Buying a used VW Golf: best years, common problems and what to check

The Golf is the car we get asked about most. Most of them are honest, hard-working hatchbacks. The expensive ones fail in ways you can spot on the driveway.

Anna

Vehicle history research

There is always another Golf for sale. That is exactly why buyers rush the one in front of them.

Two things make the Golf easy to buy badly. It sold in huge numbers, so there's always another one for sale and people rush. And the cheap end of the market is full of cars that were serviced whenever the owner got round to it, which is exactly what the Golf's engines and gearboxes punish.

This guide covers the four generations you will find for sale, the best years to buy and the ones to approach with care, the common problems by engine and gearbox, and what to check before you pay.

The short version

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VW Golf generations: Mk6, Mk7, Mk7.5 or Mk8

Four generations make up almost every used Golf for sale today. It is also the most checked model in our ranking of the most bought used cars in Europe, which tells you how much choice you have.

Mk6 (2008 to 2012)

The bargain end now. Parts are cheap, it's simple to own, and the interior still feels a step above its rivals from the time. The risk sits with the early petrol engines.

Mk7 (2013 to 2016)

Lighter, better to drive and much better on fuel than the Mk6. It's the sweet spot on price today, as long as the service history is real.

Mk7.5 (2017 to 2019)

The facelift. Better screens, and by now most of the early engine trouble had been sorted. If the budget stretches, this is the one to buy.

Mk8 (2020 on)

Still expensive used, and the touch controls split opinion. Drive one before you decide it's for you.

Best years and years to avoid

Most Golf trouble follows the engine, the gearbox and the servicing rather than the year. As a rule of thumb:

• Best buys: a Mk7.5 (2017 to 2019) with the 1.5 TSI and a manual gearbox, or a Mk7 with a service history you can check.
• Buy with care: Mk6 1.2 and 1.4 TSI petrols, any DSG automatic without a record of its gearbox service, and the 1.6 TDI if the car mostly did short trips.
• Avoid: a cheap Mk6 TSI that rattles from cold or comes with no paperwork at all.

Mk7 and Mk7.5 look alike, so do not take the advert's word for which one it is. On a Volkswagen the tenth character of the VIN is the model year code, as our Volkswagen VIN decoder explains.

VW Golf common problems

Timing chain on the Mk6 1.2 and 1.4 TSI

On the Mk6 1.2 and 1.4 TSI petrols, the chain tensioner runs on oil pressure. A car that ran low on oil or skipped services can stretch the chain or make it jump a tooth, and if it jumps, the engine is usually finished.

Low oil level is the trigger both reviewers single out (What Car?, RAC), and the repair isn't cheap. Start the car from stone cold and listen for a rattle in the first few seconds.

From the Mk7, the 1.2 and 1.4 TSI switched to a new engine family with a cambelt instead of a chain. That removes the rattle risk, but the belt needs changing on schedule, so ask when it was last done.

DSG gearbox problems

The dual-clutch box is fine when it's serviced and miserable when it isn't. Owners report jerky pull-away, hesitation and, on some cars, losing reverse.

There are two main versions. The six-speed wet-clutch DSG (DQ250), fitted to the diesels and the GTI, needs an oil and filter change roughly every 60,000 km, and plenty of cars have never had it. The gearbox itself is rarely the problem, the skipped services are (Parkers, Carbuyer).

The seven-speed dry-clutch DSG (DQ200) on the smaller petrols has no scheduled oil change. Its weak spots are the clutch pack and the control unit, and the symptoms are the same judder and hesitation from a standstill.

Ask for proof of the gearbox oil change before you trust the DSG.

Water pump and thermostat housing

A slow coolant weep that grows into a bigger, pricier leak. It's common enough on the Mk7 to justify a torch under the bonnet on every car you see. On the Mk6, the plastic pump impeller is the known weak point.

Ignition coils on the petrols

A misfire, rough idle or flashing engine light usually means a failed coil pack, not anything deep. Cheap to fix, and handy leverage on the price.

Diesel emissions parts

The 1.6 TDI is the one with the EGR reputation. A diesel that only ever did short trips will also have a clogged particulate filter, so ask how the car was used before you ask what it costs.

Mk6 1.6 and 2.0 TDIs were also part of the Volkswagen diesel emissions recall. Ask for proof the update was done, and watch for hesitation or rough running on the drive.

Small Mk7 annoyances

Cloudy headlight lenses from UV, a damp passenger footwell that traces back to the door speaker area, a turbo actuator that makes the car feel flat, and squeaky front suspension bushes (Haynes). None of them is a deal breaker. All of them cost money.

Your ten minutes with the car

• Start it from cold, after it's sat for a few hours, and listen. A rattle for the first few seconds means walk away or negotiate hard.
• Pull the dipstick. Low or black oil on a car sold with a "full service history" tells you what that history is worth.
• On a DSG, crawl it in traffic and reverse up a slope. Jerking, hesitation or a shudder means the gearbox wants money.
• Look for pink or white crust around the water pump and coolant hoses, and check the level in the coolant tank.
• Press the passenger footwell carpet with your hand. Damp means a leak, not a spilled drink.
• Turn the ignition on and check every warning light comes on, then goes out. A bulb pulled from the dash is an old trick.
• Ask for the DSG oil change by name. "It's all been done" isn't proof.

How to check a used VW Golf by VIN

Nearly every expensive Golf fault comes down to servicing, and a stamped book is easy to fake. The record behind the VIN is harder to argue with.

You will find the VIN at the base of the windscreen, on the type plate inside a door frame and on the registration document. Check that they match before you check anything else.

• Mileage readings from inspections and services over the car's life. A reading that goes down is the sign of a clocked car, which our guide to odometer fraud covers in detail.
• Damage records, including repairs the seller may not mention.
• Import history. A lot of used Golfs cross a border on the way to their next owner, and the history often stays behind. See how to check an imported car.
• Open recalls are a separate check: a Volkswagen dealer can look the VIN up and tell you whether the emissions update and any other recall work was done.

Not sure yet? See what a full report looks like first

What we'd buy

A Mk7.5 with the 1.5 petrol and a manual box, from an owner who can show you the stamps, is a better buy than a cheaper car with a longer spec list.

If you want the automatic, buy the one with the gearbox service in the book, even if it costs more than the one without. And if most of your driving is short hops around town, skip the diesel.

The Golf's reputation for being solid is mostly deserved. It just assumes someone looked after it, and the paperwork is the only way to know whether anyone did.

Also weighing up a bigger car? Read our used VW Passat guide or the used BMW 3 Series guide.