Another buy advice~

[talktokeith]

Hi all,

I'm starting a new job as cabling field technician, and it will be my first time buying a van!

I've seen Hiace and iLoad on the road most of the time, but due to the height of my carport (in a block of units), I need to get a smaller van -_-, since my old 05 golf still going strong I'm considering a used Caddy maxi, probably something between 2009-2013, under 200,000km, with 15k budget roughly(after a quick look on carsale a Hiace will cost more).

The most important thing to me is reliability, being a tdi (manual) owner I have some sort of confident on the golf, AFAIK caddy is a cousin I'm guessing the caddy would be very similar? Is there any common reliability problem in the 09-13 made?

I'd love to drive an automatic, although it's not a must, I've heard some DSG issues several years ago, does it affect the 09-13 models?

Anything I should pay attention to when looking for an used caddy? And how's the service/part cost like? I guess it's easier/less tricky than a golf?

Is there any cabling technician(Telstra/nbn/foxtel/optus) out there driving a Caddy? Do you think it's size is good enough for the job? Especially mounting the 7m fiber glass ladder on the roof!

With a 1.6 diesel, will it be a bit under power? It seems there's not much 2.0 around .....

I know most of you guys would love caddy as much as I love my golf! But hopefully I can get some unbiased opinion from here

Sorry for throwing out so many questions ....thanks in advance!!

[feenix74]

My daily drive is a 2011 Caddy Life TDI people mover, while the 2007 Golf Mk5 TDI is my wife's daily.

2011 was the facelift model, the 1.6l TDI has done well for us. We bought it new, are up to 163,000 km and still going strong. Only mechanical problem we have had was the original water pump that started leaking but it was fixed under warranty. Wife and I hated the DSG on the test drive so we got a manual. We dodged a bullet as a result, the 2011 Caddy had the dodgy 7 speed dry clutch DSG which has given all DSGs a bad name. The DSGs also require an extra servicing every 60,000 km which adds to your operating costs.

My maintenance staff at work run a fleet of Toyota Hiace vans, I would love to see us convert to VW Caddy Maxi vans but the numbers do not add up (the resale on the Hiaces are too good and the cost of all new fitouts to suit the Caddy Maxi kills finance numbers for us). The Caddy has a much better driving position and is much easier to get into and out of than the Hiace, handling dynamics are much better and you have an engine and crumple zone in front of you in the case of a head-on accident. The 1.6l TDI is ok performance wise but never going to win any drag races. It is more economical compared to the petrol Hiaces, Toyota specify a 6 monthly/10,000 km service interval while VW has a 12 monthly/15,000 km service interval. The 2.0l TDI was only available with the DSG in the Caddy Maxi Life but not sure if that is the case with the Caddy Maxi van. The earlier 2009-2010 Caddy had the older 1.9l TDI motor which my VW specialist mechanic says is absolutely bulletproof (he has serviced examples with over 300,000 km on them with no mechanical issues). I am not so sure about the latter generation 1.6l TDI, I do not believe it is as bullet-proof as the older 1.9l TDI but I will be happy if I am proven wrong. The 1.6l TDI is much smoother and more modern an engine than the 1.9l TDI engine however it is one of the diesel-gate engines.

Many of the mechanical parts on the Caddy are shared with the Polo and the Golf so servicing costs are comparable. The main difference mechanically is the rear suspension on a Caddy is leaf-spring so better at taking loads but the handling is not as good as a Golf (can get ordinary if you are lightly loaded and hit mid-corner bumps). My Caddy Life is currently shod in a set of VW OEM Lyon 15 inch mag wheels (the standard mag wheels you get for the Golf Mk7) if that give you an idea of how interchangeable the parts are between the Golf and the Caddy.

If you get a Caddy Maxi it should be long enough for you to get a 7 foot ladder on top with a tradie roof rack. I cannot comment on the interior space for your purposes as I am unfamiliar with your trade equipment requirements.

Good luck with your decision.

[talktokeith]

Thanks for your great review feenix! Very informative!

In couple weeks time I'll go to have some test drive~

BTW is there any good place in Melbourne eastern suburbs sell and install roof rack/storage unit etc?

[feenix74]

Glad to be of assistance, do not hesitate to ask if you have any more questions. Good luck and hopefully we can welcome you to the Caddy driver's club in future

I am a Canberran and originally a Sydneysider, so I cannot help you much with roof rack/storage places in Melbourne.

[Umai Naa!!]

Servicing wise, they're much the same as Polo and Golf of the time.

Basic service every 15K
Cabin filter every 30K
Air filter every 45K
Fuel filter every 60K
Timing belt and water pump every 105K

Parts and service prices are reasonable, but allow around $1200 to do the timing belt. Not very labour-intensive, but there's a lot of parts involved that need to be replaced.

[talktokeith]

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