thinking of buying a 16valver

[richy]

Yo.? Not been on the site for a wee while cos been v. skint, so not got any plans for me car + therefore no enthusiam.? Then had the bright idea the other day of trading in my Mk4 for a nice late Mk2 16v, to get me some quick cash.?

I need some advice though, mk2-peeps....

When did the mark2 stop production? (i.e. what's the newest mk2 I could get?)
What are the main things I should look out for in late Mk2's?
How much do you spend generally a year in servicing/ repairs for a mark2 of average mileage?
How much should I be paying for one?

Cheers dudes.

Rich

[Veedubgt18v]

the latest is february 1992 'j' plate, i think they might only be 8v tho, but you can find some late registered 'k' plate gti's around they are generally five door and in white. i reckon pay around 2500 for an absolute minter with low mileage.

check out www.matey-matey.com for a buying guide.

i reckon i spend a bit thru the year but i like to keep it in perfect nick. if you just did service parts and general disposable parts and did the work yourself i reckon you would be looking at not even a grand a year roughly, if you just drove it that is and werent to pinickety! all guestimated tho!

[richy]

cheers.? I've spotted one in autotrader for 2750.? Its a J-reg 16v with 95000 miles on the clock.? I lady owner.? 

[Veedubgt18v]

yeah nice! take some one that knows tho cos i looked at a few saying one lady owner never ragged etc but i found amp wiring and tints and stuff so i walked away. under a hundred k is good just be wary of a car that hasnt done regular mileage cos things are more likely to go wrong due to it sitting around a lot etc. also make sure its got loads of history and spend hours looking at it if it doesnt feel right then it isnt- walk away.

[wellfan]

Just a wee hint, remember the 16 valvers are not designed to run on orinary unleaded fuel, the octane rating is too low. The 8 valver is, it also has a knock sensor to retard the ignition should the octane rating be too low. The 16 valver is okay with a higher octane rated fuel. Sorry for stating the obvious. But before I bought my present 8 valver I was on the lookout for a 16 valver and looked at quite a few and all of the sellers told me they were running their cars on ordinary unleaded, this put me off buying any of them. I would be interested to hear what owners of 16 valvers have to say on this matter.

[Veedubgt18v]

that is totally true, but with the availability of high octane fuels i dont think it would be a mega problem. my 8v says 98ron minimum. i cant afford super or optimax so i run it on lrp which is 97ron.

you can adjust the ignition timing to compensate but then you lose power 

[Gambit]

90 spec 16v's can run on normal unleaded if need be, they actually have a different ECU than pre90 16v's. but you'll wanna run it on Super Unleaded anyhow for the extra get up n go!

as for dates, i know somebody in Belfast who has a Jun 92 Oak Green 16v. so they are out there. his also has side impact bars!!! dont see many on them in a mk2!

onto buying. as everybody says. dont just jump at the first one you see. take your time and look around. bodywork is the main problem, the engine is bullet proof. no real need either for a full service history. a part service history is fine. you've gotta remember that the cars are now appraoching 15yr old. so people aint gonna pay VW service prices!

tbh there is no point paying a massive premium for as late a car as possible! i recently sold my 91 16v as it was rotten in below. outside there wasnt a mark in it.

i then went an bought an 89 16v and it is 100 times better than the 91 16v. it was given a full respray just under 2 years ago and really is faultless. i paid decent enough money for it considering it came with factory leather & BBS splits. but is still miles below 2750!!!

[Veedubgt18v]

i got side impact bars?  mine is a late feb 1992 run out 8v

[Gambit]

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

[Veedubgt18v]

yeah i have i remeember from when i did my door skins, they are like the size of a scaffolding pole, i think its only one, just below the line in the metal of the door just below the handle. my brothers hasnt got these so he just has a metal skin protecting him from side impacts!