for that kind of money you can pick up a decent mk4 golf tdi.... i strongly recommend you take a mk4 tdi golf for a test drive...doubt you'll find that kinda 'pull' in any of the other cars! the GT-TDI usually has the 6 speed gearbox too
Firstly: MK4's are not good cars, very unreliable and poor value for money - now I don't want to argue this point as this is a thread for recommendations and not for arguing about golfs. Secondly: MK4's are 98 to 04, so even a brand spanking new one would be 2.5 years older than the Swift. Thirdly: Golf's tend to have a much higher milage, usually around 80k uin the second hand market, and are notoriously easy to clock. Fourth: For a Golf that's similar spec/age/milage to the swift we're talking £5,000+ quite easily, and I just don't see the Mk4 as that much of a better card. Finally: If I wanted a Golf I'd do the smart thing and buy a Leon - a golf that's better than a golf! Don't get me wrong MK3's and MK'5 are brilliant cards, but 3's are too old and 5's are too new and expensive. As for the pull, owners reviews of the MK4 are on the whole terrible, even the Phocus is widelyt considered a better drive and to have more torque.
I must be one of the minority as I had the chance to drive on a couple of occasions a Mk IV Golf 1.9 TDI and by god it flew, so much fun! In fact, it's what has made me lust after owning a Golf since. So if that's what the Mk IV's are like, the newer/older models must be bloody amazing!
that's because the 1.9 TDI's (pre-"Pumpe-Düse"*) are great engines. They're available in Skoda's and Seat's and Audi's as well though. So not bound to the Mk4 Golf *is it called this in the UK? I think the Americans call "Pumpe-Düse" "Unit Injector"
