GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: mboon on 04 December 2010, 14:43
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Looking through ours at the moment and we have more than I thought we did, the first clock change has been recorded by VW and the papers to prove. Its been off and on the road in the last few years etc.
I just wondered how much you guys would take notice of the history, would you buy on the history or the condition of the car?
Our car is pretty tidy but the history book has not been stamped since 2000 but we have paper work to show its been looked after by VW since 2007, since then its covered 5000 miles.
I have owned cosworths, M3s etc and with the M3 history was everything as the engine was so specialist, but the cosworths are always brought on condition of the car and sound and condition of the engine.
What was you guys looking for when buying your MK2?
I brought ours knowning it did not come with full history but the condition and originality of the car made me go for it. I alwways brought my cars on history, if it did not have full history I would find one that did, bu with a 21 year old car the history is always going to have gaps or holes etc unless ur buying a 1 or 2 owner car
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Depends on how much the car is going for, if it's not a lot of money then a bit of recent history would be good, if it's average price+ then I'd want more history. The more £'s for a car, the more history I'd want.
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The general consensus with mk2's is that mechanicals are mostly cheap and easy to find but a straight completely rust free shell is a rare and special thing.
Most engines (there are exceptions but not in any entheusiast cars) built in the last few decades are pretty long lived if not over revved, not thrashed from cold, and the liquids and filters are kept fresh. 100k miles on the motorway with clean oil etc at sensible speeds will do little or no harm to an engine whereas lending it to a teenager and insisting they are carefull will do more harm within the first 10 minutes so mileage and service history are only worth so much really.... i mean, does the fact that it passed the mot in 1997 really make you feel any better about learning to weld? thought not!
That said if you are paying low mileage minter money then check every page as the cost of originality is far higher than the cost of a rebuild which is why i consistently buy ropey ones and mend em, i know its been done and when rather than hoping and invariably ending up dissapointed.
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The condition of the car is the deciding factor ultimately, but an extensive history makes interesting reading. The service history is reassuring, but I'm more interested in invoices for major works, so I know how long ago things like the clutch and headgasket were done.
The history from the last couple of years can reveal how much the car was loved too - a couple of recent invoices of a few hundred pounds shows that someone was willing to go to expense to keep the car in top condition.
I don't think a lack of history should put you off a car of this age, but a good history can seperate the very good examples from the outstanding ones.
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I always go with the paintwork first and then look at history to give me a rough idea of what its worth.
Not everyone looks at it in that way and expect an up to date history for a £1500 ish car. Never understood that :rolleyes:
Early history is nice but full history is just a bonus for more ebay bids.
Bodywork condition for me as thats the most costly part to put right :smiley:
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^
More or less the same here. I go on bodywork, rather than history. A long/complete history just gives me a better idea of what does/does not need replacing...yet.
It's an old car. Most stuff will need replacing sooner or later, but a good/straight body will take care of itself - and is a right potch to sort if it isn't - so as long as it's mechanically sound and has a straight body, that's all that matters to me when buying.
Besides. Where's the fun in MK2 ownership if you can't tinker. :grin:
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i bought my car on body ,history was quite comprehensive but made no mention of engine change or whatever so my cars history is worthless in my eyes, but when you pay peanuts for it you dont expect much well ive had car 10months no problems that i didnt expect. its a twenty year old car i expect to have to change the odd part now and again history or not.
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I would say buy on condition, but having said that I was swayed towards mine because as well as being rust free and original, it had only had one owner and a full dealer / specialist history.
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condition 1st, milage 2nd, history 3rd, I brought an RSturbo last year going on paint work and history and of coarse the turbo but all were worthless as the car had been serviced but hammered all the way to and from the service station. Also a great deal goes on the present owner if they say they havn't had the car long steer clear, best cars I ever brought were off people who generally cared about its next home.
Its a gamble no matter what you choose.
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condition 1st, milage 2nd, history 3rd, I brought an RSturbo last year going on paint work and history and of coarse the turbo but all were worthless as the car had been serviced but hammered all the way to and from the service station. Also a great deal goes on the present owner if they say they havn't had the car long steer clear, best cars I ever brought were off people who generally cared about its next home.
Its a gamble no matter what you choose.
I second that. the most reliable car i had was my old mk2 gti daily, on 215k miles when i bought it, and it wouldnt die!
the current car has a load of history (also for the mk3 the engine came from) but due to the nature of it, it hasnt been plain sailing :laugh:
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I don't think a lack of history should put you off a car of this age, but a good history can separate the very good examples from the outstanding ones.
I have to agree with this statement.....
I bought mine based not only on the ebay listing but really after talking to the seller... who was a real honest bloke (I deal with the public all day and have a good in built "Bullsh!t" detector) and a mechanic to boot... and everything he said was true and I have not had a single major issue with the car since I bought it...
She's a dream to own - and I have carried on from where the previous owner'S have left off...
So for me when it comes to buying "its a mixture of all the options but body first than the rest in whatever manner you like"... as with buying any car do your homework first use your eyes as your guide, and don't just go by what the seller tells you.. Most of it for me goes down to common sense!!
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If the servicing has been done by VW they will have records of it. I found my GTD has a full stamped dealer history but no paperwork. Phoned the dealership where it had been all its life and they sent all records dating back to 1997. Almost an inch thick of paperwork showing repairs carried out to it, which in my eyes is beneficial. Bare in mind only the dealership who serviced the car has access to the records, so see if they can sent them to you.
Having said that I bought a Driver a few years ago with no history for £350, it had no rust and the engine and gearbox were fine, is still running today with no problems.
EDIT: oops ignore this just noticed you already have the paperwork doh! For anyone interested though :)
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Difficult to say really. Long history doesn't necessarily say its been really well looked after, just that someone has kept the receipts.
The car is going to be 20+ years old, parts will have to be replaced anyway - its irrelevant if a clutch/gearbox was changed 10 years ago.
Detailed short-term history, would usually show a really mechanically, well maintained car. I would probably say 3-4 years of GOOD history, is worth a lot more than 20 years of MOT slips and service stamps, as that will be indicative of what major service parts are due/or have been replaced.
The main issue is body itself. You can have a detailed FSH, but if the body is rotten - its not really all that relevant, especially since parts are so cheap.
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History has never really bothered me. Mostly gone on how it looks and runs.
The green Jetta has stacks of history with it. The red Jetta GTI I've just brought had zero history with it, but its in really good shape and runs fantastic, so don't mind. Just give it a cambelt and service for piece of mind. If I didn't buy it, it was off to the scrapper.
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look at this for example
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-GOLF-GTi-MK2-8v-J-Reg-1992-1-owner-VERY-LOW-MILEAGE-/270669707513?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f052bf8f9
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look at this for example
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-GOLF-GTi-MK2-8v-J-Reg-1992-1-owner-VERY-LOW-MILEAGE-/270669707513?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f052bf8f9
Bloody hell that's rotted. I never knew it could rust in them places. I am confident now lol
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if he purchased it 6 years ago then even if someone else owned from new wouldn't he be second owner :lipsrsealed:
Tis well rotted..
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Yeah I thought that.
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Bought mine off e bay with no paperwork didnt even view the car.
I knew i was going to be changing loads of parts anyway and bodywork isnt too bad so f**k it, i took a gamble because i didnt pay alot for it.
Is there anyone who has full service history,drives it daily and has done no work at all to theirs?
If you had a gti with say 215,000 on it you re probably gonna pull the engine out of it anyway regardless of whether its got a fully stamped book.
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mine has no service history just loads of paperwork.. and 150k on the clock.. shell seems pretty tidy bits an bobs here and there.. but then again i paid £850 and am going to restore it anyways lol
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The thing with that ebay car is, it sold for £1800, if the buyer spends £2000 on it, he should have a car that he wouldn't have been able to buy for less that £4000 to begin with. What he will have is a 2 previous owner car with mega low miles that he knows inside out..
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The thing with that ebay car is, it sold for £1800, if the buyer spends £2000 on it, he should have a car that he wouldn't have been able to buy for less that £4000 to begin with. What he will have is a 2 previous owner car with mega low miles that he knows inside out..
If only that's the way it really worked. £4000 for an 8v is a hell of a lot of money, and I don't think anyone would pay that, regardless of the miles? Also, unless someone is sitting on a stash of cheap Pearl Grey body panels, I can't see how it is going to cost less than £2k to put right. Those sills and a-pillars look worrying, so I hope the buyer has had a good look underneath...
Saying that, the sale price of £1800 is a little high even to break it.
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Sorry - But that car was not worth that sort of money...
I paid £1500.00 for mine and the body was 99% perfect with tons of history etc... then I spent £1500.00 on a respray BUT only after I checked that the car was worth spending that sort of money on!!
I feel very sorry for the "Sucker" that bought that, if he has bought it just on low mileage and 2 owners only he is looking at a mega bill to fix it inc a full respray.... Just not worth it in my mind considering the condition.....
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It's back to the old adage of been worth what someone is prepared to pay.
To the buyer it may be a price worth paying to get something he wants. My £2000 fix up budget may be a bit on the light side, so say the finished car owes him £5000, granted, the car will not be worth that, but if he dosn't sell it, he won't realise the loss. He will have a mint, low very low mileage Mk2 in a sought after colour sat in his garage.
We don't all think of our Mk2's in the same way. To some they are a nice car which add some fun to the daily grind, where to others they are just something nice to own and keep for ever.
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I thought that was strong money as well.
Ok so how much would a 4 owner. Standard and original mk2gti 16v 3 door Oak Bay Green, like new bbs Ra, 90% history, no rust on the shell, roof could do with a buff and maybe the drivers door spraying as it does not quiet match. Drives well. It had.main dealer history until around 5000 miles.ago but it has not only done 5000 miles in the last 4 Years
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Forgot to say its got around 180k on the clock. You would never think that if u seen or drove it
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When i bought mine it was £1700 and has tons of reciepts for all the work done, full service history from 91 minus a few years when it was garaged
it does have some surfcae rust here and there but nothing too bad, for me it was the cream leather that really caught my eye, car does need a respray but it does come down to how much you are willing to spend i guess
mine currently has 150k on the clock still pulls really well but for me it is a work in progress guess we will see how much I end up spending on it !
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£1400? a touch more if it was a 3 door
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£1400? a touch more if it was a 3 door
really?? That's a surprise. When I was looking they was all much more than that .i paid a fair bit more as well for her too
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If you are happy with what you paid, that's all that matters.
I probably paid more for my car that it was worth, but it was the first one I saw, and I knew it was from a reliable source. What people don't factor in to the whole car buying process is how much it costs in fuel and their time taken to travel around the place looking at umpteen sheds before finding the "right" car. If they were to add all that money onto the price they paid for their car, their bargain find would not be as cheap as it first seemed.
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If you are happy with what you paid, that's all that matters.
I probably paid more for my car that it was worth, but it was the first one I saw, and I knew it was from a reliable source. What people don't factor in to the whole car buying process is how much it costs in fuel and their time taken to travel around the place looking at umpteen sheds before finding the "right" car. If they were to add all that money onto the price they paid for their car, their bargain find would not be as cheap as it first seemed.
yeah TRUE. I wanted rust free which is what I got.
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^ True, bought the first one I saw mk2 16v OG in 3dr, knew it was a bit ropey and needed welding and paint to be mint. Had a few invoices with it and paid 320.00 taxed, tested and a box of goodies inc fast road clutch etc.
It's getting there slowly and I'm learning loads about how they go together, plus it'll be almost better than new when finished.
When I took the back seat out a found a folder stuffed full of reciepts/ MOT's totalling ££££'s going back to 1991 :grin:
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That was a great find
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That was a great find
Helluv a lot of work though, but do get to put my own spin on it as a result. But unless you are considering starting a career in bodywork (I am) I'd agree with the sentiment of buying one with the best bodywork you can. One of these days I'll update my build thread on here :smiley:
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Hi
This is going to sound silly, but it is true. I was at a Porsche get together and talking to a guy who drives a 997 GT3. I was complaining about not being able to find a decent, not completely mis described, MR2 Mk1 as a station car. My previous one was a CRX Mk1 1600. He told me he had a MK2 GTI and to look for one of those.
So on returning home I go on pistonheads and the 2nd car in the list is a Helios blue 1988 8v GTI with 71k miles and full service history. I think it was up for £1500 or £1750. I cannot remember. 2 owners with the last one for 13 years. The numberplate was F911 EGT though so I thought it must be fate. On seeing the car it has been outside all it's life, the PO has been using it to take stuff to the tip and it needs a clean. On the good side I cannot see any rust in all the usual places.
So I think to myself that there is no way I am buying this it is just too tired/tatty looking. But I go inside the house and go through the history. It is complete and so I start to soften. Suffice to say I took it home for £1250 and actually it is a great car. It still needs a clean though!
It's not bad but over time I will address it's cosmetic shortcomings. I have been rustproofing as I go through the car (suspension and bush change so far). The only significant rust on the car is the leading edge of the front wings where it meets the valance/spoiler, and some surface rust under the plastic wheel arch covers at the back.
So in my case the history made a difference.
Berni
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It like when you watch these programs on Discovery Turbo 'Beatle crisis' 'Camper Van Crisis' people are willing to spend in excess of 10k doing a restoration