Used Volkswagen Bora review and buying guide (1999 to 2006): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Volkswagen Bora should you buy?

Pick the engine before the car: a 1.4 or 1.6 16v petrol, or a TDI diesel, is a smaller gamble than the 1.8 20v. That 1.8 has a record of its timing belt snapping between 70,000 and 80,000 miles, and the damage can't be repaired, so the car needs a whole replacement engine. That's the fault that decides which Bora to look at.

Neither of the alternatives comes with a clean sheet, though. The 1.4 and 1.6 have a plastic belt tensioner roller that can break up, and the TDI can lose power for a long list of reasons. So the better buy is the car with receipts for that work rather than a particular year, since nothing points to the later cars being fixed.

Don't expect sharp handling from any of them. The firm suspension suits a dry open road, but on a wet bend the front doesn't bite and the light steering can feel unnerving as you turn in. If that matters to you, take the test drive on a damp day or a twisty road and see how it feels.

Which Bora engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Steer clear of the 1.8 20v petrol: its timing belt has a history of breaking between 70,000 and 80,000 miles, and when it does the engine's beyond repair. The belt also drives the water pump and is awkward to change because the engine sits sideways. The 1.8 has had air mass sensor trouble too, and turbo versions made between August 2001 and October 2002 can lose one or more of their four ignition coils.

The 1.4 16v and 1.6 16v petrols are the lesser risk, but they aren't trouble free. Their timing belt tensioner roller is plastic and is prone to breaking up once a car passes roughly 40,000 miles, and it's been failing regularly. The belt rarely gets thrown off when it does, which is why it doesn't carry the 1.8's risk, but don't buy one without a receipt showing the roller's been renewed.

The TDI diesels can suffer on-off power loss, and the cause isn't always the same: a turbo stuck through dirty oil, a fouled air mass sensor, an EGR valve jammed open, a seized wastegate rod or a leaking boost pipe. Some 2004 pump-injector diesels were recalled because bolts on the tandem fuel pump could break. There's nothing specific to report on the gearboxes, good or bad.

What should you check when viewing a used Bora?

Work every window and door lock, because they're both weak points. The plastic clip holding each window to its carrier inside the door can snap and let the glass drop, and the proper fix is metal clips. Door locks fail often too, so lock and unlock each door with the key and the remote before you talk money.

On the drive, a TDI should pull cleanly with no sudden flat spots. Press the brake firmly: if it needs a hard shove to stop, suspect a cracked servo vacuum pipe. One owner said rear suspension bushes, the driver's window motor and a lambda sensor were the typical jobs once the car reached 10 to 13 years old, so listen for knocks from the back over bumps.

Ask for receipts for the timing belt and tensioner, and on a 1.8 turbo from 2001 or 2002, for any coil replacements. Recalls covered a brake servo vacuum pipe that could crack, an ABS control unit that could overheat, a small batch of passenger airbags and the diesel fuel pump bolts, so ask for proof the work was done. A blind spot mirror on both doors points to a car that started as an independent import, since UK cars only had one on the driver's side.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.