Soon to be GTI owner - perhaps.

[jakeyboy]

Hi everyone,
I have been offered a 1991 gti 8v 1.8l on 104k miles for £500 which i think seems very reasonable. I am just coming off a 16valve 2.0l vauxhall calibra due to a hike in my insurance. They offered me cheaper insurance on a gti by over £200... anyways i digress. I test drove the gti and loved the drive but am sad to let the cali go. 
There are a few things that are stopping me take the plunge and make the change.

1. the car stalls when stopping at the lights. reading this forum - is this the legendary hunting idle? and therefore a cheap and easy fix?
2. there is a little smoke on a cold start up and apparently the oil needs topping up a little every 1-2k miles or so. I was told this could be a need for a new rocker gasket - are these expensive? they were on my cali!!
3. the central locking is slow to pop up and down - is this normal or are the servos on their way out?
4. the accelerator pedal is pretty stiff - again is this normal or does it need taking apart and greasing?

Apart from that there is little niggles like paint fade on the bonnet and the rear nearside window wont go up or down (electric). Overall i am very tempted but dont want to buy a car that needs lots of work - i like to tinker a bit but also need a reliable motor.
I'm sure i can rely on the members of this forum to persuade me to take the gti. 

[T_J_G]

Can't help with much but rocker cover gasket is under £20 if you get the decent plastic/metal one and not the sh!tty cork ones.

[tom26]

hi there
1. could be the isv, or an air leak (not sure as mine had this prob but is a valver)
2. a little smoke? could be valve stems?
3. most mk2's i've been in have slow central locking (if OEM) as i think its pneumatic?
4. throttle cable is prob stiff due to a worn cable (mine was cured by having this changed).
5. seriously... a calibra?? what were you thinking.

[dabill]

5. seriously... a calibra?? what were you thinking.

haha, agree'd

all sound reletivly straight forward fixes except possibly the smoke on start up... but if you want a reliable car then buy a new one, when it all boils down to it, its 16 or so years old... not gonna be 100% reliable. might run rouh, but since its   a volkswagen, it'll run rough for ever unless you do something about it, but it's unlikely it'll blow up... like a calibra...

[perryqhill]

Hi everyone,
I have been offered a 1991 gti 8v 1.8l on 104k miles for £500 which i think seems very reasonable. I am just coming off a 16valve 2.0l vauxhall calibra due to a hike in my insurance. They offered me cheaper insurance on a gti by over £200... anyways i digress. I test drove the gti and loved the drive but am sad to let the cali go. 
There are a few things that are stopping me take the plunge and make the change.

1. the car stalls when stopping at the lights. reading this forum - is this the legendary hunting idle? and therefore a cheap and easy fix?
2. there is a little smoke on a cold start up and apparently the oil needs topping up a little every 1-2k miles or so. I was told this could be a need for a new rocker gasket - are these expensive? they were on my cali!!
3. the central locking is slow to pop up and down - is this normal or are the servos on their way out?
4. the accelerator pedal is pretty stiff - again is this normal or does it need taking apart and greasing?

Apart from that there is little niggles like paint fade on the bonnet and the rear nearside window wont go up or down (electric). Overall i am very tempted but dont want to buy a car that needs lots of work - i like to tinker a bit but also need a reliable motor.
I'm sure i can rely on the members of this forum to persuade me to take the gti. 

I'd say take the plunge and go for a different experience, I've just done similar after weening myself off a Cav SRi 2.0 (N.E) and a Cav 2.0 16v Sri (Ecotec).

It certainly hasn't been a bed of roses as I've had a few problems, mainly elecrical. So far it's been mechanically sound though and I'm glad I went for the change, even if I think my last SRi was a shade faster - the GTi is definitely better on the twisty bits.

[nealey]

Do it and dont look back

1. Stalling could be a number of things, check all the breather system for splits, clean the isv and get the car properly set up

2. Smoke could be valve stem seals, rocker gaskets are cheap and easy to replace, vw say engine can burn up to 1 litre of oil every 1500km

3. The central locking is slow on all mk2s

4. Replace the throttle cable and see if it makes a difference

[Dougie_91 8v GTi]

Had my 1991 8v for about six wonderful months, spent practically nothing on it, does need a service, topped the oil up as realised after five months that I was going to top it up when I got it but forgot.  Throttle pedal IS by comparison stiff on these cars, almost seems like twin stage, I just though it didn't go very far, and that the car wasn't that quick, then realised how deep the pedal is, and the fun just kept on coming.  They are great cars and a lot of fun, the handling is the main delight, just get decent tyres, especially for the wet weather.

There is a tune up guide on the site specifically for the engine in that car you are looking at: Digifant PB

Mine is a 3 door and in good order, 104k when I bought her for £600, so your's could be a bargain.