Today’s update is a little different. I responded to a fan in a new way. I have received the longest private message from a fan so far, so I have to treat it well.

Fan letter: The specific content is as follows?: Hello, I am Karthus.

24 years old this year.

I started watching your videos from the issue of your old car screening room: Saab. I feel that although your videos are short, they always let me know some stories about cars that I have never heard.

I am a person who loves cars very much. From when I was just 18 years old, I took the driver's license test and passed it with high scores. Then I looked up various rear-wheel drive drift tutorials on the Internet and dreamed of becoming a drift racer one day.

I own my first car (2009 1.4 manual Polo). I don’t know why, but I always feel that Volkswagen’s cars in 2008 and 2009 have beautiful designs and solid materials (such as the Sagitar of that era, personally

I really like the full-LED taillights of the Sagitar of that era, as well as the sacred car R36, etc.).

I personally also like the sixth-generation Golf very much, and I will definitely buy a 1.4T manual if I have the opportunity.

In addition, I feel very sorry for the absence of the fifth-generation Golf in the domestic market (not counting the fifth-generation GTI, this car is simply better than the R36).

I also like the fourth-generation Golf very much. I feel that if I don’t own a MK4 now, the increasingly stringent environmental regulations will make these old cars impossible to use, so I would like to ask you about the 1.8 manual Golf of the 2005 model now.

What should I pay attention to when buying one? Thank you in advance for your answers~ Cat Bear’s reply?: Hello!

Karthus!

I was very surprised to receive your message. This is probably the longest fan message I have received so far. I roughly estimated it to be a few hundred words. Thank you for your hard work.

I have checked the message a long time ago, but due to some reasons recently I have not had the time to sit down and write, and I don’t want to just respond to you with an answer, so I am a few days late in replying, and I apologize again.

You mentioned some of your car stories, your love for German cars at the beginning of the century, your love for mk5, Sagitar, and R36. You own a 2009 1.4 Volkswagen Polo and want to buy a 2005 Volkswagen fourth-generation golf.

After the fourth generation of Golf, the quality of Volkswagen's compact cars has actually declined to a certain extent. The Golf MK5, which has not entered the domestic market, has been criticized overseas for a long time because of its too cheap interior. On the one hand, it is due to cost control considerations, and on the other hand, it is for

It widens the gap between the Golf and the Audi A3 on the same platform.

This point is rarely mentioned on the domestically produced Sagitar (foreign Jetta? MK5). I think it is probably because the positioning of JETTA itself is slightly higher than that of GOLF.

In this way, in that era of excess technology, the Golf MK4 delivered to consumers by Volkswagen essentially had the quality of the Audi A3. This has been confirmed in practice, and it is indeed a very "high-end" car.

Among the many versions available in China, the 2005 1.8 manual Golf is a good choice.

All 1.8s are 20-valve engines, with five valves per cylinder. They were one of the most typical examples of Volkswagen’s excess technology at that time.

With 3 air intakes and 2 air outlets, the air intake volume and air intake efficiency of the combustion chamber are guaranteed.

In the high speed range, the advantages of this engine will be more obvious.

This is what the "5V" and "5 valves" often talked about in the MK4 circle mean, but this concept seems to have been overly mythical. In my opinion, the advantages of 5V may also be Schr?dinger's, just like you cannot be superstitious about small displacement.

Turbocharging definitely saves fuel.

Moreover, as a naturally aspirated car from more than ten years ago, don't have too high expectations for power, but I have to say that the power of this 1.8 is indeed very sufficient.

With more than 120 horsepower and a 5-speed manual MQ200, it can accelerate from 100 kilometers to 100 kilometers in about 10 seconds, making it easy to travel in urban areas.

If you finally receive your car as expected, it is recommended not to make major changes to the engine.

I had a high school senior who had a 1.8T transplanted. The power was indeed improved, but the flexible and light feeling that made people obsessed disappeared. This made me very distressed.

BTW, due to the complex structure of the 5V engine, the maintenance cost is a little higher. The replacement of the three-piece timing set is about 60,000, but it is only slightly higher.

There are rumors on the Internet that ordinary people have many problems, but unfortunately I have not encountered them.

I have passed through at least five or six MK4s, 1.8, 1.8T, 1.6, two-valve and five-valve. For a plain car that has not been modified, keep an eye on the condition of the car when buying it, and it will be very worry-free later.

Taking into account its price, fuel economy, maintenance costs and playability, this is simply the best choice for car fun within 20,000 yuan, and it is too friendly to novices.

As far as I know, there are no common hidden problems with MK4, and they can basically be checked at the time of purchase.

In addition to whether there is an accident, during static observation, you should check whether the ignition is normal, whether the engine is running smoothly, whether there is any jitter at idle speed, whether the body is jittery, and whether the gear can be smoothly engaged.

More importantly, be sure to give it a test drive!

It is best to drive for a short distance to feel whether the engine's power output is normal, whether the gear shifting is smooth, whether there are any abnormal noises in the chassis, and whether the clutch is properly combined or slipping.