looking to buy a golf mk4 gle .. couple of questions

[delta]

I just test drove a mk4 2001 golf gle (2l engine) with 145k.

Car seemed tidy enough BUT 2 major issues that I as a layman noticed immediately. Namely, engine sounded rather rough at first before it warmed up. A bit like a diesel engine ie. valve lifters ?? How common is this and is it a serious problem that could lead to engine troubles ?

Also the brakes were like mush .. very airy. Normal ? Does the mk4 have a tendency to destroy rotors/pads or anything like that and how much do they cost on average (parts and labour) ?

Is there anything else I should look out for ?

I'm thinking my next step should be to check out another similar age/km mk4 golf and see if the engine makes similar noise..before I waste money on an inspection which may or may not tell me anything useful hey?

Cheers
Dee

[Mr Scruff]

That one sounds like a lemon. Walk away & try another.

[delta]

the guy selling it has bought a brand new audi so he says the car's been garaged for the last 2-3 months and barely driven. could this perhaps be what caused the noisy lifters ?

It's a shame if I had to walk away from this one because the seller IS genuine and the price is right. Just gotta try it again and see if the lifters are still nosiy i guess

[Mr Scruff]

It could be something simple, but it could also be something expensive. Was it making noise before it was garaged?

The brakes as well might just need bleeding or they may be leaking. It sounds like there is air in the system.

The good thing about MK4's is there are so many around. Try a few more & see if this one is worth the risk.

[delta]

the owner says he never noticed it before and like I said he seems like the genuine type of seller (new apartment/brand new car) who just wants to sell his old car but doesn't know much about cars. Hard to say if the lifters have been noisy before

You're right there's a lot of them around but not many 2l in decent nick ... a perfect example just came up for sale last night (saw it this morning) but seller wont even pickup and blocked the contact details on carsales so must've gotten a shitload of calls from car dealers trying to get their grubby hands on it. It looks like a really well kept example with low Ks and low price .. if only I could take it for a quick drive, i have a feeling I'd be handing her the money over in a sec without even negotiating :/

buying a 2nd hand car is such an annoying lottery and so time consuming !!

Edit: I might be in luck! Just spoke with the lady .. trying to arrange a test drive. If it runs half as good as it looks I will be one lucky guy!

[Mr Scruff]

Good luck with it :D

[delta]

Arrived there 5 minutes too late .. 2 young blokes got there before me and bought it.

Thanks a LOT Garmin! Sent me zig zagging accross the harbour bridge twice due to absolutely worthless lane guidance and lost 20 mins there. Ah well, some supreme deity didn't want me to have it so be it. It did SOUND a bit rough just like the other GLE I saw - with the bonnet up that is. I've seriously heard diesel engines that don't sound as loud as these 2 golf mk4 GLE 2l engines...

This was the car I was keen for http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/volkswagen-golf-2002-11760276?cr=0&distance=25&vertical=Car&eapi=2&page=1&sort=~Odometer&__N=1216 1247 1252 1282 4294962746 4294962677 4294933372 898&silo=Stock&Range=Price:Min,10000~1|Mileage:Min,Max|Year:Min,M ax|Seats:Min,Max|EngineSize:Min,Max