![]() ![]() The Mk3 Golf was offered with a range of petrol engines the lower-spec 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8-litre lumps are predictably economical and smooth. That said, their weight means extra hinge stress, so check the doors don’t drop when opened, as this can cause A-pillar damage, only worsened by rust. Solidity is a Volkswagen staple – the way the doors close with that reassuring “sounds just like a Golf” thunk a character trait in itself, owing to well-weighted doors. Any amount of rust repair is lengthy, complex and expensive and given the relatively low value of Mk3 Golfs, it’s easy for rot to render a car economically terminal. In the engine bay, battery trays and strut towers can be eaten by rust and inside, lift carpets and check the rear and boot floors, particularly on cars equipped with sunroofs as sunroof seals are a known weak point. As with when inspecting any rust-prone car, a small magnet is a useful companion and also helps show any areas of filler, potentially indicating sub-par previous repairs. The plastic over-arches modernise the styling, but are known to trap moisture and rot panels from within. Problem areas are the tailgate (easily rectified), windscreen frame and lower front wings. One might imagine that Volkswagen’s habit of self-inflicting ‘patina’ was a thing of the past by the 1990s, but the Mk3 Golf is no longer a new car and is as susceptible to rot as its predecessors. These days, a Mk3 Golf can serve as a comfortable, usable daily driver whilst still offering a retro flavour.īut with the model celebrating its 30th birthday this year, it’s also worth buying carefully to make sure you get a good one. ![]() Some argue the third-generation Golf wasn’t quite as exciting as its forebears, but it brought Volkswagen’s family hatchback into the modern age and none of its rivals combined practicality and quality so well. The suspension was heavily revised to be more compliant, whilst the interior was completely overhauled to improve refinement, comfort and, in an age where the phrase ‘crash test’ was slowly becoming part of car legislation, safety. Smart front end, curvaceous rear and defined style lines made the new Golf Mk3 look every bit the modern hatch and highlighted quite how dated the Golf Mk2 was, itself only really a revised 1970s design. The styling was all new, too – gone were slab sides and right-angles, curves were king. 1991 saw the release of the Golf 3 and where the second-generation car evolved the original formula, the new car really was new – more spacious, yet merely four inches longer and a single inch wider, the Mk3 demonstrated effective packing and featured a much larger interior in an identical wheelbase to its predecessor. ![]() Here’s how to buy oneĪs the 90s dawned, Volkswagen’s much-loved Mk2 Golf was showing its age amongst Ford’s ever-evolving Escort and hit after hit from Peugeot, the Golf looked dated. The Volkswagen Golf Mk3 has a bit of an image problem but we think it’s makes a fantastically useable modern classic. ![]()
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