Volkswagen Golf - 2000 Reviews

Volkswagen Golf - 2000 — 

I've previously written a review of my '86 Golf GTI which I compared to this, my current car,and thought I should write a separate review of this (2000 Golf GLS 4-Door Hatchback) which I'll undoubtedly compare to the GTI (as well as my old '78 Scirocco).I have the 4-door GLS version of the Golf, which is the only 4-door Golf offered in model year 2000...it has the "luxury package" which I think is now standard, which has the sunroof and alloy wheels, both of which I think I could do without. In 2000 they actually offered 3 different engine choices for this car, I bought the 2.0 litre gas 4-cylinder engine, which is probably the most common due to low purchase cost, but gets belittled all the time due to its modest power. They also offered a 1.8 litre turbo gas model (1.8 T) and a 1.9 litre turbo diesel model; these have their fans, but for me I think I still did well choosing the 2.0 litre in the long run...the turbo diesel undoubtedly is known for its great fuel economy (VW currently doesn't sell a diesel model; supposedly there is one being offered in 2009 that handles the low-sulphur diesel fuel)...however, I don't drive mega-miles that normally justifies the higher purchase price and higher maintenance costs associated with the diesel. The 1.8T would have been a nice addition of power, at the expense of having to run premium fuel (I think it gets about the same gas mileage as the 2.0 but has more power from the premium fuel) but also has the complexities associated with the turbo...I do most of the work on my cars, and didn't think I wanted the added complexity of the turbo.The 2000 Golf seems almost luxurious compared to my '86 GTI, though the GTI is the higher-line car (as it was in 1986)...a big part of that is the quietness, it seems like a much more substantial car than the 1986 model. The flip side of this is weight, and the 2000 Golf weighs almost 3000 pounds, some 700 more than I think the '86 GTI did, so the 2000 Golf with about the same horsepower as the '86 GTI seems quite a bit more sluggish, mostly on the highway. The gearing is such, however, that around town it seems to have quite a bit of pep, at the expense of highway cruising...it runs pretty high RPMs at highway speeds due to this gearing (could use a 6 or 7th gear to minimize this). It gets slightly less fuel economy around town than the '86 GTI; I average about 28 MPG (30 if I drive carefully), but the highway fuel economy is actually better (probably due to better aerodynamics; I can get 36 or 37 MPG on the highway vs about 35 highway on the GTI, and maybe 32 or 33 around town. But the GTI being 700 pounds lighter always seemed to have much more spirited acceleration than the Golf.The Golf is very roomy, as was the GTI, and actually has slightly more storage space in the trunk (it is rated at 18 cubic feet, it looks smaller, but actually you can fit "taller" stuff inside).The passenger accommodation is about the same, but curiously the Golf seems smaller than the GTI did, I think a lot of this is due to the lack of airbags on the old '86 GTI which made the front cabin seem much more spacious. Also, the control layout in the '86 I think was better than the 2000 (though less conventional)...instead of the radio down low in a center stack, it sat high in the dash in the '86 model. Both models are pretty roomy compared to the Jetta and even more the new Beetle, but if you need rear seat space for larger adults, you'd probably prefer the Passat.The Golf seems to continue in the VW tradition of being durable, but not particularly reliable. Don't expect this car to be an appliance that you just drive, and gives no problems. The problems might be weird and small, but do need attention. A common example of this is the window regulator problem experienced by most people with power windows in this model...I had no choice when I bought my car in 2000 (later they offered a lower trim model in 4 doors without power windows) so I got power windows, but due to a parts problem, the windows can fall into the doors...VW now warrants them for 7 years, but you still have to take it to the dealer for attention...there have been several other recalls on this car, some small, but seems like a lot of them for one model. Of course I've only owned the car 8 years but I expect it to be as durable as my previous VW models and last a long time (but requiring regular attention and maintenance to achieve that)...in my book, that's OK, but for some people who want a car requiring no attention, this isn't that kind of car.I've had weird problems with dash warning lights going on for the seat mounted airbags, and also the check-engine light for the MAF sensor (another weak point in this car, the MAF sensor was yet another recall item, they fail quite regularly)...I used a scan tool I got from "ROSS-TECH" to reset the codes, which seem to appear quite frequently; I'd recommend having this tool if you plan to avoid taking it to the dealer to reset the codes as they appear.I'm planning on replacing the water pump and timing belt (which is a pain in this car since you have to remove the left motor mount to remove the timing belt)...but since the timing belt also drives the water pump and the water pump is known to break apart due to use of plastic impeller vs steel, it is good preventative maintenance. Another weird problem is that the shift mechanism seems to need to be tightened quite often, the shift weight becomes loose and the manual transmission shift precision suffers unless re-tightened.It probably sounds like I don't like this car, but on the contrary, it suits me very well, I only had very high expectations based on my experience with my 1986 GTI, so some of the items proved to be more of a problem on the 2000 car, but in reality, I also did quite a few procedures on the 1986.I'd buy this car if you want very good fuel economy (on regular gas) combined with very good ability to haul pretty large items (not a pickup truck but amazing cargo sizes can often be accommodated). It also can seat 4 people (especially if the ones in the rear have shorter legs). I think it is a more practical choice than the Jetta or the new Beetle, but isn't particularly common sight on the streets (except with other practical-minded people)...butI think if you are of this mind, you would enjoy owning this model.