THEY BOTH LOOK CLEAN AND A FAXCAR THE 2002 HAS 50K MILES AND THE 2004 HAS 80K MILES. WHICH ONE IS BEST THEY ARE .BOTH ARE THE SAME PRICE.
Although the 04 has more miles, I would prefer it to the lower milage 2002. By 2004, many of the electrical and mechanical issues with the vehicle had been addressed, though the front suspension links still remained a weak point.
As the earlier writer has said, you need to have the VW inspected, paying close attention to the steering (possible leaks, worn tie rod ends) and the front suspension (weak and worn control arm links, worn ball joints), plus a check to make sure all the possible recall campaigns have been done. It need not be a dealership, a good independent shop that specializes in VW’s is good too.
I would suggest that you check and see if the service records are available for either car, if one has a complete service history and the car checks out ok, then, I’d pick the car with the service history regardless of which year or milage it is.
Having regular service at the right milage interval is very important to keeping these vehicles on the road with a minimum of trouble. Equally important is having someone who knows the vehicle and can service it knowing all the wierd quirks that can happen to them.
The reason that VW has such a poor reputation among used cars is because many people don’t maintain them according to the factory specs; these are cars that are unforgiving about missing service or even late service intervals.
Hope this helps, a car nut.
Have them both checked out by an independent VW mechanic. The ’04 should have its timing belt replaced along with rollers, tensioner, H20 pump, thermostat and coolant. The ’02 will be due for the same in 20K.
References :
Own several VWs and Audis.
Although the 04 has more miles, I would prefer it to the lower milage 2002. By 2004, many of the electrical and mechanical issues with the vehicle had been addressed, though the front suspension links still remained a weak point.
As the earlier writer has said, you need to have the VW inspected, paying close attention to the steering (possible leaks, worn tie rod ends) and the front suspension (weak and worn control arm links, worn ball joints), plus a check to make sure all the possible recall campaigns have been done. It need not be a dealership, a good independent shop that specializes in VW’s is good too.
I would suggest that you check and see if the service records are available for either car, if one has a complete service history and the car checks out ok, then, I’d pick the car with the service history regardless of which year or milage it is.
Having regular service at the right milage interval is very important to keeping these vehicles on the road with a minimum of trouble. Equally important is having someone who knows the vehicle and can service it knowing all the wierd quirks that can happen to them.
The reason that VW has such a poor reputation among used cars is because many people don’t maintain them according to the factory specs; these are cars that are unforgiving about missing service or even late service intervals.
Hope this helps, a car nut.
References :
spent many of the last twenty-five years+ in Volkswagen dealership service departments; 30+ years in automotive service