I also meant to say that the older model would be more likely to come with a spare wheel, so you might need to factor that into your decision process. 

As far as I know the mark 3 will come with a Stop-start system which I would not expect to see in a mark 2 unless it was fitted to some of the later cars. Not everyone likes the Stop-start system, but you can deactivate it with the press of a button, and you get the benefit of a more resilient battery and better electronics to keep it charged up when the engine is running. 

2 hours ago, OldBoyScout said:

I would not expect to see in a mark 2 unless it was fitted to some of the later cars.

 

Pretty sure the MK2 Greenline II got stop start tech

2 hours ago, langers2k said:

Pretty sure the MK2 Greenline II got stop start tech

Good point. I had forgotten about the Greenline and was thinking about the more mainstream versions. Much of the previous discussion has been focussed on the regular 1.9 and 2.0 TDIs, and my comment was made in that context.