Whether you want an unassuming shopping hatch or a race car for the road, there's a Mk4 Golf for you. With a wide choice of engines and bodystyles, there was a bewildering array of Golfs available. Considering its ubiquity, the Golf's image is strong (sometimes undeservedly so), meaning residuals are high. Despite this, there's no shortage of examples - but with frequently high parts costs don't buy an example that needs lots of fixing.
Key Dates
11/97: Mk4 Golf arrives with 1.4, 1.6, 2.0, 2.3 V5, 1.8T petrol engines. Also 1.9-litre diesel with turbo (TDi) or without (SDi). 3 or 5-door hatches available.
11/98: 2.3 V5 on sale.
8/99: Estate launched.
1/00: 2.8-litre V6 4Motion on sale.
5/02: ESP now standard. 25th Anniversary Edition GTi 1.8T appears.
11/02: R32 on sale.
5/03: 1.4, 1.8T, 2.0 get Euro 4 engine
Volkswagen Golf Mk4 (1997-2004) Checklist
- Check headlight condition; they're pricey to replace
- Leather interiors are durable, but costly to fix; watch out for plastic coating coming off the door armrests.
- TDi 110 ECU can fail - make sure the engine doesn't stall when coming to a halt.
- Interior trim often fragile.
- Front windows come out of their carriers.
- Pipe for rear wash/wipe can come adrift, staining headlining and filling boot with water.
- 1.4-litre water pumps leak - which can lead to cam belt failure and destruction of the engine.
- Rear brake calipers hoses fail.
We Like
- Strong image
- Solid and safe construction
- Superb TDi engines
We Don't Like
- Build quality isn't always great
- Not great to drive
- Equipment levels often poor