Portent

Because it's a 9 year old mk4 Golf that's heavy on petrol :) They offered £2k for it which probably isn't too bad considering those factors. I think I'll get the next service etc done on it and then look to sell privately at some point... if I sell. I'm tempted by a mk5 R32 and they seem to be in better overall condition than the GTI's. They have a feel about them that I'm sure will make them a classic in the future. But I'd simply be moving from one car with high running costs to another with high running costs. For example the tax is nearly £500 a year and the petrol is even worse than my 4Mo :) I do absolutely love them though. I'm not mad on the E30 seats as they look a bit garish. The Pirelli seats might sound horrible with the tyre tread on them but I like the black microfibre centres which are visually more subtle agains the rest of the black interior. I think, if I do change then it would have to be an E30 or Pirelli simply because of the uprated suspension and engine. The Pirtelli is likely to hold its money better. With only 222 cars imported to the country it's a little like Storms holding their money better.

[video=youtube_share;ovIyy-j0Ui0]http://youtu.be/ovIyy-j0Ui0

Yep the E30 and Pirelli have a slightly different engine to standard GTI's. I've heard it's a detuned version of the S3 engine and good for 300bhp with a simple remap. It was good to test drive them though and they felt much more urgent and sporty than my 4Mo. IU've never tried them before and they certainly felt like a GTI rather than a cruiser. They reminded me of my old mk2 16v in character. But it didn't feel significantly faster than either my 4mo or VR. I'm absolutely sure it is but it didn't feel it, probably because it is much more modern. I do like them and will probably get one at some point. I'm just not sure if this Pirelli is the right one though as it felt unloved. If the condition was better then I probably would go for it. And if I don't find something in the next couple of weeks then I'll simply be keeping the 4mo for another year due to the service and a few other items that I'm going to get done. The trade in value of the 4mo was, as I expected, **** poor :) It's basically worthless despite being in significantly better condition than anything I've see over the last few days :D

Leaky sunroof drain? Leaky under bonnet heater air vent? Heater matrix? Unlikely in this weather of course. Blocked drain in the door? Mark, any idea why out broke down?

Blue Storm in the A3 just now at 4pm heading towards London direction. I was the loon in the mine Golf giving you a big thumbs up and the kids grinning out the side windows. Sounded great as you gave it beans :)

Yeah but I like the tyre tread seats :)

I test drove a mk5 GTI Pirelli edition today and I must say I quite liked it as a possible replacement for the 4Mo. I've looked at a few mk5's recently and while it probably will be the car I get (if I change), they didn't feel in any way special. However the Pirelli was very nice indeed and I'm quite tempted. Does anyone have experience of the Pirelli and does it justify the extra cost over an Edition 30? It seems priced around £1k higher. The only differences between the models appears to be different wheels and unique tyre tread pattern seats (and a limited run of about 222 cars I think). Not sure if I'm going to change cars as the trade in for the 4Mo is laughable and driving back home it still felt fantastic. Unfortunately the car seems a little unloved with a myriad of scratches, a hole in the seat bolster, kerbed alloys (which the dealer has just refurbed) and three different tyres on the 4 alloys. The dealer said he could get the scratches and bolster fixed so it would be almost invisible. But will the scratches come back in a year of two? I'm shocked at how poorly people treat their cars. This was a 4 year old 26k mile car. And it's not unusual. Several that I've looked at are in similar condition. My 2003 4Mo is in far better cosmetic condition. Why do people treat such an expensive purchase so badly?

I'll have some of whatever the OP is drinking:drinking:

I saw this pop up too and tried it. Quite impressed but the Swype entry on my Samsung Galaxy Note is quite a lot more accurate than Handwrite. Nice to see it though.

I'll take the leather door handles. Payment by bank transfer? If so please could you pm me bank details. Thanks.

Looks like I have a couple of good ones if needed. Let me know if ollies don't work for any reason.

Ive got some 5 stud speedlines with tyres in the garage. They came with the car when i bought it last year but im not aure how legal the tread is. One is bound to be ok though. I will check tonight when back from work. KT10 postcode so not too far.

Thanks. I assume it needs an adapter for the Corrado though as they are different Ports aren't they?

Would this work on mk4, mk5 and mk6 golfs? I assume it doesn't work on corrados?

March 2001 until early 2006 is indeed the CO2 tax bands but they are capped to band K. After 2006 the cap is removed so R32's etc are very expensive. Because it's capped at band K I pay £270 for 12 months. Mine is 2003 (53 reg). 61,000 miles. I'm the second owner, bought it at 6 months old with 12k on the clock, it was previously a VW demonstrator. Full VAG s/h (due a service now) 5 door. Indigo blue. Winter pack (heated leather seats, headlight washers, auto rain sensitive wipers). Sports pack (Santa Monica alloys and slightly uprated factory suspension although no idea how much better it is). Uprated factory audio (amp, 6x CD, DSP and audio controls on the four spoke steering wheel). Climate control (think this is standard?) Auto dimming rear view mirror (not sure if that's standard?) Cruise control. Garaged since 2008. Some very poor phone pics taken ages ago... http://www.ajb.nildram.co.uk/pictures/IMAG0114.jpg http://www.ajb.nildram.co.uk/pictures/IMAG0118.jpg The point above about the soft touch plastics is valid. Mine has a few marks on the rear ash tray where the kids have occasionally put their feet and also a few marks by the ignition barrel where they are covered a sort of rubberised paint. The standard alloys might be a better bet too as the Santa Monica's are prone to water affecting the laquered surface. If you're not insured then technically you can't test drive another (private) car for sale. So (legally) testing any car will be a challenge. If you're interested in any cars that happen to be close to me then I could pop along and take a look first if that's any help.

Funny enough I'm trying to decide whether to sell mine and move to a mk5 GTI as my wife would like a newer shape car. But I've owned it for 8 years so I think I probably know my way around them :) I really do think they are underrated. Like all mk4's however the stock handling is not great (can be fixed with after market mods or to some extent with the optional factory uprated suspension like mine). Mine has been a great car for almost everything. I have found little to complain about and it's my daily (I have a wife and two young kids so it has served as a family car and still entertained me before I got the Corrado). Positives * They are great motorway cruisers and A road machines. * Very comfortable. * Much more low down torque than the Corrado VR6 (the 24v engine really is better than the 12v for modern driving). * Haldex 4wd is great in the snow and wet. I really love it. Feels very secure. * It is a superb all rounder. * Great build quiality. * Mine has been fantastically reliable. Not sure if they all are but mine has been. * Fantastic grip. * Understated... not that much slower than an R32 but looks like a standard Golf. * Sounds great although much quieter than an R32. The standard exhaust sounds quiet and isn't too intrusive on the motorway but still has a nice note to it at higher revs. * Much more modern than a Corrado; good visibility, good ride, good lights, parts are easy to source, etc. Negatives * The mk4 wasn't VW's finest hour for handling so it wallows a little (but great grip as stated). * Heavy on petrol (mine averages near 30mpg on a long run but much less on short journeys). * They are cheap now so falling into the hands of people who abuse them. * The Haldex reduces the size of the boot. I still managed to get a push chair in there though. Things That Have Gone Wrong On Mine 1) Needed a new battery. But that's to be expected over 8 years so doesn't really count. 2) A radiator hose split (but I think that was related to my wife damaging it rather than any actual fault). 3) Advisory last year on rear suspension bushes wearing... this does seem to be a common fault. 4) Faulty boot light. 5) Petrol gauge very occasionally shows full when at 3/4 of a tank (seems to be a common issue and caused by the sensor in the tank so an easy fix). And that's in in 8 years... Obviously I can't vouch for all the other 4Mo's but it seems a pretty small list for the age of the car so they can't be that unreliable. Servicing Every 12k/1 year if not on long life servicing. Up to 20k/2 years if on long life servicing. Haldex oil needs replacing every 20k. Haldex filter needs replacing every 40k (although to be honest I'd suggest doing it every 20k with the oil). I'm in Surrey so not exactly local but not a million miles away either. If you'd like to take a drive in mine then you're welcome to (assuming youre insured on other cars). I'm not trying to sell it to you as I haven't even decided if I want to sell yet (and it's 5 door so doubt you'd be looking for that). But it would give you a reasonable idea of what a well looked after example is like.

Well done so far. My passenger wing mirror had a similar problem when I bought my car. It turned out to be the mechanism behind the glass that was broken. There are some plastic brackets which get moved by the motor, and then the glass clips onto them. In my case I was able to superglue the mechanism and it works fine now. It's hard to describe but if you pop the glass off then it should be fairly obvious.

I chuffing love all of them :)

Well done on an excellent buy :)

It's looking suspicious... EDIT: Ah, just read Goldies thread. End of an era :(

Sorry guys, slight delay as I've been on holiday. Will try to order my one sample this week if I get time. Will then look at a GB if all goes smoothly.

Well the way I see it is you have several choices: 1) Sell it and not mention the damage. 2) Price up the work to get it fixed and then either sell it fixed or not fixed after deciding which route will put you at the least financial loss. 3) Price up the work only for the essentials and get that done but be strict and don't do other work until the house is bought. 4) Break it. I know from experience that a house is a money pit too. So if the house is the priority in your life right now then my advice would probably be to sell it or break it and get a cheap but reliable non-performance car of some kind (e.g. an old focus, etc, that would be cheap to fix if it breaks). But it depends what you want of a car right now. If you really want a car to spend time and enthusiasm on then you may as well fix it and enjoy it. Otherwise put the house saving as the priority and offload the car in the best financial route possible (which will probably be to break it).

Good price that :)

I think I had one a couple of weeks ago that I'd forgotted about. When a van pulled up behind me at some lights and the two occupents leaned forward right to their windscreen and were excitedly pointing down at the rear of my car while grinning at each other. I think they were trying to see which model it was but they did look rather happy for some reason.

I'd suggest getting a list of all the urgent things that need doing and then getting a few quotes. Once you have those then you'll know whether it's worth continuing with this car. I would guess, though, that with a few tuning parts on it then it migh be worth more by breaking it. Sorry I didn't come back on the Schrick advert previously but I've been away recently and also trying to decide what I'm doing with my other car (and therefore what funds I have). Good luck and sorry to hear you're having a nightmare.