The big question

[fin170703]

HI all,

 With this next question i might spark a bit of debate, and here it is,. 8v or 16v which is better, pro's and con's would be good,.

 I'm looking at four cars over the week , two are 8v and two are 16v, and would grateful for all the info you can give me about

 durability ( they have all done over 100,000 miles)  performance, insurance and what not, as you can probably tell i am new to all

 this


                                                a premature thanks to all replies

p.s this forum is fantastic, i have learned more in two days in this forum than the rest of the sites put together

[...joe]

do you know the can of worms you've just opened!!?? this debate has been done many times and the only definate answer is 16valve owner will say 16 valves, 8 valve owners will say 8 valve!!

but i think we all agree any mk2 is better than a mk3!

i've got an 8 valve but i don't think its better than a 16, or much worse for that matter. i didn't know a thing abut golfs when i bought it so didn't do the research.

[jv]

Such flattery ?

No offence but I hate seeing this question! ?

I have had both 8v and 16v mk2's. The insurance won't be much different and running costs are likely to be about the same. The 16v is quicker but there isn't that much in it. Given the choice, I would buy a 16v. However, you are better off keeping an open mind and buying a really good mk2 GTI rather than restricting yourself, that's how my second mk2 was an 8v

They are going to have quite big miles on them because of their age. They are well built cars but you have to expect some repair bills...

[fin170703]

Sorry to start ask the question again.lol

 I think your right mk2s are better than mk3s, in my opinion, and thats th beauty of opinions there like a*rseh*les everyone has got

one. The mk2 golf was the first poster i ever put up on my wall, not now the wife would kill me,. And this is the reason it will be a

true classic, its timeless, in twenty years it will still turn heads, in thirty years people will still be talking about it, will the mk3 have

the same appeal, i don't know,. I think that if you look at all the classics like the series1 escort turbo, Volkswagen beetle, mini, ford

mustang, Mg's, escort rs 2000 the company's that brought them out were never able to emulate the original car, i know the mk1

golf was before the mk2 but that is a great car as well, and this is why all these cars and many more will be defined as classics, 

simply because they are unique.

  Sorry to rant on. Let me know your opinions. thxs

[Dannyd]

i have had an 8v and currently have a high spec 16v but i would have to say on this debate which has raged on for years it would be the 16v but due to the spec that was in the car..seats electric's ECT.... it gives a good feel to the car and considering the age of them now it will be a classic and they will be sought after for many years to come!!! put it this way how many 8v's do you see in the scapyards compared to 16v!

just to add i have had 30+ of the so called 80's hot hatches and nothing compares with the mk1 and 2 golf's........but i did have fun with a metro turbo...

[fin170703]

Good point Dannyd

 You only have to look in the breakers section in the auto trader to see how many 16v are currently scrapped, what a waste, which

adds to my classic car point, i think the mk2 is currently going through a change i think the days of buying one to 'boy

race in' are going and now people are starting to think of the mk2 as a genuine classic, which can only be a good thing, in turn you

get the enthusiast buying them and looking after them as they should. The series 1 escort turbo is a good example they were

thrashed and crashed for years and now there are very few clean examples around but the ones you see are usually very clean

[Dannyd]

true!!!!
so what direction are you thinking of taking then? 

[fin170703]

I think I'm going to go on the merits of the car not wether its a 8v or 16v. I'm going to look at a oak green 16v on Tuesday its got

130,00 miles on the clock with fsh the guy said its very clean , the only pain is that I'm traveling 200 miles to see it so i hope he is

being honest. I live down in Saltash near Plymouth and all the mk2's for sale down here seemed to be tampered with , not saying

thats a bad thing but I'm after an original example,. The guy wants 1495 for it , no offers, does that sound about the right money

to you.

[Dannyd]

mines oringal apart from the alloys and exhaust which will be retified when money is there!!!

[fin170703]

How much did you pay for yours , hope you dont mind me asking,.