My son has his heart set on a Monte Carlo 1.2TSI as his first car. He has a budget of £5k so I guess he is looking at 12 to 14 models depending on condition and mileage. Are the any major issues that we should be aware of prior to viewing them or is it just standard 2nd hand car checklist stuff?

My son brought a 2012 1.2TSI Monte Carlo too, its a good car.  At around 80,000 miles they often need a camchain kit change, check for a rattling sound for a first few seconds on a cold start. I think that job cost about £200 from an independent VAG garage.

Exhaust back box can get a bit rusted too. 

He ended up buying a VW Polo R Line instead