My trusty VW Golf 1.4S

Advantages: Reliable, comfortable, great looks, a pleasure to drive
Disadvantages: Do some homework before buying a second hand model

...This was my first ever "brand new" car purchase in Autumn 2002, and 5 years 2 months down the line, I've had excellent reliability, with decent fuel economy. No major mechanical problems at all, which suits me fine, as my priority with any car is that it works smoothly and is reliable. It's really been a great car, with great distinctive exterior looks, and welcoming comfortable cabin (you have to love the blue dashboard lighting inside on the dials). An article I read suggests it takes considerably longer to build a VW Golf MK4 than it does it's nearest rival. You feel safe in a Volkswagen Golf. It feels secure and well put together. And, at 5 years of age, it's again just sailed through it's MOT with no problems at all. It's also an enjoyable driving experience. Some purists might say the 1.4 has little power...

sherad 17.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Golf IV 1.4

VW Golf 1.4 Match

Advantages: cheap to run, safe, cheap parts
Disadvantages: Slow, soft suspension

...This is my first Golf, it is a 1995 1.4 Golf Match with 110,000 on the clock. I bought it for £1100 at a local dealer. I have had it for around 7 months now and have had no problems whatsoever. I decided to go for the golf because of the exceptional german build quality and they hold up well in accidents. Plus with the 1.4 it is reasonably cheap to insure. The match version has a few little extras over the CL versions, for example it has alloy wheels as standard, power steering, and there are a few changes on the interior such as upholstery design etc. The first thing i noticed about the car was how well it holds in corners and, like others have said, the body roll! The suspension seems quite soft in this car, some may like that but others may not. The 1.4 engine, considering its age, is quite fuel efficent. I regularly get...

dav1d89 08.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Golf III 1.4

VW Polo 1.4tdi 06 plate

Advantages: Reliable, stylish, economical
Disadvantages: none

...I have a VW Polo 1.4tdi 06 plate Its the best car I've had, economical, practical, stylish and nippy. The boot is not huge but can fit one large suitcase and two small at a squeeze so adequate for my family of four. A full tank of deisel ( around £40) will last me two to three weeks with the everyday school and work run and weekend local roaming around. We took it to Glasgow - around 360 miles from home with a full tank on leaving, it had just under 1/4 of a tank when we got there. When pulling away it drives more like a 1.6. and will sit very comfortably at 70mph on the motorway. It feels safe and comfortable to drive, and has excellent build quality ( so my husband says lol ). We've had no mechanical problems so far. It has cheap Tax and insurance. Servicing costs £45 to change the oil for its first service...

jhs39 21.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI

2006 VW POLO 1.4 Trendline with style packet

Advantages: Good allrounder, good handling, well built
Disadvantages: lack of equipment (unless paid for), low ground clearance

...We bougth the car from new in April 2006 and have been using it daily since. I do about 220kms(160 miles) per day and havent had any problems so far. I have small family, we are living in Turkey and we all love the car. On the downside, gauges on the dashboard are not clearly visible as top of the steering wheel hides the petrol and the temperature gauge from view. I should probably mention that I am in the region of 6'4'' tall. Head clearance is ok though. The packet we bought did not include digital AC, road computer and side airbags. Thinking about the rivals for example Fiat Punto Grande has all of that included for the same price. There is also no MP3 player as standard. The car is a little underpowered when climbing. 75hp struggles on some hills and I sometimes need to use it in the first gear. Boot space is quiet...

batman777 21.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Polo 1.4

VW GOLF 1.4 FSI

Advantages: The VW label/brand
Disadvantages: Poor finish, poor dealer service support

...driving * Right hand speaker failure on car audio after 2 years * Arrogant VW service attention-much better to use an independent specialist * Will keep this vehicle for the moment--certainly will not buy another VW Golf....

mancinimoon 25.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Golf 1.4 FSI

VW Campervans - FANTASTIC

Advantages: Flexibility - park up anywhere and enjoy the view and open the wine!
Disadvantages: City parking, small sink, sits around

...I have had my (second) VW T4, high top campervan for 2 1/2 years now, and I love it. It is an outdoor enthusiast's dream accommodation and can be used in all seasons. I have travelled all over the UK & France in mine and my friends and wife's parents have borrowed it and also love it. You can get VW T4's in their original fixed, low roof state and convert them yourself, as a friend of mine has. I chose to buy one that was already converted, from a small company near the Dartford Tunnel called 'Country Campers'. I went for the high-top version (as opposed to a low roof or bellows roof) because I am tall and for the extra storage space you get at the front and back. A brand new van with a brand new conversion can cost over £30,000. However, I paid £16,000 for a 'T' Reg van with a brand new conversion. You can pick up decent older...

Neviscat 05.09.2006 (05.12.2007) · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Transporter T4

Fun and funky Polo 1.4

Advantages: Great fun to drive, nippy and reliable
Disadvantages: Strange pedals!

...The Polo 1.4 was the first car that I ever bought myself so will always be quite special in a weird kind of way! I traded in my old battered Fiesta that my mum and dad had bought me and purchased a VW 1.4 Polo Match special edition for around £10000. The car came with quite a few extras for the money including manual air conditioning and an electric sunroof (very nifty gadget on such a small car!) I am not too sure why the car had both a sunroof and air conditioning though as you only really needed one or the other! It also came with metallic paint and I chose the Silver colour which was great as it hardly shows up any dirt at all and comes up very nicely when it's polished. I owned the 3 door version and you did have to be careful with the front doors as they are very big and heavy and can sometimes blow away in heavy wind...

nickjj78 23.12.2003 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Polo 1.4

VW Polo TDP 1.4 S 3 dr

Advantages: Air Con, Build Quality, Fuel Economy, Safety
Disadvantages: Service Costs

...This review is for the VW Polo 1.4 TDI S edition on the 52 plate. My experience of the car is that it was very reliable, well built, has excellent fuel economy around 50mpg and a good level of equipment for the class of car. The interior of the car is well made. The quality of the materials used is excellent. Instead of a plasticy looking dash the VW polo has a matt ruberised feel to the dash board and switches. Whereas the rest of the interior is finished in good quality materials. The use of grey materials is a bit excessive and in my opinion the quality of the seat materials could be a little more hardwearing but they are my only gripes with the cabin area. In terms of ride the car is pleasant to drive around town, very responsive, and not much cabin noise under 50mph. The car is very stable to drive with very little body...

jaddingt 27.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI

VW Golf SE TDI 90bhp

Advantages: Quality and a refined driving experience.
Disadvantages: Not the fastest car on the road by any means.

...of the sunroof. This is my second VW Golf, and one thing I have learned about Volkswagen is to check very carefully what is included for the price, and what isn't. I was very surprised to find that although the SE specification (according to the brochure) included an 8 speaker VW Gamma audio, my car had the VW Beta radio/cassette, which works on just the 4 front speakers. Upgrading to the Gamma unit costs over £300, and adding the VW CD player a further £250. Then I discovered that my car didn't have the rear speakers, or even the wiring for these. At this stage I gave up, but am reasonably happy with the upgraded Gamma unit. The CD player 'jumps' on uneven roads, not helped by VW's firm suspension. With hindsight I could have saved myself a lot of money by installing my Blaupunkt CD/radio unit which I bought to upgrade the stereo in my...

johnalderton 07.09.2003 (25.07.2006) · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Golf IV 1.9 TDI

VW Golf Mk 3 1.4 CL

Advantages: Holds value well, reliablity
Disadvantages: Gutless performance

...I bought my golf in 2005 and have owned it for about a year. Its a black, 1998 R reg. Performace in this car is pretty poor because its heavy and under-powered with only 8 valves. Suspension is very soft yet you manage to feel every bump in the road. The car pitches and has alot of bodyroll if you throw it into corners too fast, however it is quite surefooted and feels quite safe. The engine around town is ok but on the motorway you really have to push it to get anything out of it and it tops out at about 105mph. I bought the golf because im a young driver and anything with a larger engine would have ment stupid insurance quoyes for me, however my insurance was still £1600 on the 1.4. I also chose it because of its reputation as a reliable car. This reputation doesnt apply to my one as it has cost me around £1000 in repairs and as...

downward25 22.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Volkswagen Golf III 1.4