Looking to buy a Mk2 gti

[gixxermenace]

I am looking to purchase a golf gti this year and was wondering what i should expect for around £1000 ?

Miles ?

Reliability (the car is only for winter time - riding my SRAD during the good weather)

I really like the looks of the mk2 gti 16v, is this a better car than the 8v ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[monkeyalan]

hello. 

you should get a decent mk2 for £1k , nothing special but a good solid one.

best looking here

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=692

and here

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_search.asp?state=block&make=&model=&min_pr=&max_pr=&postcode=S7%201SG&nosearch=true

and of course here

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?board=10.0

16v better? don't know about that but it's certainly faster once you crank the revs up. 

[Uruk Hai]

8V or 16V will both be good cars (Obviously 16V is faster) but I would go for the best car your money can get you regardless of how many cams it has, not much point getting a 16V if the bodys hanging. I've had both so I'm speaking from experiance, lets not start the 8 V's 16 Valve debate again 

[gixxermenace]

Cool,

what sort of 0-60 times do the mk2 gti`s do ?

I have been looking round and they all have loads of miles on 117,000 - 170,000 is this normal ? how long will the engine last till it gives up the ghost ? at this many miles wont things start dropping off and need replacing, what do i need to be looking out for (what is the most expensive parts to replace/fix)

Is the golf gti a good car to work on ?

[monkeyalan]

16v @ under 8 secs
8v @ under 9secs

170000 isn't that high mileage for a car thats at least 16 years old. It certainley isn't a worry with a well looked after golf.

you need to buy one with decent history , well serviced.

generally , golfs are pretty simple to work on.

[Uruk Hai]

As said I would go for a car that has a solid body, as for miles and how long things last I think the best thing is to go for a car that looks as though its been well looked after. Try doing a few searches on the site and you'll find loads of good advice about what to look for in a MK2

[gixxermenace]

Brilliant, so for my £1000 i should be able to get a good little run about for the winter period

Will take one of my friends who is good with Golfs (runs a few at santa pod)

What do i need to be looking for as far as expensive garage work goes ?

[monkeyalan]

same as any old car really. too much blue smoke , nasty rattles from the engine.

the most expensive problem could be bodywork. there are some real rustbuckets about.

[Uruk Hai]

Its worth asking if they know when the gearbox oil was last changed and on the test drive do a few fast 1st to 2nd gear changes when its cold and if it crunches realy badly then the synchro mesh could be on the way out (common problem on MK2's). Not the end of the world but you could be looking at gearbox rebuild or replacement !

[nealey]

Go for the one with the best body you can find as thats the most time consuming and costly bit to get fixed

The 8v engines are easier to work on and bits seem to be a little cheaper for them as well

Just do your research and you can find a good one, ive bought some good cheap mk2s before for a lot less than a grand!