please help - questions before buying Golf V GTi

[satz]

Hi all
brand new to this forum, but I hope someone might please help me out regarding a few questions about the 2007-2009 model. I'm looking at buying within a couple of weeks...

1. where is the intercooler on the Golf V GTI?

2. are the build problems (eg AC, etc) equally bad on the German built 3-door and on the South Africa built 5 door models?

3. when does the timing belt need to be done?

4. on the 3-door, does the door edge close flush with the rear window edge (in terms of how much it protrudes from the car) ? The car I'm looking at has a noticeable gap (as in away from the car) compared to the rear window edge.

many thanks

[isaw]

1. in the front bumper. infront of the rad if i remeber..
2. people say there are less rattles in the 3drs, but from what i've seen its the same. the aircon is a problem fo units before a certain date. see mygti.com for info o it
3. 4 years or 120k. alot of people end up getting it done at 60km just to be safe. although it shoudn't need doing.
4. check to see if its been in a accident, might be a telltale sign something is wrong. look at another 3dr and see if it has the same issue.

[satz]

Thanks isaw,

that's fantastic info!

i couldn't see any signs of accident damage on the 3-door, so i was curious what causes the door alignment problem. Seen it also on the driver's door on a 5-door. It's bad enough that you could see that the rubber seal on top of the door didn't meet the body

cheers

S