Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bought one of these Golfs in 1999, sold it after becoming Pope Benedict XVI, and it later fetched about $244,000 on eBay.
Lead trim: 1.4 16V (75 PS) · up to 238 hp
Volkswagen Golf Mk41J · 1997–2006
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Volkswagen Golf Mk4 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactCardinal Joseph Ratzinger bought one of these Golfs in 1999, sold it after becoming Pope Benedict XVI, and it later fetched about $244,000 on eBay.
The fourth-generation Golf, launched in October 1997 for the 1998 model year on the A4 (PQ34) platform, was a deliberate move upmarket with a high-quality interior and higher equipment levels, and it put the Golf in direct competition with Volkswagen's own Audi A3. It was Europe's best-selling car in 2001 (second behind the Peugeot 206 in 2002). It brought the Haldex four-wheel-drive system to the Golf on the 1.9 TDI PD115/PD130/PD150 and the VR6 models, with a reworked rear axle and floor pan shared with the Audi TT, which went on to the 3.2 VR6 R32 in 2003–2004. There was no GTD in this generation; the diesel performance model was a GTI TDI (the GTI itself is catalogued separately). There was no Mk4 convertible: Volkswagen facelifted the Mk3 Cabrio to look like it (the "Mk3.5"). Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bought one in 1999 and sold it in 2005, after he became Pope Benedict XVI; it later sold on eBay for around $244,000. European production ran to 2006, while South America and China built it until 2014.
Collectors Spotted in the Volkswagen Golf Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volkswagen Golf yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
11 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 16V (75 PS) | 1998–2004 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 74 hp | 94 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.8 20V (125 PS) | 1998–2006 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 123 hp | 125 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.8 T 20V (150 PS) | 1998–2001 | Inline-4 | 148 hp | 155 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.8 T 20V (179 PS) | 2001–2006 | Inline-4 | 177 hp | 173 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.9 TDI AGR/ALH (90 PS) | 1998–2006 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 89 hp | 155 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.9 TDI PD ARL (150 PS) | 2000–2003 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 148 hp | 236 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 1.9 TDI PD ASZ (130 PS) | 2001–2006 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 128 hp | 229 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.3 VR5 20V (170 PS) | 2000–2003 | 2.3 L 5-cyl | 168 hp | 162 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.8 VR6 12V (174 PS) | 1999–2002 | 2.8 L V6 | 172 hp | 173 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.8 VR6 24V (204 PS) | 1999–2002 | V6 | 201 hp | 199 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| R32 3.2 VR6 (241 PS) | 2003–2004 | 3.2 L V6 | 238 hp | 236 lb-ft | — | 4WD | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the 1.4 16V (75 PS) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Mk8 moved even the headlight switch onto a touch panel; for the 2024 facelift VW put physical steering-wheel buttons back after customer feedback.
Volkswagen once dropped a 650 PS Bentley W12 into a one-off Golf GTI concept, just to show it could.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bought one of these Golfs in 1999, sold it after becoming Pope Benedict XVI, and it later fetched about $244,000 on eBay.
This Golf became the first Volkswagen to win European Car of the Year, in 1992.
VW built a Golf too fast for its own lineup: the 210 PS G60 Limited outran everything below the Mk4 R32 and sold mostly to VAG executives.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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