Golf mk2 cab, 1990 - advice on mileage please!!??

Golf mk2 cab, 1990 - advice on mileage please!!??

Author
Discussion

Miss Polly

Original Poster:

5 posts

105 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
Hi, a query re the life expectancy of a 1990 Golf mk2, has over 100,000 and was wondering if there is a site or resource that can give guidance on the potential maximum mileage..... or if anyone here has experience of this m/m and can help me out?!
A bit clueless when it comes to cars, like to own them and drive them fast and can change a tire roadside... thats about it!!
Any guidance on this or the car in general would be much appreciated.
Thanks!!
Polly

Miss Polly

Original Poster:

5 posts

105 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
....its a clipper convertable..

t400ble

1,804 posts

120 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
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Maximum?

Depends on several factors


Miss Polly

Original Poster:

5 posts

105 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
ok, thanks. any particular factors...?

dragonheart

770 posts

181 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
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Clipper convertible....That's a MK1 then.

Ved

3,825 posts

174 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
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It's a 25 year old bit of metal, rubber and plastic so it's very hard to tell. Full service history is your only true indicator but even that's no guarantee of trouble free ownership.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
It'll run and run as long as you're willing to weld it when it rusts and fix it when it breaks / wears out. There are cars which are serviceable after a million miles and there are cars which are fit for the heap at a hundred, it's all down to the willingness of the owner to maintain and repair it.

ManFromDelmonte

2,742 posts

179 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
The engines should be good for well over 100k miles if properly maintained, it is the bodywork and chassis you will need to look at more closely.

Miss Polly

Original Poster:

5 posts

105 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
ManFromDelmonte said:
The engines should be good for well over 100k miles if properly maintained, it is the bodywork and chassis you will need to look at more closely.
Thank you ManFromDelmonte for that useful advice... I appreciate it.

And thanks everyone for taking the time to share your knowledge.


ManFromDelmonte

2,742 posts

179 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
Miss Polly said:
Thank you ManFromDelmonte for that useful advice... I appreciate it.

And thanks everyone for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Of even more use might be this PDF:

http://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/data/attachment.php?id=261...

Miss Polly

Original Poster:

5 posts

105 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
ManFromDelmonte said:
Of even more use might be this PDF:

http://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/data/attachment.php?id=261...
wow, that;s exactly what I needed! Total hero, thanks so much

steveo3002

10,494 posts

173 months

Wednesday 24th June 2015
quotequote all
if its been looked after right all those years then 100k is fine , they can plod on for lots of miles

trouble is whats been bodged /neglected over all those years

buy on condition , rust is the biggest killer on old vw's , worst case a engine can be swapped over a weekend and cost you a couple of hundred quid

aka_kerrly

12,416 posts

209 months

Saturday 27th June 2015
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ManFromDelmonte said:
The engines should be good for well over 100k miles if properly maintained, it is the bodywork and chassis you will need to look at more closely.
100k, and the rest!!!

For reference I have ran 8v VW engines with over 200k and one with over 300k

Besides, even if a VW 8v engine fails there are plenty of replacements for a hundred quid that can be swapped over in a day.

OP does your Cab have a carb or injection engine?

PGN

213 posts

213 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
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Clipper = 1.8 90BHP Carb

dragonheart

770 posts

181 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
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Also = a Mk1 not a Mk2.

SebringMan

1,773 posts

185 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
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Simple answer is how long is a piece of string?

If it has had some sympathy given on the maintenance side in the past it will last a very very long time. I have owned cars with 200k on a regular basis including the odd one with over 300k on it.

Dermot O'Logical

2,547 posts

128 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
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The linked PDF is useful, but there are other considerations with the Mark 1 Golf.

Firstly, bear in mind that VW continued production of the Mark 1 Cabrio after the hatchback was replaced by the Mark 2 - there was never any intention to make a Mark 2 Cabrio.

Apart from the fact that a 1990 Golf Cabrio would be based on a design which was, at that time, already 16 years old, Mark 1 Golfs suffered from the clutch cable pulling through the bulkhead, the brake servo being on the wrong side for a rhd car, which made the brakes feel vague, as the cross-linkage between brake pedal and servo flexed when it was new, and won't have tightened up in the last quarter of a decade, and front suspension geometry which would cause toe-in under heavy braking as the frame horns which carry the front mounts for the lower suspension arms can flex.

The Cabrios were all made by Karmann in Osnabruck, and not at the VW factory, and the basic shell needed considerable strengthening as the Golf was not designed at the outset to have its roof removed. Consequently the Cabrio is much heavier than the standard car, which wasn't exactly sprightly to start with.

None of these things are insurmountable, but you need to bear in mind that you would be driving a car which first went into production 40 years ago. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the brakes, for example, aren't up to much when compared to more recent Golfs.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
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Also, a 1990 cabriolet is not the kind of thing to drive quickly - it'll be quite floppy and shuddery. If you really want something from 1990 with a fabric roof to drive quickly, get an MX-5.

aka_kerrly

12,416 posts

209 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
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Dermot O'Logical said:
The Cabrios were all made by Karmann in Osnabruck, and not at the VW factory
Which is NOT a bad thing given their history!