GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: starsky on 31 August 2004, 13:54
-
Dont know if its just me but i have driven a number of mk4 golfs, gtis, tdi, etc and i was very tempted to buy one but i went and drove a mk3 and thought sod that. The mk3 drives better than the mk4 i think.
Might just be my opinion but i prefer the ride and the gearbox and the price tag! Dont get me wrong the mk4 is a nice car but until the prices drop its a mk3 all the way for me!!
-
personally i prefer the mk3... of course ;)
which mk4 variant did u drive... and was it just the normal gti you drove?
you should try a few models.. esp the mk3 16v if you're going for a mk3 and cant stump the vr6 insurance up
-
He's only got an 8v Overseer mate - its in his sig.
He should have joined the big boys like us eh!
Hey Starsky dont ya think the standard suspension is too soft?
-
I have driven both 2.0 gti and 1.8 turbo gti. Suspension far too soft, very smooth drive but very boring. The mk3 gti still keeps a little of the mk2 gti feel unlike the mk4 where its all gone.
I find the mk3 suspension fine, maybe could do with being a little stiffer but i can go for better springs if i wish, but im happy enough for now.
By the way i wanted an 8v gti because they are cheaper to buy, easier to find a good example and cheaper running costs. Finding a black 3 door golf gti in excellent condition is difficult enough without insisting that its a 16v model aswell!
If i wanted a v.fast golf i would have bought a VR6, which im going to buy for my next car:)
-
I've had 3 Mk3 gtis and now have a Seat Toledo V5 (Mk4 Golf V5 in different clothes) and I am selling the V5 to buy my fourth Mk3 8v.? Why 8v, because its so useable on a daily basis.
Years back Autocar and Motor did a test of the 8v against the Escort Rs2000 that was out at the time.? On paper the Escort wasted the Golf, on the test track doing 0-60 etc the Escort wasted the Golf.? But, on REAL roads the Golf set off and wasn't seen again by the Escort driver!? The golf had the power in the RIGHT place to pull out of corners quickly etc.
The only problem they found was the damping was a little soft.? I had Konis on my first and found that too hard.? On my third I had Boge Turbogas and they were perfect, just firm enough.? Less than half the price of the Konis too.
So, In summary... I think the Mk4 is overpriced.? If you want one buy a Seat, better still, buy mine ;D
-
^ have you had only mk3 8vs.. no mk3 16vs?
on 'real roads' the 16v leaves the 8v behind..
-
Yes, but also had a GTi6 306 and that would leave them all for dead.
-
Would have given ya a race in my 405 Mi16. :P
-
:P
Yes, but also had a GTi6 306 and that would leave them all for dead.
u should at least try out a 16v if u get scared off by the vr6 insurance premiums like i did.
awesome fun once you learn where the power lies and how to keep it.... and how to make it relax :)
-
I will give one a try. ?I've got the money to buy one now, but it would bother me having 3 cars on the drive, simple as that. ?However, I am looking so if one came up that was unmissable I would go for it. ?Financial advisor permitting of course (Mrs Mowgli). ;D
-
make sure you get on an open road when u test it.. and remember you can stay in gear longer with a valver.. keep the revs up :)
-
Depends on what Mk4 variant you compare the Mk3 to.
2.0 Mk4 GTi is underpowered - same engine as Mk3 8v but much heavier car, so feels even slower than Mk3 8v!
1.8 non Turbo Mk4 GTi 125BHP was made only for a year or so, and is not very good - my mate has one and it really seems sluggish - high revving but no guts.
1.8T Gti Mk4 - pretty good I think - 150BHP, nice package although I've never driven one. I reckon the 150BHP TDi would probably be better...
V5 / V6 4 Motion - never driven / been in, but reckon they must be pretty good.
-
the 4 motion is a very quick car.
there are 2 'v5' models. the older one is slower than a mk3 16v.. the newer one (post 2002 i think) is quicker... something like 150 bhp vs 180 bhp. i believe a similar thing happened with 1.8t's.
the general rule with mk4s is... if its got 3 rear headrests its quick, otherwise its not ;)
-
Older V5's are 150bhp, but the newer ones (jan2001 manufacture onwards)have 170bhp..... almost the same as the Mk3 VR6!
4 motion is quick and the R32 is frightening.... well it certainly is if it's had any tweaking! :o
Stay away from the NA Mk4 GTi's... 1.8T / 1.9Tdi all the way... both are very tweakable too!
-
whats the deal with 1.8t's.. i thought they got a power boost around the same time too?
-
I have to agree with Overseers opinions on the 16v and cant seem to bring myself to get a new car at the mo, am loving it!
I have been looking tho, at the mk4s. 'Tophuh' who hang out in the mk4 section, certainly knows his stuff. I'm sure he'll be happy to answer any of your questions. He helped point me in the right direction.
-
For only 10mph top end difference on the book between the 16v and 8v mk3 golf thats why i bought the 8v misguided you might say? but if you want to go fast you have to buy a bike and what with vwsystems campaign about speed cameras cropping up everywhere there seems little point owning a fast car as you wont be able soon to:-
A:-Afford the petrol >:(
B:-Afford the insurance >:(
C:-Drive like a maniac without securing a conviction and points or ban :'(
On the subject of the mk4 golf seems to me like a bit of a nothing car no real shape /personality too many grannny's/grandads driving them about whatever the engine size at least the mk3 had some of the mk2 life left in it by VW and they still have plenty of shelf life left in them yet how many mk1 and 2 are you gonna see about in lets say 10 yrs apart from show cars.The mk3 will be verging on collectable status by then and vW will prob not exist at the rate they are going the mark 5 the last of the line or so the rumor mongers say? oh dear ;D
-
what does the top end speed matter when its rarely used?
you could say the same about the vr6.. theres only a 5 mph difference at the top end between it and the 16v.
a.. feeling the pinch running optimax ;)
b.. 16v isnt too bad compared to the 8v.. had the '6 insurance been that low i'd have one of those
c.. i'm not a maniac and even i think i just narrowly missed getting caught.
i hate speed cameras.. i'm a bigger supporter of those ones that flash near a dangerous corner if they think you're going a bit quick.. thats what you need!.. stronger warnings!
i'm not sure many will agree the mk3 will be collectable.. i'm almost tempted to not get rid of it ever.. and in the years to come get a 2 seater as well :)
-
Fair point about the top end speed but until you reach 70mph arn't they fairly evenly matched may be wrong on this ? ???
A:-Yes optimax killin me 88.9p a litre scandalous >:(
B:- Same here there was a vr6 for sale for 5k with 109k on the clock but just not able to afford the insurance with 2yrs ncb the future beckons. ;)
No mk4 comment staying clear of that one eh. ;D
-
I agree with the Mad Count - i think the Mk4 is a Granny car. Its got that fat rump look.
I certainly will never buy a Mk4.
My Mk3 has got all i want, air-con and ABS plus the power to drive fast when road conditions allow.
There are plenty of roads out there that will never have cameras on them and they are the most fun to drive on.
Is Optimax really worth it? Does it have a higher octane rating?
I use injection cleaner every 4th fill up so whats the advantage?
-
I agree with the Mad Count - i think the Mk4 is a Granny car. Its got that fat rump look.
I certainly will never buy a Mk4.
Havn't all these comments been said about the Mk3 a few years after it took over from the Mk2???
I like the Mk3, I've had 3 of them after all and looking for No4, and I have a Seat Toledo V5 at the minute. ?The Seat is well ahead in terms of build quality and safety but you do feel a bit detached when driving it. ?Unlike with the Mk 1,2 and 3 Golfs. ?Its a process of growing up if you like, VW aren't daft, they brought out a car umpteen years ago that changed everything. ?As the people who bought them grew older (with bigger families) the car grew in size with them.
I still love 'em to bits. ?They don't really excel in any dept, the styling might be safe and predicatable, but it all works exactly how you want it to.
-
There are plenty of roads out there that will never have cameras on them and they are the most fun to drive on.
Is Optimax really worth it? Does it have a higher octane rating?
I use injection cleaner every 4th fill up so whats the advantage?
Part 1, completely true. They more than likely won't bother with hand held speed guns either.
Part 2, I did a few calcs and it does work out slightly cheaper than using normal cooking unleaded and injector cleaner. I found a couple of extra MPG and when all this was factored in it was actually cheaper (by a gnats cock) to run it on 98 RON superplus or optimax or ultimate than the usual 95 RON stuff.
Its that psychological bit when you look at the pump and there's a 5 - 6p difference.
-
http://www.mrkiv.com/home.htm ... granny car ?? :P
-
Fair point about the top end speed but until you reach 70mph arn't they fairly evenly matched may be wrong on this ? ???
hehe.. well if blacky were here.. lol..
i really dunno.. ?parkers quote the 8v at 10 secs to 60, the 16v at 8 secs and the vr6 at 7.4.. ?
in reality.. i find myself creeping away from an 8v around 40.. ?beyond 50 i'm well ahead. this was before i learned how the car drives properly too.
the 16v is a bit crippled ?low down because of the traction control which is active under 25 mph.. (u cant turn it off.. vr6 has it too..). i
if i knew someone with an 8v could have some fun trying all this out :)
on the optimax thing.. the car runs loads better with it.. and fuel economy appears to be up a lil.. especially when pottering up the motorway at 75 ish.
-
. especially when pottering up the motorway at 75 ish.
:o
You trying to tell us that u travel at 75mph on the motorway?
When? ;D
-
http://www.mrkiv.com/home.htm ... granny car ?? :P
From the BACK!!!
And yes i still say the standard unmolested cars look like a frumpy granny! With a fat arse!
-
. especially when pottering up the motorway at 75 ish.
:o
You trying to tell us that u travel at 75mph on the motorway?
When? ;D
when i'm going between here and my girlys up near cheltenham.. (about 100 miles 99% of which is the M5) so many police about its crazy not to stick to the limit (ish).
-
Granted.
I hate the M5.
Ya got Devon & Cornwall, Avon & Somerset and Gloucester Police all out to nick the motorist.
So i understand exactly where ur comin from.
I've never been caught on the M4 but been caught 3 times on the M5 with several near misses.
One of those was nearly a ban coz the guy was feeling kind and took the first reading of 97.6mph the second one was 102 .3mph. That was a hand held on the Honiton services bridge bout four years ago coming back from RTTS.