Failing at bangernomics.... A Golf Mk2.
Discussion
Last October I pre-empted being "crunched" sold my Jag and purchased a Golf mk2 GTi 8v for £650 with 4 months Tax and 10 months MOT... and then spent £70 on an AA card.
Now I though this was a little dear for a shed but given the good condition and the fact unmolested Mk2s are an increasingly rare find I thought it would be at the very least, something to fiddle with in the summer. What could possibly go wrong?
Well after servicing... First it was the coolant system. A metal pipes had corroded so it pissed water all of the driveway when I touched it. In the process a I had to change 3 other rubber pipes, a themostat, a plastic flange and two sensors. £100 to you mate and lots of swearing over the stupid b
d clips that were designed by some utter sadistic tt who had never heard of a jubilee clip...
Then, on Christmas eve, prior to to my 300 mile drive south the mid-section fell off in the middle of the road. £25 for a replacement but the timing was impeccably st. I had to drive a 1.0 litre micra for 5 bd hours. I was dissapointed but optimistic about the cost of repair.
Then, after fitting the exhaust, the starter motor left me stranded in our works car park. The AA man came to the rescue in his Vauxhall Vivaro. £65 for a replacement. I did however enjoy the 2 hours off work.
Then numerous electrical problems and charging issues. Voltage regulator, several earths and an ignition switch required £50.
Then, now having my cheery disposition dented, I notice the bd thing is listing to one side.... So far that's been two bilstein (OEM spec) shocks, 2 springs, 2 topmounts, 2 tie rods, 2 tie rod ends, 2 lower ball joints and about a billion-fking special tools including some that I had to make myself. Circa £250 at least. The alignment is going to set me back a further £60 easy.
Now the calipers need refurbed and the timing/ancillary belts need done and I still need to sort out the paint that the pillock of a ex-owner appears to have simply painted over dirty paintwork and oversprayed at least one section of every piece of trim.
So thats me on £700 parts and about £200 tools so far with alignment, brakes and bodywork still to sort out.
I have utterly failed haven't I? The biggest fking irony is I've got a new job now and I'm far better paid. I absolutely don't need to keep the car but I'm far too pig-headed to sell up. The Goal remains to do a lap of KnockHill in August.
Someone please tell me I'm not wasting my time? Or at least share a similar story of failure!
Now I though this was a little dear for a shed but given the good condition and the fact unmolested Mk2s are an increasingly rare find I thought it would be at the very least, something to fiddle with in the summer. What could possibly go wrong?
Well after servicing... First it was the coolant system. A metal pipes had corroded so it pissed water all of the driveway when I touched it. In the process a I had to change 3 other rubber pipes, a themostat, a plastic flange and two sensors. £100 to you mate and lots of swearing over the stupid b
d clips that were designed by some utter sadistic tt who had never heard of a jubilee clip...Then, on Christmas eve, prior to to my 300 mile drive south the mid-section fell off in the middle of the road. £25 for a replacement but the timing was impeccably s
t. I had to drive a 1.0 litre micra for 5 bd hours. I was dissapointed but optimistic about the cost of repair. Then, after fitting the exhaust, the starter motor left me stranded in our works car park. The AA man came to the rescue in his Vauxhall Vivaro. £65 for a replacement. I did however enjoy the 2 hours off work.
Then numerous electrical problems and charging issues. Voltage regulator, several earths and an ignition switch required £50.
Then, now having my cheery disposition dented, I notice the b
d thing is listing to one side.... So far that's been two bilstein (OEM spec) shocks, 2 springs, 2 topmounts, 2 tie rods, 2 tie rod ends, 2 lower ball joints and about a billion-fking special tools including some that I had to make myself. Circa £250 at least. The alignment is going to set me back a further £60 easy.Now the calipers need refurbed and the timing/ancillary belts need done and I still need to sort out the paint that the pillock of a ex-owner appears to have simply painted over dirty paintwork and oversprayed at least one section of every piece of trim.
So thats me on £700 parts and about £200 tools so far with alignment, brakes and bodywork still to sort out.
I have utterly failed haven't I? The biggest f
king irony is I've got a new job now and I'm far better paid. I absolutely don't need to keep the car but I'm far too pig-headed to sell up. The Goal remains to do a lap of KnockHill in August.Someone please tell me I'm not wasting my time? Or at least share a similar story of failure!
I guess the thing with bangernomics, as with life, is sometimes you're the pigeon and sometimes you're the statue.
But remember, although spending that much seems a lot when the car was comparatively cheap to buy, even a very simple problem with a just-out-of warranty modern car could cost you that much in one hit. And you wouldn't have any shiny new tools to show for it.
But remember, although spending that much seems a lot when the car was comparatively cheap to buy, even a very simple problem with a just-out-of warranty modern car could cost you that much in one hit. And you wouldn't have any shiny new tools to show for it.
Given the amount of time I've spent underneath my friend's Mk2 GTI 8v...and the 2 years prior to that that I spent under my GTD, the phrase 'If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen' does seem to mock you...
Especially if you've had the joy of changing the brake pads yet...
However, I loved my GTD dearly, and I don't hate the GTI (yet), as when they work, they're still good fun. It's a failure at bangernomics in terms of drive it then scrap it, however, it's a win for you in terms of having a fun car that will never depreciate.
I've sold every old VW I've owned for equal to or more than I paid for it (and had a lot of fun on the way).
Cheers,
Tom
Especially if you've had the joy of changing the brake pads yet...
However, I loved my GTD dearly, and I don't hate the GTI (yet), as when they work, they're still good fun. It's a failure at bangernomics in terms of drive it then scrap it, however, it's a win for you in terms of having a fun car that will never depreciate.
I've sold every old VW I've owned for equal to or more than I paid for it (and had a lot of fun on the way).
Cheers,
Tom
I love the principles of proper bangernomics but can't see it being anything other than a PITA. As a town/short trip car I can see how it would make sense but could I really buy something sub 600quid that would cope with 1 or 2 100 mile trips a week in addition to daily town and shopping duties.
See.....your prob is you shouldve been replacing broken parts with second hand whereever poss on one of those
I had a £100 gti 8v in my second year of uni (only a couple of yrs back) and it was perfect other than a battery that gave up (which was solved by always having people to bump start it)
I had a £100 gti 8v in my second year of uni (only a couple of yrs back) and it was perfect other than a battery that gave up (which was solved by always having people to bump start it)
£650 is not really bangernomics money.
You really need to spend less than £200. At that price when it breaks you just scrap it, unless it can be fixed for £20.
I purchased a J reg fiesta for £150 about 18 months ago. It had 9 months MOT and a few months tax. I ran that until the MOT ran out without spending a penny other than a bit more tax.
It was great, but rusty! If it had broken in that time it just would have gone straight to the scrappy.
At £650 its too much of an 'investment' to be banger spec!
Lewis
(edited for speeeelllloing)
You really need to spend less than £200. At that price when it breaks you just scrap it, unless it can be fixed for £20.
I purchased a J reg fiesta for £150 about 18 months ago. It had 9 months MOT and a few months tax. I ran that until the MOT ran out without spending a penny other than a bit more tax.
It was great, but rusty! If it had broken in that time it just would have gone straight to the scrappy.
At £650 its too much of an 'investment' to be banger spec!
Lewis
(edited for speeeelllloing)
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 7th April 20:57
I'm not sure that fixing the paintwork is a sensible bangernomics approach.
It can be done though, I got an '89 1.fkall Fiesta for £370, put somewhere between 15k and 20k miles on it per year and it handled it all just fine until eventually the MOT was due, and the rust I'd be ignoring was starting to look like a possible failure, and I really was getting particularly bored of the car, so I scrapped it.
It can be done though, I got an '89 1.f
kall Fiesta for £370, put somewhere between 15k and 20k miles on it per year and it handled it all just fine until eventually the MOT was due, and the rust I'd be ignoring was starting to look like a possible failure, and I really was getting particularly bored of the car, so I scrapped it.
G_T said:
Last October I pre-empted being "crunched" sold my Jag and purchased a Golf mk2 GTi 8v for £650 with 4 months Tax and 10 months MOT... and then spent £70 on an AA card.
Now I though this was a little dear for a shed but given the good condition and the fact unmolested Mk2s are an increasingly rare find I thought it would be at the very least, something to fiddle with in the summer. What could possibly go wrong?
Well after servicing... First it was the coolant system. A metal pipes had corroded so it pissed water all of the driveway when I touched it. In the process a I had to change 3 other rubber pipes, a themostat, a plastic flange and two sensors. £100 to you mate and lots of swearing over the stupid bd clips that were designed by some utter sadistic tt who had never heard of a jubilee clip...
Then, on Christmas eve, prior to to my 300 mile drive south the mid-section fell off in the middle of the road. £25 for a replacement but the timing was impeccably st. I had to drive a 1.0 litre micra for 5 bd hours. I was dissapointed but optimistic about the cost of repair.
Then, after fitting the exhaust, the starter motor left me stranded in our works car park. The AA man came to the rescue in his Vauxhall Vivaro. £65 for a replacement. I did however enjoy the 2 hours off work.
Then numerous electrical problems and charging issues. Voltage regulator, several earths and an ignition switch required £50.
Then, now having my cheery disposition dented, I notice the bd thing is listing to one side.... So far that's been two bilstein (OEM spec) shocks, 2 springs, 2 topmounts, 2 tie rods, 2 tie rod ends, 2 lower ball joints and about a billion-fking special tools including some that I had to make myself. Circa £250 at least. The alignment is going to set me back a further £60 easy.
Now the calipers need refurbed and the timing/ancillary belts need done and I still need to sort out the paint that the pillock of a ex-owner appears to have simply painted over dirty paintwork and oversprayed at least one section of every piece of trim.
So thats me on £700 parts and about £200 tools so far with alignment, brakes and bodywork still to sort out.
I have utterly failed haven't I? The biggest fking irony is I've got a new job now and I'm far better paid. I absolutely don't need to keep the car but I'm far too pig-headed to sell up. The Goal remains to do a lap of KnockHill in August.
Someone please tell me I'm not wasting my time? Or at least share a similar story of failure!
I feel for ya buddy I do.Now I though this was a little dear for a shed but given the good condition and the fact unmolested Mk2s are an increasingly rare find I thought it would be at the very least, something to fiddle with in the summer. What could possibly go wrong?
Well after servicing... First it was the coolant system. A metal pipes had corroded so it pissed water all of the driveway when I touched it. In the process a I had to change 3 other rubber pipes, a themostat, a plastic flange and two sensors. £100 to you mate and lots of swearing over the stupid b
d clips that were designed by some utter sadistic tt who had never heard of a jubilee clip...Then, on Christmas eve, prior to to my 300 mile drive south the mid-section fell off in the middle of the road. £25 for a replacement but the timing was impeccably s
t. I had to drive a 1.0 litre micra for 5 bd hours. I was dissapointed but optimistic about the cost of repair. Then, after fitting the exhaust, the starter motor left me stranded in our works car park. The AA man came to the rescue in his Vauxhall Vivaro. £65 for a replacement. I did however enjoy the 2 hours off work.
Then numerous electrical problems and charging issues. Voltage regulator, several earths and an ignition switch required £50.
Then, now having my cheery disposition dented, I notice the b
d thing is listing to one side.... So far that's been two bilstein (OEM spec) shocks, 2 springs, 2 topmounts, 2 tie rods, 2 tie rod ends, 2 lower ball joints and about a billion-fking special tools including some that I had to make myself. Circa £250 at least. The alignment is going to set me back a further £60 easy.Now the calipers need refurbed and the timing/ancillary belts need done and I still need to sort out the paint that the pillock of a ex-owner appears to have simply painted over dirty paintwork and oversprayed at least one section of every piece of trim.
So thats me on £700 parts and about £200 tools so far with alignment, brakes and bodywork still to sort out.
I have utterly failed haven't I? The biggest f
king irony is I've got a new job now and I'm far better paid. I absolutely don't need to keep the car but I'm far too pig-headed to sell up. The Goal remains to do a lap of KnockHill in August.Someone please tell me I'm not wasting my time? Or at least share a similar story of failure!
Sometimes you are lucky, others not so. But there is madness (or sanity) behind running cheap motors.
1. You make the decision to bin or fix. No point throwing silly money at it if its not worth it.
2. Why pay out for new shocks and springs and to have them fitted. If it lists so what, if something is broke only fix that bit with cheap (often used) parts.
3. don't fix bits that don't need it
4. don't fiddle and try and maintain it like a new car - it's not worth it
And remember, while you are unhappy, you could have spent £5000 on an Astra (or whatever make) and had a similar experience.
CaptainSlow said:
Skodasupercar said:
At that price when it brakes you just scrap it, unless it can be fixed for £20.
Really? That means you'd scrap it the first time you drove it? 
Edited spelling in previous post
I bought a Mk2 Golf 1.6GL with 89,000 on the clock for £950. It was full of straw and had sat in a farm yard for 9 months prior to me buying it with a flat battery but I could tell it was a gem. Drove it for 2 years and sold it for £1500 with 142,000 on the clock. Its amazing what a good valet will do!
Only cost me a new CV joint (which failed at 60mph. . . quite a shock) and a tow to an indie in all the time I owned it.
It can be done . . .
Only cost me a new CV joint (which failed at 60mph. . . quite a shock) and a tow to an indie in all the time I owned it.
It can be done . . .
Edited by OnePaintedMan on Wednesday 7th April 21:10
I had a Mk2 golf as a cheap runner. Bought the best I could find for £800 seeing as my mate had a MK2 which was utterly reliable, what could possibly go wrong..
Some of the joys I remember sorting in less than a year of ownership - Rear boot lock failed, screen washer pump burned out, rear wiper stopped working, door lock snapped, starter motor failed and on fitting a new one realized that there was a bolt missing holding it onto the gearbox, the heater matrix failed which resulted in suddenly driving around with a cloud of foul steam in the car, doors wouldn't close properly, broken seat recliner, center section of exhaust failed and 6 months later so did the front, 2E3 carb failed, Distributor would fail in the damp despite a new cap a new rotor and leads, it would loose all electric power if I went anywhere near a puddle.
I then bought a Scirocco for £700 which eventually compiled it's own list of almost as many problems.
If only everything in life was as reliable as a VW eh.
The metro I bought required nothing other than brake parts.
Some of the joys I remember sorting in less than a year of ownership - Rear boot lock failed, screen washer pump burned out, rear wiper stopped working, door lock snapped, starter motor failed and on fitting a new one realized that there was a bolt missing holding it onto the gearbox, the heater matrix failed which resulted in suddenly driving around with a cloud of foul steam in the car, doors wouldn't close properly, broken seat recliner, center section of exhaust failed and 6 months later so did the front, 2E3 carb failed, Distributor would fail in the damp despite a new cap a new rotor and leads, it would loose all electric power if I went anywhere near a puddle.
I then bought a Scirocco for £700 which eventually compiled it's own list of almost as many problems.
If only everything in life was as reliable as a VW eh.
The metro I bought required nothing other than brake parts.
I brought a GTI 8v, 2 years ago as a first car, mine was a bit of a money pit too.
Had 175k on it when I got it, could not get the bloody thing to run right! After a host of new parts, and taking it to one normal garage, and a specialist, finally managed to find the problem as being the ECU, which wasnt advancing the ignition as the rev's rose.
Before it was fixed it was managing a whole 12mpg.
I can sympathise you, but on the other hand, would deffinately buy another, as someone has said before, it's not really an ideal banger car, it's good to see you keeping it alive though!
Had 175k on it when I got it, could not get the bloody thing to run right! After a host of new parts, and taking it to one normal garage, and a specialist, finally managed to find the problem as being the ECU, which wasnt advancing the ignition as the rev's rose.
Before it was fixed it was managing a whole 12mpg.
I can sympathise you, but on the other hand, would deffinately buy another, as someone has said before, it's not really an ideal banger car, it's good to see you keeping it alive though!
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