Ask an expert
Hi there,
I'm looking at trading my 2005 Mazda Axela 2000cc 58000km's for a Golf.
First question - am I silly at looking at a Golf in the first place? I've heard a lot of bad things about Golf's but hoped it would be the older models. Also, are they really that much more expensive to service/maintain? What would be the cost of a Mazda vs. Golf for a service, provided nothing is wrong? Or if something is wrong, what would be the the average difference in cost between Mazda and Golf?
The 3 Golf's I'm looking at are:
- 2007 Golf GT 2000cc 47000km's $14990 (including 3 year mechanical breakdown warranty)
- 2007 Golf E 1600cc 17000km's $14990 (including 3 year mechanical breakdown warranty)
- 2008 Golf TSI 1400cc 50000km's $13995
I haven't had an AA check done on any of them yet, as wanting to know which one to go for first. But they all seem in good condition.
Routine servicing should not be greatly different as they're both compact, 4 cylinder FWD cars and are not overly complex. We are aware that Volkswagen in NZ have a major focus at present on dispelling the perception that European cars cost more to maintain than Japanese cars, and have invested heavily in a local parts warehousing facility in order to better and more efficiently serve their customers.
As to which car to buy, it really comes down to your personal preference. The Golf GT and Golf E were not models sold new in New Zealand so we don't have a great knowledge of them or their exact spec, although I believe the Golf E may be an entry level spec.
The 1.4 TSI has been widely acclaimed for very frugal fuel efficiency, while still delivering good levels of power. As it was the only one sold new in New Zealand and we do have first hand experience with it - and have been impressed - the TSI is really the only one we can recommend, but the others are probably fine too.
Great, thanks. Sorry, I have a few more questions... What about the amount of k's on the TSI? How many k's do Golf's have to do before they become difficult to maintain? And I have heard that VW's/Golf's are very unreliable, how true is this - and which of the three do you think would be the most reliable? Also, is it enough reassurance that the other two would come with a 3 year mechanical warranty to cover the lack of knowledge?
These cars are all relatively low mileage and should be OK well beyond 100,000km. It's true that the old Mk4 Golf ('99-'05) had some issues but we believe these problems have largely been addressed with later models. Mechanical Breakdown Insurance is available for any of these cars.
However, if you are so nervous, and have heard so many stories about reliability, are you sure this is the right car for you? Having faith in what you drive is a big part of the enjoyment of vehicle ownership.
Ok great - thanks for your help. Ha, I've always loved the Golf and wanted one - I just want to make sure I've done my homework on them before I buy one.