Almost ready to get rid of my mk2 8v, trying to decide? :(

[Jamtarts]

After two fun years of driving about in wee golfie (G reg1.8 gti 8v), her tax and mot have ran out at once.  I've sorn'd her just now whilst trying to decide what to do, she needs about £500-600 worth of work plus the road tax.

I'm gutted!  I've not got the money just now to put her back on road and I don't have storage facilities for a long term sorn (she's sitting on my dad's drive).

Family life means I don't have the spare funds as my Ford Galaxy (the family car) tax and mot due next month

My current thoughts were...

Is the car worth sticking on gumtree (or similar) for a straight swap for a mk4 gti with some tax and mot to get me back on road?  I don't mean this as a what's it worth thread.  I'm just wondering if it's worth a swap for an older mk4?  What's the values of them as they stand?  Would mk4 owners take a mk2 with no tax or mot?  Would there be a big cash difference between a swap?


What would you do?  I'm hoping for some brilliant suggestions to help me choose

Ideally I want to keep wee golfie, but I'm quite partial to a mk4 as well

thanks in advance
I'm gutted as I can't really store it for long and I could probably get it back on the road after the year but it's spending more time off the road than on it just now as I don't have spare funds for it

[dragonfly]

Say you do swap it for a mk4 - what happens if that needs money spending on it?  It'll be hard to shift an untaxed and un MOT'd mk2 unless you break it.
What's the values of them as they stand?  Depends on model, spec, condition etc
Would mk4 owners take a mk2 with no tax or mot?  How can this be answered?
Would there be a big cash difference between a swap? Again - how can this be answered?

Stick with the mk2 and fix it bit by bit.

[dubber36]

To be frank, if money is so tight that taxing and MOTing your Galaxy is going to take up all your spare cash, it may not be all that sensible right now for you to have a second/project car, especially if you have nowhere to keep it.

If that is the case, if I were you I'd try selling the Mk2 as it is, to get whatever cash you can for it. That will give you a bit of a buffer. You probably won't get much for it, but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and accept the reality of the situation. Then do your best to save what you can, and possibly buy another one when funds/circumstances allow. You are never in a million years going to find someone with a tax and tested Mk4 willing to swap. Why would they? Would you?

[Jamtarts]

Say you do swap it for a mk4 - what happens if that needs money spending on it?  It'll be hard to shift an untaxed and un MOT'd mk2 unless you break it.
What's the values of them as they stand?  Depends on model, spec, condition etc
Would mk4 owners take a mk2 with no tax or mot?  How can this be answered?
Would there be a big cash difference between a swap? Again - how can this be answered?

Stick with the mk2 and fix it bit by bit.

Thanks, I've got a pal coming to see it on Thursday to see what work can be done on it cheaply to get it back on the road, so I think I might just keep it just now all going well,

[Jamtarts]

To be frank, if money is so tight that taxing and MOTing your Galaxy is going to take up all your spare cash, it may not be all that sensible right now for you to have a second/project car, especially if you have nowhere to keep it.

If that is the case, if I were you I'd try selling the Mk2 as it is, to get whatever cash you can for it. That will give you a bit of a buffer. You probably won't get much for it, but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and accept the reality of the situation. Then do your best to save what you can, and possibly buy another one when funds/circumstances allow. You are never in a million years going to find someone with a tax and tested Mk4 willing to swap. Why would they? Would you?

I wasn't sure?  That's why I posted to find out before I made an advert, I just wanted to see what market was like.  I've never had a mk4 but given the correct circumstances I'd possibly have swapped it for a mk2.

I know a few of my mates might have as well.  I know I'm not going to get a top end R32, but I thought there might be a chance of an older bottom end model in the £700/800 price range may tempt a few folk who fancied a new project?

[dubber36]

I might be a mile out here, but I cant see your Mk2 with no MOT being worth much more than £300. To a potential buyer, it's an unknown quantity. They would assume it needed a lot of work to get it through the test, otherwise why wouldn't you have done it yourself?

With that in mind, what sort of Mk4 are you going to get for £300? Not a taxed and tested one without a whole new heap of problems, that's for sure. Frying pan and fire springs to mind.

[Jamtarts]

I might be a mile out here, but I cant see your Mk2 with no MOT being worth much more than £300. To a potential buyer, it's an unknown quantity. They would assume it needed a lot of work to get it through the test, otherwise why wouldn't you have done it yourself?

With that in mind, what sort of Mk4 are you going to get for £300? Not a taxed and tested one without a whole new heap of problems, that's for sure. Frying pan and fire springs to mind.

Thanks, it was just to get a bit of an idea of the values, I think I'll stick with the mk2, it's not worth getting rid of it for that.  I reckon it needs about £400-500 worth of work done on it (garage price) so I'll see how much I can get done myself and from pals, get it taxed and just keep it,

I'd rather have the mk2 than the mk4, I'd just wondered if it was feasible to swap them and get a more modern car that doesn't need as much work done to it, it's just a toy for me anyway as we have the Galaxy and a Nissan Almera (my wife's car) too,

I'm just fed up not having anywhere to work on the car or put it off road to get work done on it.   

[Sgt_Lemon]

What things need to be done to get it through an mot? In general an MOT isn't that difficult to pass if the car is in ok condition. Regardless of tax if its going to cost that much to get it through an MOT, let alone make it a tidy car, I don't think its worth keeping. Not worth anything to sell as a whole so breaking for parts will get you the most money for it but is more effort and you will need to store the car longer.

[Jamtarts]

What things need to be done to get it through an mot? In general an MOT isn't that difficult to pass if the car is in ok condition. Regardless of tax if its going to cost that much to get it through an MOT, let alone make it a tidy car, I don't think its worth keeping. Not worth anything to sell as a whole so breaking for parts will get you the most money for it but is more effort and you will need to store the car longer.

it needs brakes/hoses and the exhaust done, it's scorpion that's on it and I want the original back on it,

it also needs an alternator and a new battery, that's from the guy in the garage checking it, my mate is going to have a look at what work he can do on it, I'm guessing it's not a lot if you know what you're doing.

I'll just keep plodding away on it and get it back on the road as soon as I can,

[Sgt_Lemon]

A new alternator and battery is cheap as chips and very easy to do. You may not like it atm but the scorpion exhaust will pass the mot. If its that simple get it through its mot do, then get 6 months tax. You should be able to do all that for under £200 and it gives you at minimum 6 months on the road to get funds in order. Back to alternator and battery, get a multimeter on them both first. Often taking out the alternator brushes and rubbing them down on a brick can give you a better connection and better charge.