These cars rate (with me and lots of others) as one of the nicest driving experiences ever..... and it's all down to torque and the way it's delivered. I just love driving this car , and it's one of the quickest things over a long twisty A to B that I have ever driven ... and that includes my semi recently departed 2.4 E. They are only rated at 130bhp , and the 0 to 60 time is not impressive on paper - but you need to take a drive in one to find out for yourself. Couple this with low insurance , tax , and general running costs as well as a real 50+ mpg average ... everyone should have one.
OK : My car : Late 2004 , one previous owner , heading towards 115K miles , Original and not messed with , no accident damage , no paintwork done ever , Full (very full) service history - records of every litre of fuel used since new (sad - I know) ... the previous owner was as bad as me ! , hand books , service book , spare key , receipts .... etc etc. The only non original item is some sort of Gadget to plug your Ipod into. Recently serviced - semi recent replacement items include : Radiator , Battery , and two new rear brake calipers , and 4 quality tyres. Uses no oil between changes and has been 100% reliable.
True story : I went and test drove a 2007 model (one of the nice blue ones) which had 50k miles on it (half of ours at the time)- fancied the colour and the nice black seats .... it looked lovely. I went about 5 miles and gave it back - suggesting the owner took ours for a drive. "what's wrong ?" said the seller. Brakes , suspension , and engine noises I told him ....... he came back in 10 mins ... hmm ... I see what you mean !!
Asking price is a slightly high £2,750 ono ... there are lots cheaper out there ... there are also lots more expensive (one dealer asking about £4250 or something presently for an 04 car !) I think these will be like nice original Mk1 GTI Golfs in a few years time ... where could you find one ? (for a sensible price)
Negatives : The Interior - specifically the seats . Who thought that was a good colour to have seat material ?? . I have not tried professional cleaning on them - but that would be the way to go. Cam belt change due at 140K , and the wheels could do with a tidy up - not badly kerbed , just suffering from old age. Body wise : a couple of marks on it - nothing I would fix , photies should pick up.
