Volkswagen Golf VII 5 doors since 2012 Hatchback test drive

$6500

This car, which gave its name to the whole class, lives already in the fourth generation. It is natural that the market has a lot of offers for the sale of used Golf III.
 
The golf class is hardly drawn to the role of the first car. But for that we are the Russians that we often do not like people. Machines of the BMW 850 or Mercedes CL 500 type are excessively expensive, and they attract even more attention. But when you need to get somewhere without attracting the attention of the population with xenon and dimensions, Volkswagen Golf III will be extremely useful. Golf has never been a second car. It was created to be the first in both literal and figuratively.
ENGINE. The most common engines in the third Golf family have a volume of 1.6 and 1.8 and are equipped with monovxics. With normal operation, regular oil replacement (every 10 thousand kilometers) and the use of high-quality gasoline (A-93 and A-95), no problems even occur with a mileage of more than 150 thousand kilometers. However, attention should be paid to the engine cooling system. The cooling pipes are connected to the engine through plastic adapters, in which small cracks can form over time. Check if there are subteids under the pipes. It is worth remembering that overheating of the engine leads to expensive repair of the block head, and regularly check the coolant level.
The engine oil seals and gearboxes are extremely rare. Since the real mileage of the machine is sometimes very difficult to install, do not be too lazy to replace the timing belt ($ 33) of its service life of 90 thousand km. The break of the belt entails a meeting of valves and pistons and a repair of many hundreds of conventional units. At the same time, check the condition of the tension roller to have a backlash or make sounds.
BODY. In our conditions (winter, snow, salt), anxiety about rust is natural. However, all Golf III is very racks for corrosion. Nevertheless, going to the car, look carefully if there are brown spots or swelling of the paint. Keep in mind that corrosion is most likely a consequence of the accident: the car was bat and painted. There is a legend that three letters Z in the VIN-Nomer mean the presence of galvanizing. And if they are not in the numbers of cars from Mexico, then this indicates its absence. Nonsense. All third -generation Golf are galvanized.
SUSPENSION. Golf III suspension provides a little problem. Balls are reliable and serve for a long time. Details of the steering mechanism and steering rack are also rarely reminded of themselves. The springs are quite rigid and make life easier for shock absorbers, but the condition of the latter is easy to check: if, after a strong press, the body swing several times shock absorbers time to change. Original shock absorbers, oil, front in $ 122, rear $ 84.
Problems of the owner are often delivered by the rear silent blocks of the front levers ($ 23). It is not necessary to change the whole lever of the silent blocks are sold separately. Changing failed should be original. They are more reliable. And although the non -original part is much cheaper, its service life can be only 10 thousand kilometers.
Another weak place rubber bushings ($ 4) and racks ($ 42) of stabilizers. When removing the levers, the stabilizer racks often burst. The condition of these parts is checked by an easy shock of the stabilizer. At the same time, neither in the bushings or in the racks of the stabilizer should be free.
Wheel bearings do not last long on our roads. Both the front and the rear. If a characteristic rumble is heard at a speed of about 80 km/h, get ready to pay $ 86 for the front and $ 63 for the rear. Replacement on the company service will cost $ 65. The only place to pay attention to the rear suspension, silent blocks of the beam.
Brakes. There are no special problems with brakes. If the rear brakes are drum, pay attention to the leak of the cylinders. In some cases, on the back of the drum there is a plaque from the current brake fluid. The effectiveness of the rear drum brake mechanism is checked through the handbrake. If the handbrake rises to more than 3-4 clicking adjustment.
Golf III is a reliable machine, not without reason it is so popular all over the world. Operation costs are small, and most of its rare breakdowns can be corrected by the owner independently or on a small service. The likelihood of hijacking is already small in demand for the new Golf IV. And with spare parts of problems there are no majority of supplies and suspension parts are available. Another plus: a huge selection of non -original spare parts. They are almost always significantly cheaper, although they can also inferior to the original as the quality and durability. In addition, Golf III is the most popular model for tuning in Europe. Not a single car is offered so many all kinds of spoilers, linings, wheel and brake discs of larger diameter, direct -flow muffles, sports shock absorbers and springs, stretch marks and other near -sports attributes, as for Golf III.
 
Text Ivan Illesh, photo Alexei Ilyin, drawing Vladimir Belov
 

Source: "Autopilot"