My fiancee and I are looking into buying a 96 Golf 4 door. It's a 2.0Liter 5 Speed has about 220,000 miles on it. looks to be in relatively good shape. The strut towers are not rusted out at all. The underneath is not rusted as far as I can see. It has a few spots of rust below the front passenger side door. I've never messed with any of the newer VWs, only the older Jettas, Rabbits and Bugs. I need to know if there are any certain things that I need to look for or anything that could be hidden and cause problems.
Thanks, Rob.

 

when i first bought my 97 golf (same generation as 96) it had 84,000 on it and it ran nice for day or two but then head gasket blew...somehow battery wouldnt hold charge if not started in 2 or 3 days..i would deffiantly check starter cause my was shot within week or so and alt...the syncros in 2nd and 3rd were weak and wouldnt allow shifting into gear easy..ignition system was questionable on when it wanted to work..ive had it for 4 months now and so far those r only complaints..idk if it helps any but those r issues a couple of my buddies have also had on their 96-99 golfs as well as mine.

 

We bought the Golf, had it for 10 days. Old lady was out running around and slammed a deer in broad day light with it. Insurance company totalled it due to mileage and the transmission shifting on the K member. They gave us 2340 for it as a total loss, which was a lot more than we paid for it. So, it's back to hunting for another car.