i want a Mk2. Buying help? Thanks

[edpryce]

Ok. Firstly, sorry if this is in the wrong section. I am new to using forums but understand that this generally considered very irritating, so i have tried to get it right.

I have been day dreaming about buying a Mk2 GTI 8v for some time now, and am now finally old enough to have some no claims to make this become a reality.

I am hoping to spend about 1500 on the car and was wondering what i should expect for this amount. Ideally the car would be standard.

I am weighing up buying a car for 1500 and having it fall to pieces or waiting for a little bit more money.


A lot of the cars i have looked at vary hugely in prices regardless of the cars milage. I hear from everyone that golfs will "run and run" but what should i expect from a car with 120,000 on the clock? I have very basic previous experience of repairing cars and being a student i wont be able to afford any hefty bills. If things start going wrong on it i am prepared to give a stab at it myself, but i wouldnt be able to be thrown in at the deep end with any large repairs.
I guess it would be good to know what sort of figures you have spent keeping yours running?

Also, if it isnt the milage that determines the price, what good points should i be looking for when buying a golf?

Similarly, what should i be looking out for as signs of future trouble?

Any thoughts or information would be extremely useful, and hopefully i will be using this a lot more in the future.

Thanks Ed.

[monkeyalan]

hello,

rust isn't going to be a major issue with most mk2's but accident damage might be so check the panel gaps , look down the sides and over the roof for ripples and check the boot and slam panel for creases.
don't be fooled by nice shiney paint, get on your hands and knees and check under the car and around the wheel arches for rust.

engine wise, 120000 miles isn't a big deal on a well maintained car but on a neglected one it might be.

check the engine is cold when you first get there. when you start it, (dont let them as they can cover things up) get someone to stand behind and check for blue smoke.

check for erratic idling or misfires when warm.

gearboxes can play up in a number of ways , some bad ,some not so bad. crunching between gears might mean knackered syncromesh. difficult to engage gears or accidentally going into reverse instead of 1st are easily fixed and due to work linkages.

expect worn drivers seats on most gti's.

lastly buy one of mine , i've got 2 

[edpryce]

Thanks. I'm in sheffield pal. what are you selling? and how much?

[monkeyalan]

blimey, coincedence!

black 8v
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=69964.0

and maybe my 16v
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=70373.0

[kittie]

120K for a golf is quite a low milage, and 1500 pound notes will get you a perfectly nice car, that certantly shouldnt fall apart!

Go here: http://www.matey-matey.com/golf_buying_guide.shtml

It has loads of useful info on what to look out for.

Nice to see another Sheffielder too - golfs are great for the windy fun roads round here 

[JC]

blimey, coincedence!

black 8v
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=69964.0

and maybe my 16v (down there VVVV) 

your selling the red one now 

[Conker]

Loads of good advice already. This website helped me when i bought mine - theres loads of pages of info:

http://www.matey-matey.com/golf_buying_guide.shtml


After owning a Mk2 (having gone from a Mk4 1.8 turbo) for a couple of months now I would summarise it by saying that you can't buy a car built around twenty years ago and not expect to have things go wrong with it.

Mine has had all sorts of little niggles already, for example, I fixed something on the engine this weekend, job well done, I closed the bonnet and the catch spring snapped (because its prob the original spring Mr VW attached back in 1991 and is now very brittle). This put my car out of action for a day.

Overall, I would say these are great cars, but only if you are willing to get your hands a bit dirty as the parts are cheap, but paying a mechanic to fit them isn't!! For example, I bought a new reverse light switch for £2 and spannered it in myself, but a mechanic would have prob charged £30.

Final point would be that things still go wrong with brand new cars (and much more expensively). A woman who sits next to me at work has got a brand new merc and its constantly p$ssing out coolant everywhere. And when you think how much money your saving on depreciation, the Mk2 makes a lot of sense...

... Especially when they look so frickin' amazing and drive so well!

[dabill]

hallo fellow sheffielder! owned mine since april... spent very little on actual repairs...

great car and drives exceptionally well.

only thing i would advise is that being a student like yourself, i find i have quite alot of spare time to browse the internet, and ebay... i hope you have some self control!!! or you'll be spending every penny of bits for the car!

otherwise...get one! you wont look back!

[monkeyalan]

blimey, coincedence!

black 8v
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=69964.0

and maybe my 16v (down there VVVV) 

your selling the red one now 

maybe, don't know ,possibly might do 

[VeeDubGTI16v]

check for rust everywhere! rear arches are the biggest problem, and along the sill, and the blanking plug for the wiper at the front, and filler neck, and tailgate especially where the wires go through in the top corners! yeah everywhere...
if theres loads of crap behind the arches that will let the water sit there and rot away the arches. You can see it bubbling through the black stickers normally, like along the sill.

mechanics are easy to fix on the plus side! if your spending 1500 you could get a minter if you look around, dont pay scene money!