Discussion
Hi im looking to buy one of these in the near future. It will be my first car and iv been able to find insurence fairly cheap. But still by no means a sensible first car.
What I am wanting to know is how reliable are they? Especialy the higher milage examples? I have no really knowledge of mechanics and dont really have the biggest budget in the world so would rather not have to fork out for repairs. Although i would really like to be able to do basic things myself.
What should I look out for?
Thanks
What I am wanting to know is how reliable are they? Especialy the higher milage examples? I have no really knowledge of mechanics and dont really have the biggest budget in the world so would rather not have to fork out for repairs. Although i would really like to be able to do basic things myself.
What should I look out for?
Thanks
hello,
wow you can get insured on a mk3 GTI for your first car - are you 17? id expect insurance to be £2.5K or more on your own policy but if you are happy with your quote thats fine.
the MK3 golf
1) engines/gearboxes - very long lasting if serviced correctly. both 8 an 16v suffer poor idling and can cut out at low revs due to vacuum leaks/dirty throttle bodies/temperature senders. all cheap easy fixes. 16v can start to get a little rattly at over 150K due to cam chain. If you are looking at cars with millages around 100K make sure cambelt + water pump + fuel filter have all been changed at some point along with other service items. check signs of headgasket failure - mayo under cap, dirty oily coolant. Oil leaks can occur on both 8 an 16v from the rocker cover - cheap easy fix but if its been left leaking a long time can make huge mess of engine bay an look a lot worse than it.
2) bodywork - rear arches and bottoms of front wings can be rust spots. On GTIs pay close attention to the plastic bodykit well more importantly what is behind it!! if you can see surface rust/bubbling above the plastic arch chances are the whole arch underneith is rusted to! Check inside engine bay at chassis legs to make sure straight - look for signs of fresh paint or cracked paint due to stress/flex
3) interior - drivers side seat bolster wear is common on higher millage. On low millage cars check condition of the steering wheel an pedal covers to see what signs of wear they have, they shouldnt look tatty til over 125K-150K. Check Air con works (if fitted) check other electrics like windows.
post 1996 models are better equiped than the earlier ones with larger brakes and better engine diagnoistics. 8vs have 4 stud wheels and 16v have 5stud wheels and larger 288mm brakes.
8v colour concepts have full colour coded leather interior and air con. Aniversary models are avaialable in 8 an 16v and have special interior with GTI printed on them.
my choice would be a 16v everytime, far far more fun to drive with 35hp more and the potential to tune them to 170hp with basic mods. any 8v owner who says the 8v has more torque is chatting poo, a 16v after 3500rpm will pull away from a 8v at a rapid rate when the 8v runs out of puff at 5000rpm and yet when driven carefully will still return 35+mpg.
have a look on clubGTI for more information.
Dave
wow you can get insured on a mk3 GTI for your first car - are you 17? id expect insurance to be £2.5K or more on your own policy but if you are happy with your quote thats fine.
the MK3 golf
1) engines/gearboxes - very long lasting if serviced correctly. both 8 an 16v suffer poor idling and can cut out at low revs due to vacuum leaks/dirty throttle bodies/temperature senders. all cheap easy fixes. 16v can start to get a little rattly at over 150K due to cam chain. If you are looking at cars with millages around 100K make sure cambelt + water pump + fuel filter have all been changed at some point along with other service items. check signs of headgasket failure - mayo under cap, dirty oily coolant. Oil leaks can occur on both 8 an 16v from the rocker cover - cheap easy fix but if its been left leaking a long time can make huge mess of engine bay an look a lot worse than it.
2) bodywork - rear arches and bottoms of front wings can be rust spots. On GTIs pay close attention to the plastic bodykit well more importantly what is behind it!! if you can see surface rust/bubbling above the plastic arch chances are the whole arch underneith is rusted to! Check inside engine bay at chassis legs to make sure straight - look for signs of fresh paint or cracked paint due to stress/flex
3) interior - drivers side seat bolster wear is common on higher millage. On low millage cars check condition of the steering wheel an pedal covers to see what signs of wear they have, they shouldnt look tatty til over 125K-150K. Check Air con works (if fitted) check other electrics like windows.
post 1996 models are better equiped than the earlier ones with larger brakes and better engine diagnoistics. 8vs have 4 stud wheels and 16v have 5stud wheels and larger 288mm brakes.
8v colour concepts have full colour coded leather interior and air con. Aniversary models are avaialable in 8 an 16v and have special interior with GTI printed on them.
my choice would be a 16v everytime, far far more fun to drive with 35hp more and the potential to tune them to 170hp with basic mods. any 8v owner who says the 8v has more torque is chatting poo, a 16v after 3500rpm will pull away from a 8v at a rapid rate when the 8v runs out of puff at 5000rpm and yet when driven carefully will still return 35+mpg.
have a look on clubGTI for more information.
Dave
Thanks alot that was really intresting and hopefully will be usefull 
Nah I was 18 in may and insurence was just under 15 hundred thanks to my mums 20+ no claims
because we will be sharing the car 
almost. But all my friends spent more on a car and less on insurence than I am intending to but they end up in punto' and clio'. And I just think that this would be a much more interesting and enjoyable way to start driving.
I would love a 16V but there is no way id be getting insured on that for the right side of 2 grand so thought better of it.
Nah I was 18 in may and insurence was just under 15 hundred thanks to my mums 20+ no claims
because we will be sharing the car almost. But all my friends spent more on a car and less on insurence than I am intending to but they end up in punto' and clio'. And I just think that this would be a much more interesting and enjoyable way to start driving.I would love a 16V but there is no way id be getting insured on that for the right side of 2 grand so thought better of it.
The 8v is dire - go 16v or look for something else, even 1.8 8v in mk2 guise is preferable. The 2.0 8v does not suit the car and the whole package is weak compared to its contemporaries. I was sucked in, disappointed and traded mine for a VR6. If you try to 'encourage' decent progress the fuel economy drops from very reasonable to terrible... all manner of known weird problems i.e. faulty ECU relay causing the engine to cut out at random intervals etc.
A good 8v is still a nice car, particularly for an 18yr old. Not the most exciting car but drives well enough, looks smart and if you get a good one it should be fine. Just do not get a rough one as it will give you many issues, as mentioned by other posts - but this is true of any make of car.
if you cant get a 16v but you still want a GTI id consider a 8v but aim to get a limited edition one in particular a Colour concept so that although it maybe slow at least you will have comfort/style with heated leather seats, air con which is basically Highline spec and potentially Jazz blue paint which looks awesome on a mk3 and is ONLY available on colour concepts..
Alternatively why not think about a 1.8SE golf ie not a GTI and save even more on the insurance and have a slightly slower car again but still have a decent spec. Earn yourself a couple of years NCB and the consider a 16v or VR6 on your own policy as you ought to be nearer 20 by then.
how much do you have to spend an are you certain you want a mk3. Have you considered a Seat Ibiza - essentially they are mk3 golf/polo hybrid and a 2.0 16v ibiza GTI is in insurance group 10 or 11 which is the same or lower than a 8v GTI golf. The Ibiza is cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, and is made of 100% VW parts and you ought to be able to get a good 1998-2001 model so it will be a younger car to a golf.
dave
Alternatively why not think about a 1.8SE golf ie not a GTI and save even more on the insurance and have a slightly slower car again but still have a decent spec. Earn yourself a couple of years NCB and the consider a 16v or VR6 on your own policy as you ought to be nearer 20 by then.
how much do you have to spend an are you certain you want a mk3. Have you considered a Seat Ibiza - essentially they are mk3 golf/polo hybrid and a 2.0 16v ibiza GTI is in insurance group 10 or 11 which is the same or lower than a 8v GTI golf. The Ibiza is cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, and is made of 100% VW parts and you ought to be able to get a good 1998-2001 model so it will be a younger car to a golf.
dave
Thanks alot for the replys. Im aiming to spend around 1000 as I think I can get a fairly decent Mk3 for that sort of money like http://www.clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1795... that. Unfortunatly it couldnt be located any further from me 
Although im not ruling out any other cars. I was also thinking about a focus but I would much prefer to get a GTi than a focus. I didnt even bother really looking at them properly cos i didnt think i could get any insurence for a GTi until a quick search and i was quite surprised.
Although im not ruling out any other cars. I was also thinking about a focus but I would much prefer to get a GTi than a focus. I didnt even bother really looking at them properly cos i didnt think i could get any insurence for a GTi until a quick search and i was quite surprised.
That mk3 doesnt look bad, ive seen a few good looking 8v GTI for around a grand now, a mate picked up a 1998 8v in dragon green recently for that an it has 3owner FSH and generally very good bodywork an mechanicals.
Although a mk3 golf 8v VS a focus - im a avid VW fan but i think even i would rather a 2.0 zetec focus to a 8v gti as i assume you can have a 2.0 as the insurance is far lower than the gti.
Although a mk3 golf 8v VS a focus - im a avid VW fan but i think even i would rather a 2.0 zetec focus to a 8v gti as i assume you can have a 2.0 as the insurance is far lower than the gti.
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