v5 Mk4 Bora reliable for wife as a daily

[blackers10]

yeah the R33 is going to blitz almost anything smaller without a turbo, especially without a manual.
from the reviews and specs the V5 gets 0-100 in 9-10 seconds?

[dylan8]

hmmm, would have thought it would have been a bit quicker then that, but not sure

[WhO]

Can't say i'm the biggest fan of the V5's tbh. Fiancé's sister has one and it's been a bit of a problem child. Admittedly issues are possible with any car but this one has had many of the common mk4 problems. Things that have gone wrong:

Window Regulators... all of them.
A/C
Alternator Regulator
Solenoids in the Gearbox (which vw wanted 5k to fix but I just got the parts from the US for $450 and did it myself)
Fuel Pump x2
Coil packs
A few other odds and ends.

Must've been a Friday afternoon build. Although its had more than its share of issues at the same time its a comfortable, nice car to drive. It's not the quickest thing in the world, but I'd say the gearbox is responsible for that. The 5spd Auto isn't the sharpest item and it's tiptronic mode is quite slow to react. Fuel wise it gets around 11-12 L/100km which isn't spectacular but that is city only driving. I have a love hate relationship with it as it's a nice car but stock for stock I 110% preferred my 4mo. No way of convincing the better half to learn to drive manual?

[velly_16v_cab]

My wife uses a V5 auto as a daily drive. No real issues (PAS when we bought it which cost 1300 to fix!) and just sevicing.
Very heavy on fuel around town. 11-12 L/100 buy will get 8.5 on the run to Melbourne though.

Fine if you can get the car cheep, we paid 4k for ours with RWC and reg.

[pinchies]

I drive a 4cyl auto bora 03. It doesn't feel like a hyundai getz or anything else wimpy, but it feels only slightly more nippy than my parents 09 forester. I do find it less nippy with myself and my brother in the car up hills, but its never an issue that I would wish I had the v5's extra power for. Boot size is epic/massive, but rear seats lack leg room.

As for reliability, I don't think transmission problems are a common issue on a mk4 bora auto. I thought they were sealed and were not supposed to be serviced? What transmission servicing do people normally do and how often?

Regarding fuel economy, I normally manage to get around 10l/100km in moderate metro traffic - can get 9 if I'm really careful, but have managed to get 7.5l/100km on a 1 hr freeway trip to Dromana.

[blackers10]

thanks for that mate!

I pulled up at the lights today behind a black v6 Bora 4motion. the only thing that I thought looked strange is the head rests ? they have HUGE head rests?

sadly he accelerated like a grandma so that was a bit disappointing but they certainly look nice overall. the pumped guards from factory really suit the current style that is popular with stance fitment yo wheels haha

[dylan8]

open or closed headrests?
I swapped my seats to the later closed ones and they are much nicer

[blackers10]

the big open ones that you can see through.

[blackers10]

How do people go with baby seats in the Bora's??
we had a look at one that was parked on the side of the road for sale and the rear leg room is amazingly small haha
was a 2.0 for $3200 in the dark blue and cloth interior

[CamYoung]

I have 2 x baby seats in back of my 4 mo. The upright one is fine for the 5 year old, I do have to have my drivers seat slightly forward though but not too bad. The main issue is the rear wood facing seat for the 9 month old. Front passenger seat has to be right forward and my wife is pretty cramped in the front. At the end of the day it's only a small golf sized car, not a bombadore!