thinking of buying a 16valver

[Gambit]

yes that would be them!

[marcus123]

richy,

make sure you check the door cards for sign of water retention, as this would indicate at possibly having a rotten floor, this is a killer of mk2's if you see this run!

check for rattly sounding tappets @ idle, another cause for concern.
on the whole tho you cant go wrong with the mk216v, its a great very capable car.
youve got the right idea of going for a late one, if i was to buy another it would defianatly be a 91/92 h/j plate, schwartz black or oak green.
look to pay any where from 2 to 4k for one in good order.
good luck man

[marcogolfo]

I have one of the earliest 16valvers with the quarter windows and runs on optimax only otherwise it pinks like hell and dont like it.  Has been running fine and has done 147 thousand miles n ow.  Never let me down.  Spent a lot on it when I bought it though.  When I bought it it was a dog, the floor was wet through and I bought it pretty much in the dark (note:don't do this!) but I only paid 400 notes for it.  My advice , check for water leaks allover, check arches coz them arch covers can hide a multitude of sins as I found out.  If its got seat covers on, check all the seats match and that they're not f**ked.  Try and get one with a leather interior for the price your willing to pay, you will be glad of this later as I found out that the leather interiors that people are selling are more expensive second hand than what I paid for the car.  If its got big wheels on check driveshafts and gators coz i find that bigger wheels tend to wear these areas out more.  Anyway theres lots more but i got to go, so good luck
regards
marco

[VeeDubGTI16v]

yeah id say check for rust cos this will be the most expensive thing to fix. and have a go in a few good valvers so you know what you should be buying, i found a lot of them were slow as hell, probably ragged to death
and i also noticed you get better value with non big bumper models/90 spec and theres some real low mileage ones to be found.

get one you will have a lot of fun

[richy]

Cheers to all of you for your advice. Great stuff.... keep it comin'!

P.S. veedubgti16v, your pic don't work.

[topher]

thought you were after a scooby mate ?

[richy]

I was considering a scooby for a while (sorry peeps).? However, due to unforseen circumstances I am broke.? A scooby would financially cripple me, what with the higher insurance and mega fuel consumption.?

Plus I get the bonus of a sweet little motor with added cash bonus! I've seen the veedub light.? I'm born again!? ? ?

[billydude]

have you got side impact bars?

as far as i know, only cars that left the factory in 1992 have side impact bars, so thats how you know a true 92 car and not one that was sitting about down at the docks for 6mths before being shipped to a dealer and then registered

I assume you mean this little chap

removed from a bone stock 87 little window 8 valve?
yet our 88 valver don't have it but will soon?

sorry about the hijack

[jv]

hey richy,  i wondered what had happened to you, good to see you back again keep the faith, don't get a scooby!

[richy]

Hi Jv. Don't worry ...no scoob for me.? Sorry Didn't reply to your mail a while back.? Offer's still open if you need a hand? ?

I'm actaully really looking forward to the change to a mk2.? I'm not in a super-rush but due to broke-ness the 3ish grand that I'll probably pocket from the deal will come in v. handy!!! 

Gonna look at a loads before I take the plunge though.  Never bought privately - always from a trader, so not sure how I can bridge the funds gap between buying/selling... a private seller won't take credit cards, and I' can't afford to live without a car for more than a couple of days. 

S'pose I could always sell to a trader for quick cash, but that way I'd probably lose out on the best part of a grand.