Mk2 Golf GTI: Any good or just old and rubbish?
Discussion
I have fond memories of Mk2 Golf GTI's. Always wanted one.
And although some friends had them, I never owned one.
I now find myself trawling the autotrader and realising that these cars now have a massively wide price dispersion going on.
There are legions of old snotters for £500 or so, while really minty original spec cars are now £6000 and rising...
This is very interesting. I quite fancy picking one up in good but not perfect condition, running it for a while and giving it a little love and attention to bring it back to its glory days. I think it would be a nice addition to the collection. And for little money. And I am unlikely to lose any money on it.
On the other hand....
Am I deluding myself and, in reality, they are all old snotters that will not assume classic status? And maybe they are actually rubbish cars to drive and my illusions will be shattered if I buy one?
Advice from the PH collective is welcomed - especially anyone who has one of these things.
Gratuitous picture below to make my point. Ain't she lovely? Imagine driving this while playing a mix tape of Adamski, Dee-lite and some Depeche Mode on the tape deck
And I resent any notion that this is the early signs of a mid-life crisis or some attempt to recapture my youth, so there....
And although some friends had them, I never owned one.
I now find myself trawling the autotrader and realising that these cars now have a massively wide price dispersion going on.
There are legions of old snotters for £500 or so, while really minty original spec cars are now £6000 and rising...
This is very interesting. I quite fancy picking one up in good but not perfect condition, running it for a while and giving it a little love and attention to bring it back to its glory days. I think it would be a nice addition to the collection. And for little money. And I am unlikely to lose any money on it.
On the other hand....
Am I deluding myself and, in reality, they are all old snotters that will not assume classic status? And maybe they are actually rubbish cars to drive and my illusions will be shattered if I buy one?
Advice from the PH collective is welcomed - especially anyone who has one of these things.
Gratuitous picture below to make my point. Ain't she lovely? Imagine driving this while playing a mix tape of Adamski, Dee-lite and some Depeche Mode on the tape deck
And I resent any notion that this is the early signs of a mid-life crisis or some attempt to recapture my youth, so there....
I had one of a few years and loved it.
As above, not fast but IMO bags of character, comfortable, 8v will do 40 mpg on a run, easy to work on but beware of rust.
Great to throw around and practical as well.
Loads of spares and the VW is very active.
Mine was a 1992 big bumper 8v 5 door in red and looked good.
It had been looked after well by the last owner who had it 10 years and had FVWSH and £10k worth of receipts.
Mine had 115k miles on the clock when I got it and I did 10k miles in 2 years.
Reliable apart from the gearbox failing soon after I bought it. However it was cheap to get a replacement and a local specialist swapped it for me.
cars advertised on the owners sites are sometimes overpriced.
Some bargains on Pre loved etc..
http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/108648600/v...
As above, not fast but IMO bags of character, comfortable, 8v will do 40 mpg on a run, easy to work on but beware of rust.
Great to throw around and practical as well.
Loads of spares and the VW is very active.
Mine was a 1992 big bumper 8v 5 door in red and looked good.
It had been looked after well by the last owner who had it 10 years and had FVWSH and £10k worth of receipts.
Mine had 115k miles on the clock when I got it and I did 10k miles in 2 years.
Reliable apart from the gearbox failing soon after I bought it. However it was cheap to get a replacement and a local specialist swapped it for me.
cars advertised on the owners sites are sometimes overpriced.
Some bargains on Pre loved etc..
http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/108648600/v...
This may help. Note the proportion of comments ref Mk2 over other versions.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I use one as my daily and it's fine and very cheap to run. And no discernible lack of pace in mixed driving.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I use one as my daily and it's fine and very cheap to run. And no discernible lack of pace in mixed driving.
They are great but a £500 snotter will be very tired. As will most of them actually unless they have had £££ spend overhauling suspension. Engines are tough though.
If you bought one and then spent a few hundred on overhauling all the suspension with fresh standard kit it would be great.
I had a heavily modified ABF engined one but in hindsight would love to get another 3 door and overhaul with standard kit for a great B road daily driver!
If you bought one and then spent a few hundred on overhauling all the suspension with fresh standard kit it would be great.
I had a heavily modified ABF engined one but in hindsight would love to get another 3 door and overhaul with standard kit for a great B road daily driver!
My father had a Mk2 8v big bumper as one of his collection a few years back, before he died.
Really slow compared to modern, turbocharged machinery. Basic inside despite the lovely exterior looks.
But it was genuinely fun. Objectively worse than modern stuff, but much less...filtered. You felt the road, and your surroundings, in a way that modern cars don't let you.
£500 one will need work, though.
Really slow compared to modern, turbocharged machinery. Basic inside despite the lovely exterior looks.
But it was genuinely fun. Objectively worse than modern stuff, but much less...filtered. You felt the road, and your surroundings, in a way that modern cars don't let you.
£500 one will need work, though.
toppstuff said:
There is no love for the Mk3 it seems..
Whats wrong with them?
Although a mk3 shares the vast majority of the same chassis as a mk2 VW managed to build them worse, using metal which has more tendency to rot and the overall car weighs over 150KG more whilst offering little in the way of improvements. Whats wrong with them?
I'd certainly recommend a good mk2 GTI, I've had several in the past from early 1.8 8V K-jet variants, later 8v Digifant, 1.8 16v & 2.0 16v and have a original apart from 40mm lowering springs 3 door GTI 1.8 16v project.
The single most important consideration is buying the best shell, engines/running gear and interiors are easy to get and not all that expensive but if there are signs of rust on the scuttle panel/the rear arches (inner/outer) and sills then in less you are handy with a welder things can get very out of hand very quickly!
The mk2 has a huge following so there are dedicated clubs like the mk2 Golf Owners, Club GTI, Golf GTI forum which can offer huge amounts of information from basic problem solving to locating obscure parts and information about shows/events.
There are a good number of parts suppliers who can get new genuine parts for in my opinion quite reasonable prices for example on one resto I did I replaced all the discs, pads, callipers, brake flexis, suspension shocks, springs, every rubber bush and steering component and had change from £500. Then there are numerous specialist breakers who only deal in 80s VWs plus a lot of components from newer golfs can fit to varying from for example a simple mk3 golf handbrake upgrade through to the latest mk6 2.0 TSFI 16v engine conversions or full mk5 interior swaps.
The above is one of the reasons I enjoy mk2s and VWs of the 80s so much as they can be worked on by almost anyone but if you have the right skills then the VAG range is your oyster.
TameRacingDriver said:
Pretty slow by modern standards, both in cornering grip and speed, but my god they are a good laugh. Do it!!
I'm a little confused by this, compared to what? It should sit alongside a Clio 200 until 80 and even then the difference to 100 wouldn't be a couple of car lengths.That's pretty quick even by modern standards if you ask me.
Edit to add: This car will be weak 0-100 because of the lack of power and aerodynamics and it posts exactly the same time as a Fiesta ST
I can't work out if that's fast or slow 
Edited by StottyZr on Tuesday 30th July 11:02
I owned an 8v GTI a few years ago. Not a bad car by any means and an enjoyable drive but it wasn't quick. It also died of insane head gasket failure with coolant errupting like a fountain from the oil filler cap. Everyone on the owners forums told me it was pretty common.
I think, by the time you add on the scene tax for one in decent condition, you could get a much better car for the same money. I'm not suggesting newer, but there are much better handling, much quicker, and much more reliable hot hatches out there for the same money.
I think, by the time you add on the scene tax for one in decent condition, you could get a much better car for the same money. I'm not suggesting newer, but there are much better handling, much quicker, and much more reliable hot hatches out there for the same money.
StottyZr said:
TameRacingDriver said:
Pretty slow by modern standards, both in cornering grip and speed, but my god they are a good laugh. Do it!!
I'm a little confused by this, compared to what? It should sit alongside a Clio 200 until 80+ and even then the difference to 100 wouldn't be huge.That's pretty quick even by modern standards if you ask me.
A standard mk2 16v GTI is capable of sub 7.5 seconds to 60, a genuine 130mph +, a 1/4 in 15.5seconds.
I've taken a standard 16v up pod at 15.3 and a mate ran his 2.0 ABF converted 16v down to 15.1. A 2.0 16v KR hybrid that I built years ago also ran a 15.1 and I've seen 16v dip into 14s to.
A Clio 197 is supposedly 6.9seconds to 60, 134mph top speed and 15.1 second 1/4 mile
A few recent threads on the Mk2 GTi have got me tempted to pull the trigger on one again! Lovely cars, in a similar way to cars such as old 911s they were totally over-engineered. People used to seriously talk of them not being run in properly until 60k miles! I had a 35k mile 1991 example back in 1996! It felt like new and never gave me a single problem in 20k of spirited driving. Modern hot hatches will doubtful be still on the road at a similar age. I certainly wouldn't buy a £500 example though, it will almost certainly not drive 10% of how it should do. Good solid cars start at around £2000. There is certainly no need to pay £6000 for a mega low miles garage queen. Indeed such a car may be running around on a lot of original parts that despite being low mileage are still 25+ years old!
Sold my 8 valve Digifant a month or so ago after 3 years ownership. A year and a half of which it was off the road being repaired when I could find the time.
After 21 years I think there wasn't much that didn't need changed but it was all attributable to age rather than poor workmanship. The bodywork was amazingly solid despite a life in Scotland.
I changed just about all the suspension components for OEM to get some idea what the fuss was about. It handled well for the era but it wasn't really anything to write home about. Some body roll then it would find settle and there was always lots of grip. The engine was a bit lethargic but would get there. The brakes were sufficient but again nothing special.
They're good for the era and they're alright by modern standards IMO. As with many cult cars they're not worth anywhere near what some people will pay for them though. I'd take a punt on a cheaper one and get the spanners out. If you're lucky you may sell at a profit although I failed to do so because of tatty bodywork.
I'm glad I owned one but won't be buying another.
After 21 years I think there wasn't much that didn't need changed but it was all attributable to age rather than poor workmanship. The bodywork was amazingly solid despite a life in Scotland.
I changed just about all the suspension components for OEM to get some idea what the fuss was about. It handled well for the era but it wasn't really anything to write home about. Some body roll then it would find settle and there was always lots of grip. The engine was a bit lethargic but would get there. The brakes were sufficient but again nothing special.
They're good for the era and they're alright by modern standards IMO. As with many cult cars they're not worth anywhere near what some people will pay for them though. I'd take a punt on a cheaper one and get the spanners out. If you're lucky you may sell at a profit although I failed to do so because of tatty bodywork.
I'm glad I owned one but won't be buying another.
^ The market is really all over the place though.
A few years back I was buying GTI 8 & 16v models with T&T for under £1k that had plenty of life in them. More recently I paid £300 for a completely original 16v with no T&T and it needs a scuttle panel repair, two sills and a full paint job but it's on barely 100k.
The last GTI I sold was a 1989 big bumper 3 door in a custom Royal blue/purple flip. It had 68k on the clocks, every single nut, bolt, washer, bush, brake/fuel line had been replaced on. The underside and engine bay was clean enough to eat off. The car was a regular at different VW shows and received plenty of positive feedback.
When it came to sell, i tried £2k, then £1,500 and after 6 months it sold - it killed me knowing I could have parted it out for double that.
On the other hand I had a oak green 3 door 16v that had not had a fraction of the restoration work done, it had a cloth interior, worse paintwork , 150k -not on it's original engine, lowered on a set of BBS RZs and that sold for £2300 in days.
To be honest I don't even like oak green that much and think the metallic blues, greys, blacks suit the car far better.
A few years back I was buying GTI 8 & 16v models with T&T for under £1k that had plenty of life in them. More recently I paid £300 for a completely original 16v with no T&T and it needs a scuttle panel repair, two sills and a full paint job but it's on barely 100k.
The last GTI I sold was a 1989 big bumper 3 door in a custom Royal blue/purple flip. It had 68k on the clocks, every single nut, bolt, washer, bush, brake/fuel line had been replaced on. The underside and engine bay was clean enough to eat off. The car was a regular at different VW shows and received plenty of positive feedback.
When it came to sell, i tried £2k, then £1,500 and after 6 months it sold - it killed me knowing I could have parted it out for double that.
On the other hand I had a oak green 3 door 16v that had not had a fraction of the restoration work done, it had a cloth interior, worse paintwork , 150k -not on it's original engine, lowered on a set of BBS RZs and that sold for £2300 in days.
To be honest I don't even like oak green that much and think the metallic blues, greys, blacks suit the car far better.
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