With that kind of budget you will have to choose between the 95 model year or earlier cars that have the GTI style side mouldings and textured bumper tops or the smooth 1996 model on cars that are fully body coloured.
The 1996 onwards cars had tweaks to the suspension that made them a little more softer and more of a cruiser - it will take some getting used to from a nimble Mk2 16v!!
The earlier cars are much taughter and handle more like a GTI but the ride is still very comfortable.
If you are going to change suspension anyway then go for the later cars. They also have a revised ECU which is meant to be quicker.
Other changes include the introduction of a coil pack instead of a dizzy and the cam chain went from duplex (two small chains) to single (one bigger chain).
The earlier engines can be spotted by the silver chain cover on offside of the engine, the later ones are black plastic.
Later cars are more likely to have a/c and all UK cars will have a sunroof.
The standard cloth wears a lot and can look tatty quickly so Recaros or leather are good news. Oddly the Recaros come in the same fabric as the standard GTI seats.
If you get leather, check to see the heater elements work OK.
And always HPI!
The Mk3 16v isn't a bad car but if you can afford the fuel and don't already have 9 points on your licence then the VR6 is in a class of its own - after all it's not that different to the engine in the R32, Beetle RSi, Audi TT 3.2 DSG, Phaeton 3.2 V6 and....the Porsche Cayenne V6!!
Cheers
