2019 Volkswagen Golf Pricing and Specs

The answer to this question depends entirely on one thing: Are you trading the vehicle in on a new car or selling it privately?

If it’s the former, then the trade-in value won’t be too much different regardless of whether it’s had its 100,000km service or not. Dealerships can service a car for a lot less money than they charge you to do it. But if you’re selling privately, the car will be a lot more attractive to a private buyer if the cost of this major service has already been taken care of.

No, the tow-ball capacity is determined by the manufacturer and is not affected by what rear suspension you have in the vehicle. Theoretically, upgrading the rear springs would mean the car would sag less when you put a load on the tow-bar, but that doesn’t alter the tow-bar’s ability to cope with extra weight.

Towing is an area where there’s a lot of misinformation doing the rounds. Make sure you know the limits dictated by the car’s manufacturer, the trailer’s manufacturer and the law.

A Volkswagen Golf that is already one year old will already have done a big chunk of its depreciating. The Corolla, on the other hand, will – like all brand-new cars – dump value like crazy. That said, both cars have a fair way to go in depreciation terms. Keeping them for just a year won’t help there, either, as you’ll effectively be maximising the amount you lose.

The trade regards the Corolla (as a Toyota) very highly and, as such, resale values tend to be better than a lot of cars. The VW Golf, meanwhile, still suffers from the stigma of the reliability problems many owners experienced and can be a little more difficult to unload without resorting to selling it to a wholesaler who will make you really understand what depreciation means.