Used 2003 Volkswagen Golf for Sale near Washington, DC

This car never missed a beat.

It's been a good little hatch so far. Build quality is easily the best of its class, particularly for the year I looked. Extremely stable on the highway as you'd expect from a German car. Engine is weak about 5000rpm and sounds like a blender but has good midrange torque in any gear. Interior is surprisingly practical given the small size. Manual transmission much better than the automatic but shifter is a bit sloppy. Steering is pretty good, suspension could be firmed up, brakes are good.

I like this car as its a good all rounder and a pleasure to drive

Even though it's a three door compact car, the Golf V amazed me with its superb stability, handling and cornering. Corners I could barely do at 50kph with really good cars (406, Daewoo Leganza, 206 and 306 sedan etc.) I could skim at 120kph easily. At first it's a bit scary seeing how the car gives you no sense at all of what is going on outside, but once you push it you get to see how far the limit is. My Canadian model was moderately equipped (air conditioning, although it never worked, power steering, ABS, ESP, daylight running lights, alloys, but no electric window lifts, no fog lamps and no sunroof. The car's only drawback is its fifth gear (I wonder why they put it in there at all - just so that they don't produce a 4 gear car? Pffft). In fourth, you can play at 180 all you want, and the car won't even go over the red line, ie. you're slightly over 4000rpm when you hit 160 at fourth, and 180 will be slightly around 4600. The Engine has pulled 6500rpm at fourth to reach way over 180.

Overall quality feel impressed, especially interior (imho better than latest golf), felt nimble and secure. Not as sharp as eg. Focus, but very enthusiastic ride