Used 2002 Volkswagen Golf Hatchback Consumer Reviews
Used Golf for sale
1...
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
My First New Car Treated Me Well
Claire, 01/21/2007
2002 Volkswagen Golf GLS 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
My Golf was perfect until after I had put 60,000 miles on it, then things started to fall apart. I had some mechanical trouble that ended up being quite costly. Other than that, I loved the car. It was fun and sporty.
Look elsewhere
robert, 07/01/2008
2002 Volkswagen Golf GL 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I bought this VW for quality German engineering. My mistake. It had chronic (monsoon) radio/cd problems which are expensive to repair. Front door windows fell out but were covered by mfr recall. Transmission went out twice (112,000 and 128,000 miles). It cost $4500 and VW America would not help with either transmission. Even the wheel logos are poorly installed and fall out at $40 each. Cup holders completely block access to stereo while in use. Black velour seats tend to hold lots of lint and dirt. Looking forward to selling this car and buying a Japanese or American car.
Good run
little_eva, 04/26/2014
updated 04/26/2017
2002 Volkswagen Golf GLS 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Bought this car new in 2002 after 14 great years with a Jetta. I've now had 15 years with it and at 138,000 miles, it's still in pretty good shape despite my carelessness. I have hauled too much landscaping material and broke the springs driving over potholes. Replaced the full set of tires twice but have not replaced the brakes or any other costly items. There is some rust on the body around the wheels - cost of living in a wintery environment and not washing it enough. This car has FWD and has performed well when the snow is less than 5 inches on the road. Fun to drive - lots of pep and handles corners well. Tight turning radius very helpful for u-turns. Good gas mileage. I'm spoiled. This car has more bells/whistles than the Jetta did. It's too smart as it locks itself at 5 mph or within a few minutes of me parking. Bluetooth and navigation systems were invented after I bought this car; no loss to me. It's comfortable for me to drive in the city, as I am short, but cramped for long drives and hard for passengers with long legs/big feet to get in/out. I've been happy with the dealer maintenance but VW is expensive. They have given me some work arounds as VW will now fix your car with non-VW parts if you ask.
- Safety
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Poor choice
dbasler, 03/25/2013
2002 Volkswagen Golf GL 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
8 of 13 people found this review helpful
I realize we made a bad decision buying this car without having our mechanic look at it. We bought it with 135,000 miles and drove it for a year. It chugged oil with no visible leaks. In the 12 months we replaced the key/ignition $300, both headlights $20 each, transmission $2200, wheel bearing $300, tires $1000, 1 of the alignment control bars $150, dipstick tube $45, and AC compressor $900. It failed emissions after all this and then a lady ran a red light and totalled it for us. Thank you lady. Put the thing out of its misery.
'02 Volkswagen Golf - Slow
Radek, 03/16/2007
2002 Volkswagen Golf GLS 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The car is OK to drive, but it needs more power. The inside lights are nice and the comfort of the ride is not to bad.
1...