here, what with traffic, speed bumps or pot holes!
Sticking to the topic though, having spoken to VW HQ, the VW main dealer, DVLA, VOSA and HPIing the darn car, there is apparently NO way of proving the mileage on a car, AT ALL. This is unbelievable to me. Practically everyone above implied or suggested that no one could be trusted, even at main dealers, and service books and MOTs can be forged...... And if a car has been well looked after, you can't even physically see any difference..
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You can get a 1.8T for 5k now. They are wicked! I had very little trouble with mine and it was fast (had it chipped to 190bhp). Much more fun that a 1.6. I tried the 1.6 auto, to get any performance at all it stays over 5000rpm, very unrefined.
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Latest What Car has Mark 4 Golfs as VW's most unreliable recent car. Just avoid it and buy something else. How many more negative replies do you want before you're put off Zen?
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