VW Golf v Focus

Lomby

Hi,

I'm thinking about getting a new car. I've seen a 2007 VW Golf comfortline 1.4. Would this be a good car? How much should I be paying? http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/1.4-Comf/201021198188888/advert?channel=CARS

Would I be better going for a Focus?

Thanks!

Ryan T

I had an 07 1.4 comfortline and an 05 one and an 03 one and 01 one ...

I never had a problem with any of my golfs and found the spec very good. The 07 came with alloys air con and cruise control as standard

Now many posters here may say its underpowered and problematic bit I never found it so, but I was not looking to set any land speed records.

I buy golfs for reliability and again some posters will say they are unreliable but I have not found that to be true.

Price range about 10 to 11 grand.

I only changed from the 1.4 petrol to 1.6 diesel for more economy

dr.fuzzenstein

Whether you're buying the Golf or Focus 1.4 petrol they're both going to be desperately slow and painful.
If going for a small engine like that you really should be considering a smaller car, more Polo or Fiesta rather than Golf or Focus.
Or go for a bigger engine and the diesels are good offerings, be they 1.6 or 1.8, just watch out of DPF (diesel particulate filters), the car has to be registered after 08 so you can get the benefit of lower taxes.
Or anyone here have any good jap boxes at 1.4?

astrofool

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

the car has to be registered after 08 so you can get the benefit of lower taxes.

Does this apply to all 08 cars, or only ones registered post June?

allymcbeal

Its only for cars registered post June 08.

-Corkie-

I hope you wont be in a hurry to go anywhere op because those petrol golfs are deeeeeaaaaddd to drive. Get a 1.6 focus..

Knine

I had a 08 Focus, 1.4. I loved the focus but hated how slow it was, I have since changed to the 1.6 diesel and I love it:D, goes for ever too on the full tank.

It also has bluetooth connection and I find this very handy

PaulKK

allymcbeal wrote: »

Its only for cars registered post June 08.

Wrong. 08 cars registered before June had the option of whichever is cheaper.

I'm sorry but I can't believe people are still getting this wrong 2 years later.

Its not just you either, I know loads of people who thought all imports had "cheap tax" now regardless of year.


OP I would go for a diesel golf. Residuals are very strong and I think they are a nice car to be in once comfortline or above and not 1.4L.

Also we have had 3 golfs, MkIII, MkIV and Mk5 like you are looking at and they have been perfect, the reliability bashing is blown out of all proportion on here.

allymcbeal

PaulKK wrote: »

Wrong. 08 cars registered before June had the option of whichever is cheaper.

I'm sorry but I can't believe people are still getting this wrong 2 years later.

Its not just you either, I know loads of people who thought all imports had "cheap tax" now regardless of year.


OP I would go for a diesel golf. Residuals are very strong and I think they are a nice car to be in once comfortline or above and not 1.4L.

Also we have had 3 golfs, MkIII, MkIV and Mk5 like you are looking at and they have been perfect, the reliability bashing is blown out of all proportion on here.

Are you sure about that 08 tax thing? I was sure it was just post June but I have no real knowledge of it just from what others have told me.

PaulKK

allymcbeal wrote: »

Are you sure about that 08 tax thing?

LOL.


Yes I'm sure. For your and everyones benefit:

A private car first registered abroad between 1 January 2008 and 30 June 2008 inclusive and subsequently registered in Ireland will be taxed on whichever is the lesser of the motor tax rates based on engine size (c.c.) or CO2 emissions.

http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/MotorTax/


This applies for imports now, but the same rules applied to cars bought in the same period in Ireland. There were many instances of cars like Golf GTIs being registered by dealers before July so as to get cheaper tax and those that bought diesels just taxing them for 3 months so they could tax them cheaper in July.

I was sure it was just post June but I have no real knowledge of it

Seriously, why are you giving advice if you don't have any real knowledge of it?

Lemming

Knine wrote: »

I had a 08 Focus, 1.4. I loved the focus but hated how slow it was, I have since changed to the 1.6 diesel and I love it:D, goes for ever too on the full tank.

My first car was a 2006 1.4L Focus and I absolutely love the car. Granted it didn't have the muscle of bigger cars, but never gave me any trouble and did absolutely everything I ever asked of her without much effort; and that's driving over Ireland and the UK in a variety of conditions ranging from the mundane to the "are you mental? That's not a road that's a snowdrift at 40 degrees elevation with ice that we can't see because this blizzard is covering the window ... ".

I've just replaced her with a 2008 1.6L Focus TDCi (UK plate, '58 reg) as the petrol costs per month were killing me in my current job (Sheffield to Leeds on a daily basis). If it weren't for that, I'd just re-register the car with the DVLA here in the UK as it is Irish-registered. So many happy memories and I'm genuinely sad to be selling the car on.

But what's the 2008 like? First time I took it onto the motorway (to drive home from the garage), I wasn't expecting either the torque on offer or the turbo feature - which put a rather large grin on my face when it kicked in with acceleration. I spent the next hour and a half having fun (M65, M62, M1) on the ride home. Sports suspension/steering too so it is a *very* lively ride. Oh, and £30 per year road-tax. Score!!

So yeah, that's a "Focus" recommendation from me. I found the 1.4 did the job pretty well, but if you want a bit more muscle or find you'll be doing a lot of motorway driving (thus working a smaller engine harder), you'll want to look at a 1.6 and up really, if not a TDCi 1.6