Volkswagen Golf Hatchback (1997 - 2004) 1.6 Match 5d Owner Review

I paid £200 for the car two years ago and have put 16,000 miles on the car since ownership. The car is plagued by intermittent electrical faults as many MK4 golfs are. Door locks are constantly going bad and I've had to replace them my self. I had a intermittent thermometer issue causing the car to start on 3 cylinders. A break in the wiring harness has lead to MAF and emission engine codes flagging up frequently. The galvanized bodywork has stood the test of time and It barely had any rust considering its 17 years old. Never had an MOT major or minor in the time I've had the car. Performance wise the 1.6 16v engine is probably more suited to a polo or an interesting lupo. The mk 4 is just a bit to heavy for a 1.6 engine to feel nippy. You can really feel all 1300kg of the car in the corners and gives it a tendancy to understeer during spirited driving. The car wallows like a barge around corners and it body rolls like a defender. The cars suspension is set up for motorway driving and I would suggest getting a diesel to capitalise on this strength. If you are set in a mk 4 golf I would advise going for a 1.9 TDI rather than a petrol varient. (Pd130)