Buying advice - 2002 Golf 1.9 tdi Estate

[JohnPierpoint]

I'm looking for a replacement for my Passat estate. Although another Passat would do, ideally I'd like a slightly smaller estate (fed up of trying to park a tank like the Passat!), but one that I can still load up with some weight for gigs, shopping, trips to the tip etc.
The front runner is a Golf estate, with Volvo V40 or a Skoda Octavia being other possibles.

I've seen a 2002 Golf estate for about £4300, 97k, FSH, but slight body damage, exhaust held on with wire, and a VW dealer listing of what needs fixing (failed temp sender being one major item - can't remember the others). Cam belt changed at 60k.

It's a contender, but I know nothing about Golfs whatsoever.
Does anyone have any advice as to whether this seems a good deal? The quoted dealer cost for fixing everything didn't look too bad - if I'd read it right - but I don't think this included the exhaust. The cam belt will need changing again at 120k, and I understand that this may be more expensive on a Golf than on a Passat - possibly due to having the same engine crammed into a smaller bay.

Any general Passat vs. Golf tips would be appreciated too.

[JohnPierpoint]

Missed that car in the end. However, I've just bought a newer Passat (03) to replace my old one.
Better the devil you know!

[herby0001]

In my experience, if you buy a car that does not appear to have had any TLC (as in looking scruffy, bulbs blown, sensors not working, exhaust held on with a wire), you'll more than likely just be buying trouble. When I sourced a car for my sis, a Volvo 480 ES, many years ago, it was looking a little worse for wear, almost as described above. After a scrub up, it looked better. After a couple of months, the electircs started going berzerk. One axample was that the pop up headlights would, for no reason, just pop up when driving. But not both, just one, and it would be on either side, completely random. So you'd be driving down the road winking!! By that time, she'd had enough and traded the car in for a Ford Escort.

Well, that's my tale of woe, when I once thought the price was attractive and too good to miss out on.