What to look for
Although the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 has been superseded by the new model, it's still an excellent car. Extremely strong, there's very little goes wrong with it. T he best choice of engines are the diesels, available in various states of tune from 90 to 150bhp. Forget the off the boil two-lite GTi - it's actually the weakest VW model.

Used Prices
The last of the Mk4s are still desirable. There's such a gap between these and the Mk5, for anyone wanting to get into a Golf, this is the cheapest way. Prices for the Mk5 have just started to slip to the point it's worth buying a used model. Two year old models are worth almost £4k off their new price.

Our Choice
If you're looking for a reliable, entertaining yet reasonably cheap car, you can't do any better than a Golf 1.9 diesel - a threeyear GT costs just over £10,000. They are equally as spritely as their petrol counterparts but offer more fuel for your fun. I f you're buying a Mk5, be on the look out for second hand imports and don't pay over the odds for one. They're worth a couple of grand less than their U K counterparts. The service book should tell you if you're looking at one.

Volkswagen Golf rivals
Vauxhall Astra
Ford Focus
Honda Civic

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