Bad reviews on MK3

[wilsmith]

Hey guys, i was just wondering about the MK3 model.. from 96-98..
I was looking into buying one for my next ride, and researched them a bit. i came across some reviews on them, and basically they say its a shit car. Most of the reviews (all from different web sites) mention shoddy gear boxes, brakes, suspension and apparently they just fall apart after a while :rolleyes:

Im on a budget of about 10k, and was wondering if it would be worth getting one?

Cheers.

[Justin Fox]

Does it matter when they look THIS GOOD:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/4077484619_9843eda73c_b.jpg

Seriously though. I hope some of the MK3 owners chime in soon. Sit tight!

[timmoshanko]

Had to join this forum...I've got 3 mates with 98 MKIII's, as well as one of my own, and none of us will be parting with our rides in a hurry. She cranks at the lights, plus its super comfortable for longer trips on the highway - very comfortably in 5th. I drive from Adelaide to Melbourne 3-4 times a year with my girl, and it flies past trucks in 5th, seats are comfy, handling is nicely balanced, insulation from hot/cold is awesome (German's got some things soooo right).
Also economical which is pretty surprising for the speed it gets up.
Gotta give the MKIII the thumbs up if you're looking dude!

[VR53KS]

Had to join this forum...I've got 3 mates with 98 MKIII's, as well as one of my own, and none of us will be parting with our rides in a hurry. She cranks at the lights, plus its super comfortable for longer trips on the highway - very comfortably in 5th. I drive from Adelaide to Melbourne 3-4 times a year with my girl, and it flies past trucks in 5th, seats are comfy, handling is nicely balanced, insulation from hot/cold is awesome (German's got some things soooo right).
Also economical which is pretty surprising for the speed it gets up.
Gotta give the MKIII the thumbs up if you're looking dude!

I completely agree with all of that, especially the last bit. Your $10K budget will easily find you a minter that's been taken care of, if you know where to look and don't get suckered into buying the first one you find. Provided you don't jump into a VR6 (which is a whore) the future maintenance will be cheap and easy, if you wanna give DIY'ing a go. Which, so far, I haven't - and that explains why I call mine a moneypit ;) Grab a nice late model GL or CL, revel in the knowledge of the community and enjoy the run.

Regarding gearboxes, the automatics on the VR6s are all basically ticking timebombs. It's a matter of WHEN they start failing, and once they do you're in for hefty rebuilds and expenses. Most of the time you should be sweet.

The brakes on Mk3's aren't excessive, because they don't need to be. Small, light and not terribly fast, they don't need huge stoppers to make it slow down. Same goes for the suspension, Volkswagen call it comfort, we call it floaty. Aftermarket solutions are plentiful and not terribly bank-breaking, you can look at OEM+ options from the VR6 for example.

Overall I'd say that if you find one that's been loved then you shouldn't have too many problems, but despite all my praise you do have to remember that they're getting on a bit, some going past 15 years of age. You have to expect problems with a Mk3, but in my opinion (and I've maintained this opinion from the beginning) they just add to the car's character :)

[Jethro41]

My mate owns a Mk3 Cabriolet (wifes car) and has done so since 2000...hasn't missed a beat....great car and a lot of fun too... little wonder you MK3 boys don't wanna part with them.

Due diligence is always prudent when buying any used car...take your time in selecting and, if you're not mechanically inclined, ensure you get a mechanic to look it over before you buy.

Good luck and enjoy your new ride... what ever you buy.

[schoona]

Jump on to VW Watercooled and find Dom's VR6 that is for sale. Great price, very well maintained car and presents very nicely. It's all you want, I tihnk it might be the earlier model, Mk3's are Mk3's though ;)

[peedman]

These cars are getting old thats why they are getting shit reviews. Ive owned 4 mk3's and i will always have 1 of them in my garage, they are easy to work with and parts are cheap. My tip is to buy one with excellent service history and a good body even if its a tad more expensive.

All those things uve read are the same for any 15y/o car. Treat them well and they should be good to u.

If uve got a budget of 10k you could prob even look at mk4 cl/gl and if u can stretch the budget maybe a mk4 gti, if ur after more reliability.

[schoona]

Here are 2 worthy options:
Dom's VR6

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f23/eoi-94-mk3-golf-vr6-34070.html

Branko's VR6:
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f23/eoi-1997-mk3-vr6-74-450km-42908.html

Or find a 2 door Mk3 CL on carsales, buy the 2.0T FSI out of the couple of wrecked Mk5s atm and swap that in for instant awesome ;)

[DubSteve]

Here's one I prepared earlier :lol:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/Mk3vr6Steve/IMG_4038.jpg

[TheBeast97]

Hey im a new Mk3 owner as of the weekend, got a 97 4sp auto, and ill tell you what, for a 13 year old car, it is very solid, still had the stock sound system and only 131,000 on the clock. my biggest problem is the sticker peeling back next to the gear stick and my front suspension pistons are very audible when going over speed bumps, i wouldnt say loud though, and the tires need some air haha. But the body is in immaculate condition with a tiny ding in the right passenger door and the engine sounds great.
I got no service history or logbooks or service manuals with it and cant find any on the net, if anyone has a link to a service manual, please share.

I will be upgrading the sound system over the next couple of days and will post up soon to share.

Highly recommended though

[Kooki]

Hi Marty, Welcome to the forum. I have a 95 GL manual of 9 mths. Found it to be a good solid working car for its age with a fairly robust engine driving it daily through the Galston Gorge it doesn't seem to faulter. Agree sound system is crap though. Definately worth upgrading. I would highly recommend this car as a cheap run around.

[jesse085]

My friend has a 96 mk3 GL 2.0 Manual with lowish kms (120k) has been nothing but trouble, has spent probably over 5k trying to keep it on the road.. I think its just a lemon though, he fixes one thing and another thing brakes.. It seems the general consensus is that they are a good car.

[Kooki]

The money I spend on my MK3 I put down to age of the car.

[silverbullet]

can't seem to buy mk3's. they sell before I get to inspect them lol.

[paravion]

can't seem to buy mk3's. they sell before I get to inspect them lol.

You can buy mine if you want :p

[rggriffo]

try here http://shop.importdriver.com.au/ for manuals etc

[Glynn.]

like every car if its been taken care of it will treat you well
luckily for me i purchsed my mk3 off my mum, it always had been serviced properly and the only problems ive had with it were little basic things like, sensors windows regs etc
nothing major, i love my car