Used Volkswagen Golf Plus review and buying guide (2005 to 2009): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Volkswagen Golf Plus should you buy?

There's no safe Golf Plus, but the 1.4 16v and 1.6 petrols carry the lightest fault record, and that's the reason to start there. It isn't a clean bill of health: nothing serious is listed against the 1.6 engine simply because little's been reported, and the five-speed manual fitted to 1.4s and 1.6s has a serious fault where the casing corrodes and cracks between 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

Every TDI built between 2005 and 2009 is covered by at least one serious fault. The 1.9 TDI with the BXE engine code has had con rods snap and punch through the block between 70,000 and 90,000 miles, all the TDIs share a turbo oil seal failure, and the 1.9 and 2.0 TDI can both suffer a porous cylinder head that lets coolant into the engine.

The 1.4 TSI arrived late in the run, and it isn't the safer modern choice it looks. Its timing chain can stretch and the tensioner can fail between 40,000 and 80,000 miles, which can wreck the engine, and owners of 1.4 TSI DSG cars have reported failed mechatronic units and DSG failures at 22,000, 30,000 and 41,000 miles.

Which Golf Plus engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The petrols are the lesser gamble, though neither is fault-free. The 1.4 16v can start burning oil between 70,000 and 110,000 miles from worn piston rings, tired valve stem seals and blocked breathers, and versions with a timing belt have plastic tensioner pulleys that have been failing and can damage the engine. The 1.6 has little reported against its engine, which says more about thin evidence than proven toughness.

Diesels are the bigger risk. On the PD engines, leaking injectors or a faulty tandem pump can let diesel into the sump until the engine runs away on its own oil, and failed injector seals on the 1.9 PD wear the camshaft and can need a new head. If a 2.0 TDI has Siemens piezo injectors, they were the subject of a replacement campaign because a short circuit could cut the engine.

Don't treat any gearbox as a safe default either. Six-speed manuals built in 2006 and 2007 could have a wrongly assembled planetary gear that breaks up and punctures the casing; dealers had a service bulletin for it, but a car serviced away from VW can have missed the work. Twin-shaft six-speeds can also get stiff between first and second, where the fix is fresh gearbox oil first and a new synchro ring if that doesn't work.

What should you check when viewing a used Golf Plus?

Turn the ignition on and make sure the ABS and ESP lights come on and then go out. A pressure sensor built into the ABS unit fails with age and the dealer fix isn't a sensor but a whole new unit, VW's help with the cost ended in 2015, and some sellers have unplugged the unit to hide the light, which leaves an 'ECU off' message on the dash.

Look along the top of each front wing and feel round the inner wheelarches for bubbling paint. Sound-deadening pads hold water and rub through the paint there, and one 2006 Golf Plus TDI had rusty wings at about 46,000 miles. Try every door lock and electric window too, since locks have given trouble on more than one car and one owner's window control unit failed and soaked the interior.

On the drive, a DSG should pull away smoothly. Jolts at low speed, a whistle or a sudden loss of drive are how owners' gearboxes failed, and one 69,000-mile 2005 car was diagnosed with oil in its internal gearbox wiring. Listen for a rattle from a cold 1.4 TSI, a noisy clutch release bearing on the 1.9 TDI, and check any manual for crunching or grinding.

Pull the dipstick on a diesel: oil above the mark or smelling of diesel is a serious warning, and a coolant level that keeps dropping points to the porous head. Ask for proof of the flywheel recall on early 2005 cars, the DSG software recall on 2008 and 2009 six-speed DSG cars, the recall for an ABS and ESP earth fault that could shut those systems down on cars built from mid-2008, and a new driver's airbag on 2008 and 2009 cars, plus receipts for DSG fluid changes.

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

What does a used Volkswagen Golf Plus cost to run?