Trying to buy a 16v - advice needed

[Carl S]

Hello, I'm new to this forum but figured someone would probably know the answer to this
I've been looking for a mechanically good MkII Golf 16v to use as a base for a track day car. Trouble is that every car I look at sems to have the same recurring problems, no matter how much the owner is asking for it;

- Engine idle seems eratic, like it's hunting
- The gearsticks seem to have no relation to the usual "H" pattern, they all seem knackered, with gears hard to find and huge amounts of travel, occasionally finding a gear in the vague vacinity of where it should be.
- Most clutches are past their best, and seem to change rather high up the pedal travel.

I can cope with the engine tuning, even the clutch (just change it) but the gearchanges worry me as I haven't found a good one yet! I test drove a very nice red mk2 16v last night, everything was perfect apart from the worst gearchange yet, you had to force 5th gear in with alot of force, and the owner said he'd had all the bushes replaced recently !

Am I expecting too much from an old 16v, or should I just aim a bit higher with a newer higher spec car such as a G60 Golf or Corrado for the track?

[rubjonny]

2 common easy to fix problems with gear linkages:
1. The ball housing at the bottom wears alowing you to select reverse without pressing down in extreme cases
2. Selector rods break

I've had both problems, on mine the small selector rod had a crack at the end which stopped me being able to select 5th most of the time.  I wouldn't let a dodgy gear linkage put me off a good 16v, at best its going to need the linkage adjusted/repaired and at worst its going to need a new gearbox (which go regularly on 16vs due to VW using rivits where they shouldn't!)

Gearboxes arn't that expensive to be honest, if you're buying a MK2 you should expect to spend money on it tbh  Its worth trying to do the repairs yourself though, its the garage labour that costs you!

[Gambit]

the reason it is hunting is because its simply not set up correctly. the CO% needs to be set to 2% for it to run correctly. very easy adjusted

and the gearbox problem is very easily sorted, with the ball housing as already mentioned, plus a bush kit for GSF for ?15, and a new relay shaft ball from missglinkz for $25 from the states.

most 16v's are mechanically sound, its getting a clean rust free shell you should be looking for

[Carl S]

Thanks guys,  I'm going to see if I can go to Castle Coombe this Saturday to get some inspiration, there's bound to be a few cars for sale there as well !