yep i got you, there is a history of disabilities in my family so know all about adapted cars lol. driving with hands is good tho maintains independence!
golfs are good above 100k i had one did 223k before it died, my current one is on 136k so look for service history ( not necessarily main dealer) and as long as you keep on top of regular oil changes/cambelts etc etc they will service you well for years to come. my auto driver was a 1.6 and drove lovely, 3dr dragon green i was third owner. autos are available in 1.6 and 1.8 flavours both carbed. although if you wanted i cant imagine it would be hard to convert to kjet injection or do an engine swap its just wheter the auto box could handle the extra power