mk4 golf gti or tdi?

ro1798

just looking for opinions on either of these cars, pros and cons etc...

thanks

ronan

Mr. Presentable

I suppose it's down to what you want from it. My TDI is coming up on 300,000km, so reliability is strong in it. Wouldn't be a rocket, though.

ro1798

yea was thinking a 130pd tdi or a 1.8t gti...

tossy

ro1798 wrote: »

yea was thinking a 130pd tdi or a 1.8t gti...

Both are pretty bullet proof engines if the have been well looked after,i would be remapping which ever one i got,the both need a remap to bring the best out of them esp the 130pd.

Economically the TDI wins out,tax is pretty much the same,from a driving point of view though the 1.8T wins hands down,great engine esp if remapped.

I don't know your mindest towards motoring but these cars need a lot of upgrade work esp in the suspension department to make them a decent handling/drivers car.

If you do decide on a 1.8T i would look at S3's or leon cupras as opposed to the golf.

Prefect_1998

drawn to vw's for some reason, have a mk1 gti, mk2 gti, standard mk3 and thought i would get some more comfort with the mk4..

can you point out some s3's what kind of money are they?

tossy

Get on auto trader,i would be gonig to the UK for an S3,greater choice and most Irish ones are very rough and over priced.

Search some of the enthusiasts forums like pistonheads,audi sport.net etc you are more likely to get a better example.

To be honest if i was on the hunt for a 1.8T VAG hot htch the golf would be last on the list behind the S3 and cupra R.

andysheehan2003

i bought an 03 130bhp tdi across the water last year. love it never had any bother with it ( although i have heard that the flywheels give trouble).
will keep up with anything on the road... i was told from a vw mechanic friend of mine that there isnt much difference between 130bhp and 150bhp... but the 150bhp are hard to keep tyres on so ive been told. there is plenty of choice on autotrader.co.uk pick one with all the toys, climate control, armrest, sports seats and suspension, genuine alloys etc. also try for one with lowish mileage ( mine only had 56k when i bought it )
look for a full service history ( mine had fsh with the timing belt and water pump just fitted )
great car, fast when you need it, and very economical aswell ( i reguarly get 45 - 50 mpg town driving )
hope this helps.....

stopped_clock

ro1798 wrote: »

just looking for opinions on either of these cars, pros and cons etc...

thanks

ronan

I've got the 1.8T GTi, my girlfriend has the 1.9 TDi so I've driven them both and imo they're totally different cars. Both have had mechanical issues, but nothing you wouldn't expect given the mileage and overall they've both been solid. (Not that you can tell much from anecdotal evidence.)

The usual differences between diesels and petrols apply and will probably be the biggest pro/con depending on your pov.

I'd also echo the above comments about what you want out of your car. The GTI is definitely quicker. I absolutely love the car. I haven't had it chipped and don't see the need. This isn't having a go at those who do - again depends what you want out of a car. The handling is grand too and the suspension is quite stiff, noticeably stiffer on the GTI than the TDI.

Personally, I find the GTI very enjoyable to drive. Maybe it's because I'm more willing to abuse my own car than the gf's... You can leave it in 2nd up to about 100kmh (should you feel the need), and there's great acceleration when overtaking, eg at 80kmh you can drop into 3rd and you're away. I'd be much cagier about doing the above in the TDI. The GTi CAN be quite economical but requires a bit of self-restraint.

The TDI is definitely much noisier, but that's to be expected, though there's not a huge difference at motorway speeds. It's also not a bad engine in its own right, but is definitely not as fast.

Another point about buying a MKIV is the amount of kit you get with it. The dashboard display changed in about 2000 with later cars giving more info. You'll also find a wide variety of options like aircon, leather seats etc. and I can't imagine there'd be a wide price difference these days...

Now I can't comment on other cars with the same engines etc, so I'm just looking at the Golfs.

stopped_clock

andysheehan2003 wrote: »

( although i have heard that the flywheels give trouble).

Actually, this is something I've heard as well. OH's has just been replaced...

Biro

danielle_door wrote: »

drawn to vw's for some reason, have a mk1 gti, mk2 gti, standard mk3 and thought i would get some more comfort with the mk4..

can you point out some s3's what kind of money are they?

Are you and OP looking for the same car?
S3's are more expensive, the Mk4 GTi's are cheap due to the amount of people looking for the 130bhp TDi's because of the economy. The GTi's have nice recaro seats, performance is what you'd expect from 150bhp, nothing magic, but I suppose it depends on what you're used to. Narrow enough power band for a petrol. Not spectacular handling. Out of the Golf GTI range, the Mk3 and Mk4's are the ones to avoid really.

high horse

stopped_clock wrote: »

The handling is grand too and the suspension is quite stiff, noticeably stiffer on the GTI than the TDI.

Really? I drove a Mk4 GTi and thought that the handling was terrible, very soft suspension which didn't inspire confidence in the corners. The sport seats in the GTi and in a lot of the 130bhp diesel Mk4's are very comfortable. The Mk4 GTi was a disappointment to me, i thought it would be faster and handle better

tossy

Biro wrote: »

The GTi's have nice recaro seats, performance is what you'd expect from 150bhp, nothing magic.

Only pre 2001 GTI's had recaros as standard,after that the had to be spec'ed when ordering and only leather available at that.There was also a later 180bhp 1.8T which could remap to almost 210 out of the box.

high horse wrote: »

Really? I drove a Mk4 GTi and thought that the handling was terrible, very soft suspension which didn't inspire confidence in the corners. The Mk4 GTi was a disappointment to me, i thought it would be faster and handle better

I agree the MK4 GTI in standard guise does not handle like a GTI should,hence why i said above suspension upgrades are a must.

voxpop

The differences in Mk4 suspensions is just down to the heaviness of the engine.
The TDI and GTI have the same setup. I dont find it particularly comfy or soft but the car does tend to roll.

The TDI 130 and 150 have the same engines - different turbo and intercooler (fmic) on the 150
Below the 130 you have different injectors so the best option is probably the 130 if you are going TDI. It can be remapped to 170 or so easily.


As mentioned before - it depends on what you are use to. I own a 130 TDI and while it was a hoot for the first year and the economy and reliability are good (ive 130k miles) - Ive grown tired of the way the car delivers power. 1st is pretty short and ive a slightly notchy second (which i believe is a trait of the vw gearbox) so its not the smoothest getting up to speed from a standstill. The powerband is pretty narrow and the roar of the diesel when revving above 3k rpm is not a nice noise.

It is a very practical car, reasonably good fun and I get about a month between visits to the pumps - so cheap.

stopped_clock

high horse wrote: »

Really? I drove a Mk4 GTi and thought that the handling was terrible, very soft suspension which didn't inspire confidence in the corners. The sport seats in the GTi and in a lot of the 130bhp diesel Mk4's are very comfortable. The Mk4 GTi was a disappointment to me, i thought it would be faster and handle better

Yeah - I said it was "grand" - I'd agree with Biro though, it's nothing spectacular. I was just comparing the TDI and GTI though - I gather both earlier and later GTIs are more 'GTI-like'.