Evening all, newbie with some questions

[Pete-R]

Just registered so I thought I had better say hello and get some of the stupid questions out of the way.

I'm looking to get a second car next year for a bit of weekend and trackday fun, I'm considering a few options and a mk2 Golf GTI, realistically 8v, is one of them. I would like to get my hands dirty and do a chunk of the work myself, though I do know an excellent VW mechanic.

I would like to know, having never driven one, what they handle like and how easy is it to improve?
What to look out for when buying one?
How easy are they to work on?

I'll be needing to clear a couple of debts first and then I can start saving some money. I'm currently in the research stage

[...joe]

in my opinion they are great cars!! not that i'm biased or anything?!
they handle pretty well out the box, but are easy to stiffen things up and imporve things further. a set of uprated anti roll bars and some decent suspension will transform the handling, get some ply bushes on there and it'll corner like mad!
as for getting your hands dirty, this is the first car i've done "stuff" to and its been such an easy car to learn on, for the age/price etc i can't think of a decent alternative.

[16valve]

What he said ^^^ They handle well, no REALLY WELL and if your prepared to modify the Suspension and uprate a few parts there BLOODY AMAZING!!! You will not find a better alternative IMO! Just try to find a half decent one to begin with that hasnt been buggered by a half wit...

Dave

[Pete-R]

Had been erring on the French side of things, trouble is they are a bit too temperamental for my liking. I don't think I would have the same confidence in a saxo, 205 etc as I would in a Golf, I'm also looking to get my Dad into some track time and I know he would feel safer in something a bit more sturdy. It's his age

Like I say, I'm still in the research stage but when I have the money to spend I won't rush into things and wait for a goodun.

GTI-Joe, I read the whole lot of your work in progress. I have to say the result is great, nice and subtle with some really nice touches

[...joe]

Had been erring on the French side of things, trouble is they are a bit too temperamental for my liking. I don't think I would have the same confidence in a saxo, 205 etc as I would in a Golf, I'm also looking to get my Dad into some track time and I know he would feel safer in something a bit more sturdy. It's his age

Like I say, I'm still in the research stage but when I have the money to spend I won't rush into things and wait for a goodun.

GTI-Joe, I read the whole lot of your work in progress. I have to say the result is great, nice and subtle with some really nice touches

cool, thanks alot! nice to know i do good things!

seriously though steer clear of french cars, do you watch top gear? french cars are at the bottom of the list!!

[silkyballs]

hello and welcome!i look forward to the start of you quest to go round corners really fast,i love em they are excellent with good rubber three wheels most bends!

[Pete-R]

Tried to reply last night and the forum threw a wobbly

I expect I'll be on here fairly regularly doing my research and checking out what everyone else is doing to their cars.

Having been more into the Jap stuff for years, I have no idea what shows and events are on for the German side of things. I also have no idea of what magazines are out there for me to read, and more importantly, which ones are any good. Any pointing in the right direction will be appreciated.

I've always liked the French stuff for the way they handled, but ultimately they are too fickle for what I want to use it for. The Golf seems to tick all the boxes though

[S11EPS]

Hello mate,

Welcome to the forum.

My tip for your track-weapon is put it on a diet.

Loose as much weight from the car as you can - this will allow the car to go faster, stop in a shorter distance and handle better - plus that mod is free (until you start looking at lightweight panels etc!!

From there do suspension, then brakes, engine last.

Look at pricing up a cage, and always carry a fire extinguisher (make sure its well secured within the car though!)

[Daz...]

Firstly, welcome to the forum!  

As for the choice of car...nice one!! I've driven a few french motors and as good as they are round the corners they can be very snappy when you run out of traction   with the golfs tho i've found it to be far more progressive and easier to catch and control...these slippy roads at the moment have meant im putting this into practise a bit more than i should  

Just get yourself a decent suspension kit, renew / uprate the bushes and put some strutbraces or eibach anti roll bars on it...nothing will touch you then!!  

[Pete-R]

That's the plan, I won't have loads of money to throw at it so it will be on a bit of a budget. To be honest, stripping it down, suspension, brakes then engine was the route I was going to go. Well, excluding exhaust and induction to help the breathing in the interim. Power to weight is so easy, and free!, with removing some of the non-essential items.

I've had a year of fun free motoring in my daily driver, as reliable as it is it doesn't give a spark when I drive it. I'm selling my Charade GTti to clear a few debts before I can start to save a few £Â£Ã‚£, it's great fun but completely unsuitabfor track use, parts are also hard to come by.

I did the cannonball in September in a 911, mmmm, and that just reinforced the fact I need a fun car, I can't cope with practicality and reliability all the time. I also fancy a European road trip next year too