High mileage Golf - advice?

Hi,

I am looking at a 2001 (51 plate) 1.6 Golf with 132k miles on the clock. I reckon I can get it for between £3000 and £3300. It has a full service history to 118k.

I know this is a high mileage for a petrol engine but i am assuming that most of it would have been completed on the motorway. My wife, who the car will be for, will only be doing 5 or 6k miles a year so i figure that in 5 years time when she sells it it will still only have 160k on the clock.

My questions are is the engine likely to be worn out, what mileage can these engines do? Also, in 5 years would this car be worth anything with 160k on the clock?

Does anyone else have a high mileage petrol car out there?

Thanks for any help.

Sorry, just to add...

Would i be better getting a 1998/1999 model with 60 or 70k for the same money?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wid77

Hi,

I am looking at a 2001 (51 plate) 1.6 Golf with 132k miles on the clock. I reckon I can get it for between £3000 and £3300. It has a full service history to 118k.

I know this is a high mileage for a petrol engine but i am assuming that most of it would have been completed on the motorway. My wife, who the car will be for, will only be doing 5 or 6k miles a year so i figure that in 5 years time when she sells it it will still only have 160k on the clock.

My questions are is the engine likely to be worn out, what mileage can these engines do? Also, in 5 years would this car be worth anything with 160k on the clock?

Does anyone else have a high mileage petrol car out there?

Thanks for any help.

Sorry, just to add...

Would i be better getting a 1998/1999 model with 60 or 70k for the same money?

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ok,

your post raises a few questions, the biggest one of which is the service history, you say it has history to 118k, what happend for the next 14k?

you also need to find out when the cambelt and tensioner was last done, it should have been done at both 60k (possibly 80k, depending on when it was done as advice changed) and should have been done again at around the 120/130k mark, so should have been done very recently.

if theres no service history for the last 14k and you're not convinced the owner has completed services sufficiently themselves, i would personally walk away based on that.

NOW if the car has been properly maintained, has had the cambelt done as and when it should have and the car is in good general condition, offer them £2500, no more. for £3000, you could get a lot more for your money, if you were to go perhaps 2 years older as you suggest, you could practically half the mileage on the engine and if the wife it's intended for is only going to be doing 6/8k (similar to my mileage) i wouldnt be too concerend about going for something near to the 100k mark.

i know tdi's can go on and often past 250k miles, petrols a little less, i'd say the expectancy of a petrol (with proper maintenance) would be around 180k/200k, probably more if looked after.

IMHO, i'd leave this one, for £3500, you could do a lot better for your money.

why not consider the Seat/Skoda alternative? or even a passat?

for example, my brother recently picked up an 02 seat toledo 110 Se Tdi. just under 90k on the clock, for a nudge over £4k

Thanks for the reply. Interesting comments. I wonder if anyone out there has a high mileage 1.6?