MK2 golf..... What to look out for??
Discussion
I have had several, mechanically they are pretty robust and parts are cheap by and large, what I would watch for is,
Rust, contrarary to reputation they do rust pretty badly, around the screen, under the arch extensions if a GTI, sills, pretty much anywhere.
Leaky interiors, they do tend to leak, avoid anything with wet carpets, almost impossible to sort out, especially 4 doors, in fact avoid 4 doors they tend to be very tired, jack one up and the doors wont open.
I think that the 8 valve GTI is the pick, ok, ultimately its not as fast as the 16 but its a nicer drive most of the time, depends what kidn of power delivery you prefer, grunty torque across the rev range or a stellar lunge for the redline.
Modifications, people go overboard with lowering to replace the suspension with "Uprated", dometimes thats standard shocks an - 600mm springs, horrid to drive, a properly matched kit with a slight drop is the way to go, or fresh factory stuff.
Engines, generally bomb proof, particularly the simpler 8 valve, watch for smoke and whip the oil filler off and look for back pressure.
Nothing mechanical is catastrophically expensive, just depends on your spannering skills, if you can do it yourself then its very cheap to even swap the engine.
Gearboxes can be a bit noisy yet go on forever, change can be granuchy when cold, expecially on the 1st to second change, not really an issue if it goes when warm, just dont rush changes when cold.
brakes are cheap to buy, pennies from Euro Car Parts, or they were, litterally 40 quid for disks and pads for a GTI and half an hour a side to change.
I want another !
Rust, contrarary to reputation they do rust pretty badly, around the screen, under the arch extensions if a GTI, sills, pretty much anywhere.
Leaky interiors, they do tend to leak, avoid anything with wet carpets, almost impossible to sort out, especially 4 doors, in fact avoid 4 doors they tend to be very tired, jack one up and the doors wont open.
I think that the 8 valve GTI is the pick, ok, ultimately its not as fast as the 16 but its a nicer drive most of the time, depends what kidn of power delivery you prefer, grunty torque across the rev range or a stellar lunge for the redline.
Modifications, people go overboard with lowering to replace the suspension with "Uprated", dometimes thats standard shocks an - 600mm springs, horrid to drive, a properly matched kit with a slight drop is the way to go, or fresh factory stuff.
Engines, generally bomb proof, particularly the simpler 8 valve, watch for smoke and whip the oil filler off and look for back pressure.
Nothing mechanical is catastrophically expensive, just depends on your spannering skills, if you can do it yourself then its very cheap to even swap the engine.
Gearboxes can be a bit noisy yet go on forever, change can be granuchy when cold, expecially on the 1st to second change, not really an issue if it goes when warm, just dont rush changes when cold.
brakes are cheap to buy, pennies from Euro Car Parts, or they were, litterally 40 quid for disks and pads for a GTI and half an hour a side to change.
I want another !
As above list plus:
Check:
Rear wiper works
Heater blows hot (matrixes fail and are nightmare to change)
All door handles work
CV joint clunks
Strut top mounts
Don't worry about:
2nd gear bad synchro (all do that sir)
5th gear whine
Can go on for thousands of miles with the above troubles and gearboxes are very cheap and easy to change.
Check:
Rear wiper works
Heater blows hot (matrixes fail and are nightmare to change)
All door handles work
CV joint clunks
Strut top mounts
Don't worry about:
2nd gear bad synchro (all do that sir)
5th gear whine
Can go on for thousands of miles with the above troubles and gearboxes are very cheap and easy to change.
Check for rust along the sills and under the chassis just behind the front wheels. A mate of mine has 3 Mk2 GTI's and they all have rust here. His welding skills have improved a lot since having them. The rust seems to appear underneath the underseal so lift the carpets and look around the footwells carefully. I suspect two of the three cars have leaked through windows or sunroof at some point in their life.
One of the cars is so bad its gone through the jacking point on the passenger side, and had a huge hole the size of a letterbox on the drivers side.
One of the cars is so bad its gone through the jacking point on the passenger side, and had a huge hole the size of a letterbox on the drivers side.
Rust. Not just on the body either. Check components for excessive corrosion. When i changed the suspention on mine, the top mounts fell apart in my hand. Literaly just crumbled away.
Engine. Mine was an 8v. Head gasket went. Everyone told me it was a common thing. Worth checking. Saying that though, engines are readily available and cheap, plus, the job is easy enough to not bother doing the head gasket and just swap the engine.
Engine. Mine was an 8v. Head gasket went. Everyone told me it was a common thing. Worth checking. Saying that though, engines are readily available and cheap, plus, the job is easy enough to not bother doing the head gasket and just swap the engine.
I had a 92 16V GTI for a while, and if I still lived in the UK, I would have held onto that car for sure - it was an absolute riot to drive!
Not only that but it was cheap to run, plenty fast enough, comfortable, easy to work on, sounded great, and cost me about 750 to buy.
The paintwork on mine was a little shabby, and I spent some time sorting out a few mechanical bits so got fairly familiar with the greasy stuff.
Rear bushes were completely shot on mine when I got it, and it was a bit of a pain to change them. I replaced them with poly bushes which tightened everything up very nicely. Cheap to do but took a little time. I also had to change both rear wheel bearings, which was fairly simple to do at the same time.
The gear linkages were shot on mine, making gear selections a bit of a lottery - it was mainly just bushes that needed replacing, which was really quite easy and cost a couple of quid.
I did a full, and I mean FULL service on mine as I bought it with little to no service history and 129,000 miles. Cambelt, tensioner, water pump, cam chain (between the cams in the head), brake hoses, all the usual parts etc etc etc, and the parts to do it from GSF or EuroCarParts I think came in at a total of 200 quid. Bargain!!
The alloys have a habit of becoming porous and leaking air - I had mine refurbished for about 180 pounds which cured it and also made them look like new.
I honestly loved driving that car everywhere - it was really great fun on any twisty roads, and perfectly comfortable on long journeys. It also got plenty of comments, as I think they are getting pretty rare to find in 'original, non-barried' condition!
I even managed to recoup pretty much all of my costs when I sold it a year later.
Not only that but it was cheap to run, plenty fast enough, comfortable, easy to work on, sounded great, and cost me about 750 to buy.
The paintwork on mine was a little shabby, and I spent some time sorting out a few mechanical bits so got fairly familiar with the greasy stuff.
Rear bushes were completely shot on mine when I got it, and it was a bit of a pain to change them. I replaced them with poly bushes which tightened everything up very nicely. Cheap to do but took a little time. I also had to change both rear wheel bearings, which was fairly simple to do at the same time.
The gear linkages were shot on mine, making gear selections a bit of a lottery - it was mainly just bushes that needed replacing, which was really quite easy and cost a couple of quid.
I did a full, and I mean FULL service on mine as I bought it with little to no service history and 129,000 miles. Cambelt, tensioner, water pump, cam chain (between the cams in the head), brake hoses, all the usual parts etc etc etc, and the parts to do it from GSF or EuroCarParts I think came in at a total of 200 quid. Bargain!!
The alloys have a habit of becoming porous and leaking air - I had mine refurbished for about 180 pounds which cured it and also made them look like new.
I honestly loved driving that car everywhere - it was really great fun on any twisty roads, and perfectly comfortable on long journeys. It also got plenty of comments, as I think they are getting pretty rare to find in 'original, non-barried' condition!
I even managed to recoup pretty much all of my costs when I sold it a year later.
Otto said:
I had a 92 16V GTI for a while, and if I still lived in the UK, I would have held onto that car for sure - it was an absolute riot to drive!
Not only that but it was cheap to run, plenty fast enough, comfortable, easy to work on, sounded great, and cost me about 750 to buy.
The paintwork on mine was a little shabby, and I spent some time sorting out a few mechanical bits so got fairly familiar with the greasy stuff.
Rear bushes were completely shot on mine when I got it, and it was a bit of a pain to change them. I replaced them with poly bushes which tightened everything up very nicely. Cheap to do but took a little time. I also had to change both rear wheel bearings, which was fairly simple to do at the same time.
The gear linkages were shot on mine, making gear selections a bit of a lottery - it was mainly just bushes that needed replacing, which was really quite easy and cost a couple of quid.
I did a full, and I mean FULL service on mine as I bought it with little to no service history and 129,000 miles. Cambelt, tensioner, water pump, cam chain (between the cams in the head), brake hoses, all the usual parts etc etc etc, and the parts to do it from GSF or EuroCarParts I think came in at a total of 200 quid. Bargain!!
The alloys have a habit of becoming porous and leaking air - I had mine refurbished for about 180 pounds which cured it and also made them look like new.
I honestly loved driving that car everywhere - it was really great fun on any twisty roads, and perfectly comfortable on long journeys. It also got plenty of comments, as I think they are getting pretty rare to find in 'original, non-barried' condition!
I even managed to recoup pretty much all of my costs when I sold it a year later.
is that the £750 one?Not only that but it was cheap to run, plenty fast enough, comfortable, easy to work on, sounded great, and cost me about 750 to buy.
The paintwork on mine was a little shabby, and I spent some time sorting out a few mechanical bits so got fairly familiar with the greasy stuff.
Rear bushes were completely shot on mine when I got it, and it was a bit of a pain to change them. I replaced them with poly bushes which tightened everything up very nicely. Cheap to do but took a little time. I also had to change both rear wheel bearings, which was fairly simple to do at the same time.
The gear linkages were shot on mine, making gear selections a bit of a lottery - it was mainly just bushes that needed replacing, which was really quite easy and cost a couple of quid.
I did a full, and I mean FULL service on mine as I bought it with little to no service history and 129,000 miles. Cambelt, tensioner, water pump, cam chain (between the cams in the head), brake hoses, all the usual parts etc etc etc, and the parts to do it from GSF or EuroCarParts I think came in at a total of 200 quid. Bargain!!
The alloys have a habit of becoming porous and leaking air - I had mine refurbished for about 180 pounds which cured it and also made them look like new.
I honestly loved driving that car everywhere - it was really great fun on any twisty roads, and perfectly comfortable on long journeys. It also got plenty of comments, as I think they are getting pretty rare to find in 'original, non-barried' condition!
I even managed to recoup pretty much all of my costs when I sold it a year later.
Same as the others have said - RUST!
jacking points
windscreen
battery tray
fuel filler area and the inner arch behind the fuel filler
rear beam mounting points
chassis legs where they go into the bulkhead from the engine bay
5 door - outer sill where door seal splits
wiper grommet
tank strap mounting points
Other problem areas are heater matrix's blown or bypassed. Fan only works on speed 3 or squeaks (broken resistor and knackered fan bearing) Leaks! - the doors leak and leave watermarks on the door cards. Sunroofs can leak aswell and the wind deflector can rot if the drains are blocked.
These are all common/prone spots. Mine has a manky battery tray and a hole in the outer sill but neither will be too hard to fix. If the underneath looks solid and doesn't have much broken underseal you should be ok really, most other things can be repaired easily enough.
I am in the process of converting my 8v to a 2.0 16v and restoring it along the way. They are very easy to work on and parts are cheap and readily available. Great forum at clubgti.com as well, join up on there if you haven't already!
Definitely get one but don't expect to not have to do anything to it or spend money on upkeep because you will, unless you spend a lot of money! Don't pay too much for one and try get one as close to standard as possible. Don't buy it on the number of valves either just buy it on the condition. If you're handy with a spanner you can overhaul the engine and drivetrain easy enough, even swap the engine.
let us know how you get on!
jacking points
windscreen
battery tray
fuel filler area and the inner arch behind the fuel filler
rear beam mounting points
chassis legs where they go into the bulkhead from the engine bay
5 door - outer sill where door seal splits
wiper grommet
tank strap mounting points
Other problem areas are heater matrix's blown or bypassed. Fan only works on speed 3 or squeaks (broken resistor and knackered fan bearing) Leaks! - the doors leak and leave watermarks on the door cards. Sunroofs can leak aswell and the wind deflector can rot if the drains are blocked.
These are all common/prone spots. Mine has a manky battery tray and a hole in the outer sill but neither will be too hard to fix. If the underneath looks solid and doesn't have much broken underseal you should be ok really, most other things can be repaired easily enough.
I am in the process of converting my 8v to a 2.0 16v and restoring it along the way. They are very easy to work on and parts are cheap and readily available. Great forum at clubgti.com as well, join up on there if you haven't already!
Definitely get one but don't expect to not have to do anything to it or spend money on upkeep because you will, unless you spend a lot of money! Don't pay too much for one and try get one as close to standard as possible. Don't buy it on the number of valves either just buy it on the condition. If you're handy with a spanner you can overhaul the engine and drivetrain easy enough, even swap the engine.
let us know how you get on!
J4CKO said:
I think that the 8 valve GTI is the pick, ok, ultimately its not as fast as the 16 but its a nicer drive most of the time, depends what kidn of power delivery you prefer, grunty torque across the rev range or a stellar lunge for the redline.
The 16v produces more power and torque at every point of the rev range, it's a myth that the 8v is more 'grunty'. In fact 8v's make baby Jesus cry.Make sure you're not having a small bumper car passed off as a big bumper, genuine big bumper cars have the hazard light on the top of the steering coloum, not on the dashboard. Also check the chassis legs for rot, especially under the battery tray.
NicDale said:
J4CKO said:
I think that the 8 valve GTI is the pick, ok, ultimately its not as fast as the 16 but its a nicer drive most of the time, depends what kidn of power delivery you prefer, grunty torque across the rev range or a stellar lunge for the redline.
The 16v produces more power and torque at every point of the rev range, it's a myth that the 8v is more 'grunty'. In fact 8v's make baby Jesus cry.Make sure you're not having a small bumper car passed off as a big bumper, genuine big bumper cars have the hazard light on the top of the steering coloum, not on the dashboard. Also check the chassis legs for rot, especially under the battery tray.
Worth checking if its had the subframe bushes done as they are a pain to do and if you can't the labour can be costly. Its an MOT failure otherwise. I'd also check for good panel gaps and a service history that you felt happy with. Plenty about so shop around. Good luck and happy hunting!
Lots of people mentioning rust on here - for what it's worth my G reg model (which lives outside all year round, and only really gets a good waxing a handful of times each year) is totally rust free, even the hidden bits like the arches and where a pillar meets the bulkhead.
I'm letting mine go, but I know I'm going to regret it. The only time it's ever let me down was one time when the throttle cable popped out of the rubber grommet on the accelerator pedal (too dark to work out what had happened -I thought the throttle cable had snapped), and has never cost me much more than a few quid to get through an MOT on the few occasions when it hasn't just passed.
Look out for crash damamge or any that have been barried on the cheap.
Other than that they're a joy. 35mpg all day long no matter how you drive it, lovely feedback through all the controls and really practical too (could get a full drum kit and then some in the back of mine.
I'm letting mine go, but I know I'm going to regret it. The only time it's ever let me down was one time when the throttle cable popped out of the rubber grommet on the accelerator pedal (too dark to work out what had happened -I thought the throttle cable had snapped), and has never cost me much more than a few quid to get through an MOT on the few occasions when it hasn't just passed.
Look out for crash damamge or any that have been barried on the cheap.
Other than that they're a joy. 35mpg all day long no matter how you drive it, lovely feedback through all the controls and really practical too (could get a full drum kit and then some in the back of mine.
lord love rocket said:
i have driven both the 8v and 16v and can honestly say the difference wasnt big enough too justify the jump in running costs imho
You're serious?? Difference is significant.However I will add my experience comes from a time when 115bhp a la 8v was still pretty pokey & 137 (??) from the 16v was even better & all through the rev range.
I will also add that my 1600 Mk1 was still quicker than the MkII 8v GTi I bought new!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff