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Buying a Bora - Help needed from experts
Hi,
I'm obviously new to the site and, like most people, I joined because I need a bit of help. I'm looking to buy an early-2000's Bora. I know most people on here are Golf GTI fans (so am I) and you will see the Bora as a bit pedestrian, but I'm looking to pay cash for the car, don't want to go into debt, I do heaps of km's for work and would destroy resale value on a new GTI within 2 years.
My main requirements are reliability and economy, so I've been looking at V5 Bora's - but would consider the V6 4-motion if it was the right price. I know all cars have their problems, I'm not looking for a car that never needs maintenance, just one that will hit 200,00kms without needing 4 new transmissions and 3 engine rebuilds. I went to DogandLemon.com.au to see if the site would give me ideas on what to look for, but the guy who writes the reviews is a flog. He disagreed with the rest of the world on VW's reliability record and, rather then telling buyers what to look for, advised to steer away from VW's altogether and buy a Japanese car. Having previously owned a Subaru Outback - which was the most unreliable car I've ever owned - I'd argue with his logic, whether he's a mechanic or not! My current car is a Supercharged Calais - the second least reliable car I've ever owned - so the bar isn't set high, a Bora that starts will probably make me smile.
Anybody got any idea what I should be looking for in V5's and V6 4-Motions - I'd like a manual and will be searching for a 100k-120k example with service history and would pay up to $14k. Are 6 or 7 year old 4-Motions getting a bit long in the tooth to bother with? Are parts easily available? Any red flags or common problems? The Knob-Jockey at dogandlemon suggested steering-racks, clutches and engine mounts (as well a vague and unhelpful reference "the electrics") were common faults, but he also said Subaru's were reliable, so he's already confirmed that he's FOS.
I think that's probably enough of a novel for now - any advice gratefully received. ~Woo
I'm obviously new to the site and, like most people, I joined because I need a bit of help. I'm looking to buy an early-2000's Bora. I know most people on here are Golf GTI fans (so am I) and you will see the Bora as a bit pedestrian, but I'm looking to pay cash for the car, don't want to go into debt, I do heaps of km's for work and would destroy resale value on a new GTI within 2 years.
My main requirements are reliability and economy, so I've been looking at V5 Bora's - but would consider the V6 4-motion if it was the right price. I know all cars have their problems, I'm not looking for a car that never needs maintenance, just one that will hit 200,00kms without needing 4 new transmissions and 3 engine rebuilds. I went to DogandLemon.com.au to see if the site would give me ideas on what to look for, but the guy who writes the reviews is a flog. He disagreed with the rest of the world on VW's reliability record and, rather then telling buyers what to look for, advised to steer away from VW's altogether and buy a Japanese car. Having previously owned a Subaru Outback - which was the most unreliable car I've ever owned - I'd argue with his logic, whether he's a mechanic or not! My current car is a Supercharged Calais - the second least reliable car I've ever owned - so the bar isn't set high, a Bora that starts will probably make me smile.
Anybody got any idea what I should be looking for in V5's and V6 4-Motions - I'd like a manual and will be searching for a 100k-120k example with service history and would pay up to $14k. Are 6 or 7 year old 4-Motions getting a bit long in the tooth to bother with? Are parts easily available? Any red flags or common problems? The Knob-Jockey at dogandlemon suggested steering-racks, clutches and engine mounts (as well a vague and unhelpful reference "the electrics") were common faults, but he also said Subaru's were reliable, so he's already confirmed that he's FOS.
I think that's probably enough of a novel for now - any advice gratefully received. ~Woo
I'd love one!!)
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