Model recommendation, please

VW Golf. Any good! Cost of service and spares! Any advice appreciated.

In general, yes very good. However we need an idea of budget and what year/model you had in mind to be of more use.

Late 90's, auto, under 2 ltr, around two grand.

For 2K as with any car for the budget you are going to have to select the individual car very carefully to make sure you get a good one.

The good news though is that VW parts are very well priced and easily available. The news gets better too in that the Golf is in general very well built, galvanized so rust problems are pretty non-existant and the motor is a very straight forward design so servicing like cambelt changes etc is quite inexpensive.

Fuel economy is O.K but not super miserly with the auto. I would suggest you consider the 2.0 ones as well as they are not really going to be any worse on fuel and are generally better spec'd. Plus it allows you to cast a wider net which is what you need to do with cheaper cars.

There are a few other bargains around in that price in a nice Euro car too.

Also, any chance of learning to drive a manual!
In that price range if you have an expensive problem its generally going to be automatic transmission related. regardless of the brand of car. You will also lose out significantly on fuel economy with an auto in that age group. Plus, in a manual there are some other great buy's for your budget like a Fiat Marea 1.6 etc.

Thanks, much appreciated.

One more thing, with the VW if you are going to have a problem its usually ABS/electric related or a broken electric window mechanism.

These are not end of the world but will cost a bit to fix. So, look carefully for engine warning lights and check that ALL windows operate smoothly and at the same speed without any strange noises. Do several up and down actuation's of each window to be sure.

Check all electrical equipment is working properly as well.

EDIT, also be aware that the Polo is no where near as good as the Golf. Just in case you see one of those you like the look of as people often do when Golf shopping.