Anyone Have a Mk4 GL, Cl etc, give me some feedback on your experience? servicing etc

[jamie88]

hey guys
i currently own a mk5 tdi, but due to some debts and uni and employment issues I'm selling her. it is paid off, however i feel its not feasible to keep her, when i could sell her and have 4-5 k in the bank as a back up fund. as opposed to the 0 i have now, living week to week
now I've found a mk4 gl thats local, lowered with 18's, 180k
other than the timing belt coming up soon, which I'm aware of the costs,
is there any other things i should be keeping an eye out for.
Yes id love a gti or something similar, but the idea is to get out of debt, not get a car that ill pour money into. i simply want to forget how much i love cars, and drive one until income and circumstances get a little better.

[lhennessy]

how much you after on the mk5?

[jamie88]

i have 11 on it, but negotiable

[Cookie28]

I've got a bora with the 2.0 (is the GL a 2.0??) and its a pretty great car, it gets about 5-600 kms a tank and I drive in traffic to school a fair bit, it doesn't drink oil and hasn't left me stranded once it's not the greatest car but it's pretty darn good that's for sure

[craig_the_german]

If you are looking at MKIV GL 1.6L manual, make sure you check the gearbox. Reverse gear is a known weak point.

[jamie88]

Hey it's actually a gle 2litre manual.

[RolfGolf]

Hey it's actually a gle 2litre manual.

The 2 is a solid engine and the gearbox is pretty well matched to it - it's not a rocket, but it's not as slow as some on here like to think.

You'll notice a difference in fuel economy coming from a diesel - the most I've gotten is almost 700 kms on a tank and I'm not sure how I did that, though I got about 687 kms the other week, so maybe it's just an engine-age thing.

The 2 has been known to drink oil, though as long as you keep an eye on your oil level you should be okay. Mine goes through about a litre between services.

Modding-wise, there's not a lot out there for the 2 in kit form/ bolt on mods - that's why people say you can't do anything to them. We all know you won't be modding the car in any way, shape or form anyway ...

Coming from a mk5, you'll notice the difference in the chassis which is not as firm as the mk5, and the finish of the interior. The mk4 interior finish was all soft touch plastics which peel over time. I'm currently in the middle of re-spraying mine and recommend Krylon Fusion Flat Black for the task - otherwise, just scrape it off.

Look for one with a good service history - (timing belt and water pump changed etc.), check the A/C / heater, electrics etc. scan for fault codes if you can and you should be right.

Best Wishes.