Newby....on the way to buying a Mk4 Gti 1.8 (AGU) turbo, plus goodies

[Archaeologist Fella]

Guys, I think I should have posted this here....hello by the way!

...Hi all,
I am new to the forum, although I am a member of many other forums (Volvo, Morris Minor, Mercedes, Ford etc).  This is hopefully my first GTi!  I saw a black Mk4 on the internet advertised for £800, but with a short MoT.  Having had nine owners I expected the car to be thoroughly worn out after 153k, but I was amazed when I saw how bright and clean the paintwork was.  The car drives superbly having being remapped up to circa 190bhp.  The car has had the following work done in the last twelve months:

Spark plugs
Coil packs
MAF sensor
Clutch
Gearbox (recon plus guarantee)
Water pump
Cam belt
Abs sensor (only replaced 1 which was bringing up fault light but have other three corners also)
Down pipe inc cat
Back box
Engine mount
Suspension (springs and shocks)
Full black leather interior (front seats heated)
All break pads recently changed
HID conversion
Kenwood KDC-BT73DAB head unit plus amp and sub in the boot. Headunit also connects with phone via Bluetooth and uses handsfree calling.
3 cv boots and both track rod ends for last mot.

I offered the guy £650 due to the short MoT, which he has accepted.  When I checked the oil, however, the dipstick was dry, and yet the light wasn't on the dash!  I checked underneath and the sump plug washer is leaking which he has agreed to address.  Car drives very tight on the road, comfy, not too hard, no rattles, knocks or bangs, maintains good temperature even after a hard thrashing for about a fifteen mile test drive.  Note sure how I upload pics for you though??  I don't know much about these cars price wise, or pitfalls etc, but this seems a good deal to me for a car that on the surface at least seems very straight and genuine indeed - the interior is amazing with the black leather out of a TDi.

[OSR]

Hello and welcome! Sounds like your happy with your purchase - you'll get far worse are for that money and sounds like you've got one that's had routine maintenance done. The oil being low is worrying - light probably didn't come on due to the oil level sensor being broken? Fairly cheap and easy to replace I think.

Weak points on the 1.8t IMO is the engine hoses, vacuum system etc - if these have never been replaced then they will be shot. Other than that they're fairly bulletproof!

[lemski]

Agu doesnt have a level sensor in it. Rocker leaking or sump leaking would be where id look for oil.

Excellent value for money at that price though. Happy driving

[Archaeologist Fella]

Hello and welcome! Sounds like your happy with your purchase - you'll get far worse are for that money and sounds like you've got one that's had routine maintenance done. The oil being low is worrying - light probably didn't come on due to the oil level sensor being broken? Fairly cheap and easy to replace I think.

Weak points on the 1.8t IMO is the engine hoses, vacuum system etc - if these have never been replaced then they will be shot. Other than that they're fairly bulletproof!

Thanks very much for your comments and advice, greatly appreciated.  At the end of the day I went with a 2.0 car instead.  I know many regard these cars as "not a true GTi..." and to be honest I would agree with this, however I have just test-driven a 2001 2.0 GTi manual five door with 94k on the clock and 3 owners in dark blue.  The current owner (a young woman) has maintained the car fastidiously and it has recently had a new clutch, cam belt and full service.  The interior is like new, and the exterior has a couple of touched-up scratches, and some very, very slight surface rust, hardly visible, on the inner lip of a couple of the arches.
Otherwise the car is bog-standard, straight out of the box.  It drove very well - tighter on the road than many three year old cars I have driven - no knocks, bangs or squeaks.  I guess that, removing the GTi badge and considering this as just another second-hand, fifteen year old car for £700, I would wager you wouldn't find a straighter, more honest, well-maintained car.
I intend to address the very insignificant paint issues, and leave this car as it is.  It's nice to drive and I can't wait to collect it at the weekend.  The AGU car I looked at did look the part, but the money that had been put into it was window-dressing; leather seats, big amp, remap.  I would rather see an unmolested car with a bullet-proof service record that was out of the box.  Ill send some pics when I can.  Comments on the outcome of my decision would be warmly received!!

[Archaeologist Fella]

Agu doesnt have a level sensor in it. Rocker leaking or sump leaking would be where id look for oil.

Excellent value for money at that price though. Happy driving

Many thanks for advice and comments....much appreciated, as is the welcome.

[crazydog]

possably for the best wouldn't have thrashed it with no oil showing on the dipstick,seemed to cheap to be believed maybe insurance could be a problem with mods done,anyway good luck with what you've gone for  cheers