Mk2 Buying

[gavL]

I've been to see a Mk2 today and got a few things to throw at people and ask what they think:

Firstly its a 1.8 8v GTi 3 door, H Reg with no powersteering or mod cons with 140,000 on the clock.

This car:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/337549.htm

I will just throw down what I think is wrong with it:
The gear selector seems loose in between gears, as tho it is not solid in the movement area with some play on the stick.
At 4k while putting my foot down hard it seems to hesitate very slightly then suddenly burst with power.
Heater switch one is broken.
The temperature selector plastic bit is missing but the metal bit remains.
The steering doesn't feel straight, this may be due to me driving nothing but a power steering car for the past year.
It had no tax but has an MoT is till May 2007.
The pads need replacing all around.
Tyres have 8mm of tread left roughly.
The engine bay needs a good clean, the rocker cover is rusted and will need replacing and the engine it self seems like it could do with a good bit of degreaser and a lot of elbow grease.

Good parts:
The chassis seems very strong, no rust at all, checked the boot, sills, arches, bonnet and spair tyre area, with not a spot of rust anywhere.
The cloth work is all spot on and feels as tho the bolsters have still got a fair amount of life left in it.


They are wanting 1,390 for it. What do you lot thing its worth?

TIA!

gav

[gavL]

Someone at least able to shed any light on the gearbox?

[Dragon6]

you can get gear linkage repair kits which is what this golf may need but I would say for an 8v with no goodies that £1390 is way over priced with the few bits and bobs you mentioned slight hesitation heater 1 not working pads etc.This 8v was up for £850 and looked a tasty buy..

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=72536.0

[gavL]

Talked him down to 1,200.... Worth it?

[Dragon6]

Cant obviously say without seeing it really but there are loads around to choose from so dont rush at  it I would say a grand tops plus a couple of hundred quid sorting bits and pieces (you will alyways have little bits and bobs to sort on cars this age) if you pay 1200 by the time you have sorted the bits and bobs the price has started to creep up have a very good look underneath for tinworm starting to take a hold (around the plastic bungs in the floor pans) have a good feel behind the rear arches as best you can again for rust/rot 

[Conker]

In my opinion, £1200 is okay, but only if the bodywork is really good, as otherwise your paying over the odds for a bog standard 8v.

You can screw in a whole replacement 2nd hand heater control unit which should sort that out. The sloppy gear change is easily sorted (so long as there is no associated clunking/grinding from the gear box itself!) as Dragon6 said. The hesitation at 4000rpm could be loads of things from a few quid for a new temp sender to something more expensive.

Pads and tyres are no big deal either, but you expect those kind of things to be sorted on a £1200 GTI.

You didn't say how many GTI's you've tested so far? This would give you more of an idea of what they feel like, as in the end you'll buy the one that "feels right". I test drove eleven before I found the one.

Without having driven it, I would say that you're going to spend around £300 on it (inc tyres), so £1200 is only fair if its...

1) Got excellent bodywork (this will save you loads of money in the long run).
2) Has got loads of history, including the big jobs e.g. head gasket change, that kind of thing.

At the end of the day, when I was buying mine, I tried to talk myself into buying several "possibles", but the one I bought didn't need me to persuade myself to buy it - it just felt right (and it wasn't a minter either, it just felt great on the road and seemed honest)

Good luck!

[takethefifth]

He's having a laugh at that money!

Taking into account needing new tyres, brakes and tax, the uncertainty of the hesitation at 4k and needing an MOT in 4 months that could uncover more problems....... unless there was something special about the car (amazingly clean/rust free for example) I would find another.

[JC]

look at the white mk2 16v just posted for 1700

get traveling mate - lot better cars out there 

[Philpy]

Yeah as said I would walk away, thats alot of money in my eyes....

[gavL]

Cheers for all the info people

I'm going to walk away, my mate just pointed out that the passenger side seat does'nt work. Plus the history was a bit pants, maybe 2 years worth of history. The bodywork was spot on and no rust was found at all...

I'm going to have a look at another one in the morning. I've driven a few GTi's but yeah, this one didnt feel as tight as the other ones. So the searching continues