Ya, I know futureclassiccars, I bought a car off him. Really good bloke and I love the Mk1 Golf I bought off him, someone else off here must do too - AS THEY'VE GOT MY BLOODY CAR IN THEIR SIGNITURE!!!!!!!
Anyway, for a mint low mileage example be prepared to spend £2800+. £2500 as a bare minimum.
I prefer the 8v with its point and shoot style of driving, you don't have to rag the sh!t out of it to get performance...also my car (8v) is producing more power than a 16v.

"Thats the way to do it!"
Make sure you do something with the suspension, nothing too crazy in terms of lowering, but the standard stuff can be a big wobbley. Avoid all raped 'eBay' style wannabe's at all cost.
Check rear brake calipers - they can stick, check rust...you should be ok at that price and they won't have any.
Oak green is a good colour, not exactly 'rare', but a good colour nonetheless.