Car Advice?

[nel636]

alright,

well im looking at buying a golf but i have abit of a dilemma. all the golfs i like are the gt tdi's and the gti's but after getting an insurance quote ive been told my insurance company will not insure me for anything over 90 bhp! cant believe it! im 6 month through my premium and am 21 so i dont wanna loose them ncb's so i dont wanna change insurers.

so ive been looking about for the entry 1.4s golfs. ive seen one and is much cheaper than the 5-6k i was gona spend before - the car is 3k. its an s reg mk 4 with 91k on the clock. heres where i want the advice - it has only got SH until 50k and it hasnt had the cam belt or water pump changed. what would you guys do?

i thought i would look at this car as a stop gap - to keep for 2-3 yrs maybe until my insurance comes down - then buy a better car or would yous just wait for my year premium to finish then have a look?

ive looked at other cars like the a3/4 3 series etc but cant seem to get the insurance.

any help would be great.

cheers.

[MalcQV]

£3k sounds a lot for an S reg car, but it may well be the going rate. I paid just short of £6k for my 2003 Passat last September from a VW dealer.

We are talking 6 months until you get your NCB? If it was me I would either keep what I had (assuming you still have it) or buy something mega cheap until the time I can shop around for another insurer.

[adambucky]

i have a golf tdi for sale 90bhp 77.950 miles
full history upto 2005
having a service in a few weeks
just a slight judder problem when slowing down when it is sorted it will be for sale
18s
W reg june 2000 i think

open to decent offers

[NicholasP]

my advice would be go for a diesel, they're quirky..and save you money..the 1.4s are seriously sluggish!

(and the diesel goes quick when chipped )

[nel636]

adam > how much would you be looking at? whats the reg and history etc? where do you live?

i know the 1.4 will be sluggish but the main issue for me is insurance. at the minute i drive a 1.2 punto (so anything will be a step up ) but i was just looking for a stop gap car for a few years until i get to about 24-25 then go for a much better car.

any suggestions?

[adambucky]

its a w reg
it has vw dealer history upto 2005
the engine is fantastic
mature driver
18s
all round great car

im from burnley lancashire


as i say im open to offers
loads of pictures
email me adambucky@hotmail.com and i will send you some pictures

[Eshrules]

adam > how much would you be looking at? whats the reg and history etc? where do you live?

i know the 1.4 will be sluggish but the main issue for me is insurance. at the minute i drive a 1.2 punto (so anything will be a step up ) but i was just looking for a stop gap car for a few years until i get to about 24-25 then go for a much better car.

any suggestions?

nope, IMO, you'd be better of sticking with the punto rather than outlaying to get the golf... the 1.4 is seriously, seriously sluggish, you wont get the MPG of a diesel and the 'S' model is the most basic, no remote central locking or alarm as standard.

TBH, if you want to step up, why not consider the seat ibiza/skoda fabia, practically the same car in essence but tend to be slightly cheaper than there vw/audi counterparts.

in regards to the car you've seen, its a 1.4 S on an 98/99 S plate, with 91k on the clock, 41 of which is unaccounted for. that to me alone, would send me packing, why has the car not got history for half of its working life and @ 91k on a 1.4, there could be some underlying major mechanical issues. £3k is well overpriced for that.

i upgraded from a 1.2 fiat brava, i couldnt have justified it if i was moving to a 1.4, i drove my brothers 1.6 after test driving a 1.4, there is no comparison between the two.

IMO, stick with the punto for a few years until you can afford to insure a decent mk4 tdi.

if you rush into it now and get a 1.4 thats been around the block with god knows how many chavvy owners, youll end up spending more in repairs than you paid for the car

[Eshrules]

its a w reg
it has vw dealer history upto 2005 what about the last 2 years?
the engine is fantastic from the sounds of your other posts relating to the mechanical noise, you have a clutch related fault.... engine is probably not %100 until this is sorted
mature driver
18s oh dear
all round great car

im from burnley lancashire


as i say im open to offers
loads of pictures
email me adambucky@hotmail.com and i will send you some pictures

why not post a guide price so people can pass comment and advise the OP as to whether this is a good buy

[nel636]

hi,

thanks for the replys its been great - really appreciate it.
the golf i have now seen which i was refering too (my mistake i shud have said), is an s reg, 65k on the clock, FSH, timebelt just been changed aswell.full electrics,alarm and immobiliser, CL aswell.

I agree i wish i cud stay with the punto but until you have driven it you wont know wat i mean - the punto i have is quite unreliable to say the least. its at the point where i am seriously worried when i start it up everytime! and for a car thats 6 yr old and only 40k on the clock, its pretty shocking. Its even started to creek at the back when there is more than one person in (dont know if its a shocker or what) but its been checked and is "ok" according to garages but i have a gut instinct sumthing is not right. Thats why i thought a 1.4 s golf would be alot better because it would be more reliable etc? its litteraly came to the point where i am spending more than the car is worth with the punto. the head gasket went at 30k cos nearly £300 my ECU went at 40k! cost £320! along with other usuals like changing exhaust etc.when i start the car the engine sounds like a bag of spanners! the punto was a nice littel run about before the head gasket went but ever since its never been the same really.

i spoke to insurance companies but they are all quoting silly prices for higher end golfs and most have recommended i wait until im 25ish until i consider a bigger engine.quotes ive had for a 1.9 tdi golf were 1800 full comp as named and TPFT 1300. these were the cheapest! where as a 1.4s only adds £20 onto my premium a month and i thought it would be a nice littel runner which feels pretty good (not fast i know) looks good and is good.

[NicholasP]

try not to think about looks really..i went down that route and its not worth it. Nobody really cares...its a golf, not a nice BMW so honestly, whether you're driving an ancient Yugo or a golf..it won't make any difference to what people think

Go for something that is reliable, economical, and has a decent amount of power...When we say 1.4 is sluggish...we mean that if caught in a sticky situation, 1.4 is not going to get you out of trouble. The golf is a heavy car

Can you not get a parent/guardian to insure themselves and insure you as a named driver? Im insured on my uncles insurance as a named driver with direct line...Named drives get a NO CLAIMS BONUS with direct line. i drive a golf MK3 1.9 TDI 90bhp...with 1 yrs NCB, i pay 450 quid....

Why do you need fully comp? Go for third party fire and theft...

Bottom line is as Carl said, a golf mk4 1.4 is not an upgrade...really

Have a look around for skoda, ibiza equivalents...or a golf tdi..so economical really and the engines are robust...it won't die on you...the 1.4 is a strained engine thus prone to failures..

Tell us how your car hunt goes...