Buying a mk5 for a daily

[AUC-05L]

Hi all, I'm starting to do my reasearch for a mk5 daily most likely a diesel....

can anyone direct me to a thread that mentions all the differences between trim levels? tendline/ comfortline/ sportline....

Also what's a good amount of km's for either the 1.9L or 2.0L?

Anything I should look out for in particular?

Any help is greatly appreciated

Cheers
John

[poyta]

Hi all, I'm starting to do my reasearch for a mk5 daily most likely a diesel....

can anyone direct me to a thread that mentions all the differences between trim levels? tendline/ comfortline/ sportline....

Also what's a good amount of km's for either the 1.9L or 2.0L?

Anything I should look out for in particular?

Any help is greatly appreciated

Cheers
John

Dont forget there's also a GT in a diesel.

[AUC-05L]

the GT isnt in my budget only looking to spend around the 15k mark.

Also are the Automatics any good? reliable? or should i go for the manual?

This is just for a, good, comfortable daily, i own another car for thrills.

[Bizi]

Diesel and DSG go together like butter and a hot knife!
2.0L is a much more modern and tuneable engine than the old 1.9L. There are plenty of existing threads which you could likely find via search, but the bottom line is that the 2.0 TDI is the best choice.

Jetta TDIs might fall into your range if you are lucky. Many had a good life, not abused, 'overserviced and underdriven' according to a recent glowing drive.com.au used car review (worth searching for that thread too ).

Jetta gets the top end interior upgrades and sometimes xenon headlights. Likely to have had a more mature owner than some Golfs, so potentially an easier life.

Whatever you decide, try to get one with a full VW service history.

One like mine, which has the VW extended new car warranty and all of the potential trouble spots fixed under warranty, would be your ideal.

[hooba]

There are plenty of existing threads which you could likely find via search, but the bottom line is that the 2.0 TDI is the best choice.

I agree with most of what Bizi said, however I'm not so sure about the above given the following:

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f28/103kw-125kw-tdi-pd-piezo-siemens-injector-failure-thread-54215.html

The 2.0 TDI does pin you back and go harder, but the 1.9 TDI doesn't leave you wanting for more torque or go as a daily driver. The 1.9L has enough herbs to keep things interesting and no known major problems (happy to be corrected on this).

If you are going for a DSG, check that it has had the 60K km service.

Avoid the Trendline and see if your budget will allow you to stretch to at least a comfortline.

[AUC-05L]

good info guys, keep it coming.

how reliable is the DSG, can't help but think the 6 speed manual would be easier and cheaper to repair is something goes wrong.

Whats the difference in the trim levels? ie what toys do you get in the comfortline that you dont get in the trendline?

thanks for the tip about the jetta, will look into it.

Cheers

[Greg Roles]

Siemens injectors are ONLY in the 125kw GT/Passat etc cars. 103kw TDI has a Bosch system and is immune from this particular failure occurance. Plus Bosch sell individual spare parts for injectors whereas Siemens don't.

DSG sounds great new, but as it is an expensive bit of kit, secondhand, well I would think it's a lot less attractive. The manual diesel is a busy situation in start stop traffic, but it's a LOT less complex and easier to maintain. Also, DSG isn't everyones cup of tea, personally I don't like it at all, even when I'm changing umpteen gears to get to 100kph. Good for straight line drags though.

Not sure on the differences, but obviously the best bet is to look on redbook.com.au and check out the various years and trims, plus it gives you a rough guide as to the going price.

[phaeton]

Hello AUC05L

We have two Mk5s in our fleet my Mother runs a Golf TDI Comfortline and I have a Jetta 2.0L FSI both manual.

Golf
-good size all round for parking and accessibility etc
-Comfortline is the spec to get if you don't want sports focused suspension and comes with cruise control, alloy wheels, coming home lights, multifunction steering wheel.
-1.9 TDI is the understated engine in the Mk5 range its great on fuel economy if your after that and has enough power if your coming from a Golf Mk1.
-only minus point is 4 year interval on timing belt changes (make sure this has been done when buying)

Jetta
-being based on the Golf does not mean its the same size, its rear is bigger and I definitely feel the difference coming from the Golf to Jetta and washing it
-Jetta is a value for many car IMO and comes with the Comfortline features plus multifunction display (MFD), rear parking sensors and reverse dip mirrors.
-2.0L FSI is a nice drive fuel economy fine for size of vehicle I get between 7.5L-8.5L (on the MFD) around town.
-only minus point is 4 year interval on timing belt changes (make sure this has been done when buying)