New car, engine or fix mine?

[paradisiac82]

OK, so as most know I have had my Golf a while now, it has had its issues, most of which have been fixed but still one or 2 niggles which need to be sorted. Will be getting some extra income soon so looking at the best route forward and advice really.
 
I have 4 options really, or a combination of.
 
1. Buy a new Mk4 Golf without the issues
2. Buy a second hand engine and recondition it
3. Find a reasonable priced reconditioned engine
4. Buy a cheap run around and recondition my engine
 
 
The wings on mine need replacing as they are rusty, seats are in good condition but not recaros, door trims worn so will need replacing, front speakers have had tweeter cables cut so and nasty cheap speakers fitted so will need replacing, boot lock seized so wont turn with key. Other than that love the car, it handles really well and seems to pull and drive as I expect. Turbo was reconditioned last year so that should be strong, the only issue mechanically I am away of is it struggles to start unless you give it some acceleration, and its low on compression on 1 cylinder.
 
I really like the idea of a 1.8T, but how much more fuel does it use than the PD150? Another thing that is going on in my head is if I can get a second engine (either to recondition or already done) I could upgrade turbo, intercooler, hoses etc whilst still driving the Golf, but how much realistically will that cost and how long will it take to save/do etc then puts doubts in my head.
 
I guess basically if you take out all my rambling, does anyone have any rough ideas on pricing for options 2&3 (would want to replace as much as is wise to replace so it lasts a long time and would be strong enough to cope with upgrades), and then once I have a good engine what are the best upgrades for the PD150 with rough prices.
 
Then finally, what would all that relate to both cost and power wise to just buying a 1.8T and upgrading that?
 
Sorry for the long post, thanks in advance for any advice

[lemski]

Money either way.
If it was me id get a runaround. Pull the engine, recon it, hybrid turbo, frontmount egr delete amd decat. Map it to high heaven and engine all the torque.

Could also do the bushes and such while youll have a runaround.
Price wise is all on where you go and what you choose to use parts wise.

[paradisiac82]

Money either way.
If it was me id get a runaround. Pull the engine, recon it, hybrid turbo, frontmount egr delete amd decat. Map it to high heaven and engine all the torque.

Could also do the bushes and such while youll have a runaround.
Price wise is all on where you go and what you choose to use parts wise.

Yeh thats tempting me the most, but as the wings and all need doing as well as tidying up some of the interior, and not to mention the loss in compression on 1 cylinder, how much will need replacing on the engine?

I'm thinking:

Headgasket
Injectors/seals
Cam
Cambelt/pulley
Water pump
Aux belt/pulley
Hoses

Then clean the EGR (or delete) and inlet manifold. But...what if cylinder 1's compression is due to piston/rings, cracked head etc am I then throwing money at a weak engine that will pop with the extra power.

In my head a 1.8T is the best option if I can get it cheap enough, modify that and then get a decent PD130/150 for daily drive (unless the 1.8T isnt too bad on fuel)

[lemski]

In my experiences between the 2. My pd130 does 40mpg average my 1.8t was 30mpg average.
So theres not alot there but the more power you push out the 1.8t the mpg goes down.

But with pd itll be the same.
My v6 quattro a4 is chipped to 190bhp and that averages 33mpg.

Golfs will get more as its lighter.

If its rings put rings init. Could be head. But you wont know til its off and tested. Wings and interior could be sorted when yoyr rebuilding engine.
Rings are a cheaper option. Coupd be there just stuck in the piston instead of being out like they should be.


Back on track. I have the passat tdi as a Dailly and a mk2 golf for fun. Always use my golf though. You could get a 1.8t but as a fun car you could choose anything and just have a tdi as a dailly

[paradisiac82]

yeh, or get a little 1L thing as a daily driver and a nice golf for fun lol soo many options, just trying to cost out how much in reality it would cost to service everything on the engine that would make sense whilst out to see if its worth doing or just starting with a better base engine.

Then its factoring in, would running the second car, whether its a TDi golf or 1L thing, work out more expensive (tax, insurance....) than the saving on fuel on a modified TDi/1.8T

[lemski]

I know what your saying.
Depends on how many miles you do day.
All to think about. A 1.8t is okay if driven sensible. But then a tdi isnt so good if thrashed all day

[paradisiac82]

do about 15 miles a day, about 6 of those are dual carriageway the rest is town driving so not very economical, averaging around 30-35mpg in Golf but I'm not sure its as economical as it could be if fixed/reconditioned lol
Which are easier to upgrade the TDi or the 1.8T? dont want silly power, just something with some go and as much grip as possible

[lemski]

About even id say. My mate had a pd150 mapped and had loads of torque. He also had a 1.8t mapped. Says theres not alot in it.
Price wise its about the same aswell. Tdi you could just map and enjoy.
Gti youd need more bolt ons to get the most out of it.
Petrol turbos sound better though. Handling could be the same so doesnt come into it

[itavaltalainen]

15 miles a day and he's worried about fuel consumption..... 
Even a VR6 wouldn't ruin you with that low a mileage.

From description of the car with wings rusted away, engine knackered, interior in a state; personally I would not sink any money into that. Drive until next MOT and then break it and get something newer unless you can fix all that stuff VERY cheaply.
I have seen plenty of reasonably well kept mk4s for under a 1000 quid. They are now where decent mk3s were about 3-5 years ago.

[paradisiac82]

15 miles a day and he's worried about fuel consumption..... 
Even a VR6 wouldn't ruin you with that low a mileage.

From description of the car with wings rusted away, engine knackered, interior in a state; personally I would not sink any money into that. Drive until next MOT and then break it and get something newer unless you can fix all that stuff VERY cheaply.
I have seen plenty of reasonably well kept mk4s for under a 1000 quid. They are now where decent mk3s were about 3-5 years ago.

At the moment its only 15 miles a day, but in the future that may turn into a lot more, I was using the 15 miles current trip to show that with its mixed driving I'm getting 30-35mpg so would like something ideally close to that if not better (if thats possible with remapping and upgrades added) from either my TDi, another TDi or 1.8T