Is a ten-year-old Golf still reliable?

I'm looking at buying a 2004 Volkswagen Golf really soon; is a 10-year old Golf still reliable?

John Ryan (Thurles)

Sep 2014 Filed under: reliability

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Expert answer

Hi John,

Yes, by and large Golfs are well enough built to withstand years of abuse, but then this is an older car so there are some areas to check...

Make sure the cambelt has been changed, check that the water pump is working (quick warm up from cold, but no issues with holding the temperature at idle), listen for noises from both the front suspension and steering, check that the air conditioning (if fitted) is working OK and make sure that the gearbox (manual or auto) is shifting cleanly.

Oh and avoid the FSI petrol model - they don't like regular 95RON unleaded petrol.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe