Discussion
Evening all,
I'm seriously considering buying a MKII Golf GTI some time within the next year or so. I've done as much homework as I can in an effort to learn as much as I can about the car. However there are a few things that I still need advising on before taking the plunge.
Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
Thanks for reading this. To past or present owners out here any advice will be much appreciated, thanks again.
I'm seriously considering buying a MKII Golf GTI some time within the next year or so. I've done as much homework as I can in an effort to learn as much as I can about the car. However there are a few things that I still need advising on before taking the plunge.
Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
Thanks for reading this. To past or present owners out here any advice will be much appreciated, thanks again.
Mk 2 golfs are very well built for their age , I've had 2 8v cars and only grief was wheel bearings and rear calipers , the early k jet cars are very responsive and feel sharper engine wise , I've never had a 16v but believe they use k jet also.
I'd say go for it as a daily they drive really well, can't see them doubling in value though , maybe going up a little till the bubble pops
I'd say go for it as a daily they drive really well, can't see them doubling in value though , maybe going up a little till the bubble pops
I've had a 16V and more recently an 8V, they are brilliant to drive and I ran the 8V daily but they were constantly in need of work. Whether it be rust, oil leaks, brakes or electronics issues. To be expected of a car that age though. I would have another but I wouldn't run it daily, unless I had absolute confidence in it being 100% reliable 
I was told 8v is the way to go, I owned a 8v a few years ago. But its one of them when you pull up next to a 16v you will wish you had bought a 16v haha.
I currently own a 1990 G 3 door 8v GTI in Royal Blue with a bit of a difference... its got a 170bhp TDI engine fitted to it haha.
Been using it as a daily but have to keep forking out for lots of stuff haha.
I currently own a 1990 G 3 door 8v GTI in Royal Blue with a bit of a difference... its got a 170bhp TDI engine fitted to it haha.
Been using it as a daily but have to keep forking out for lots of stuff haha.
Just buy the one with the best body as they are prone to rust, they were better than mos things at the time but they are all at least 27 years old now.
I have had a few, I won one once as a kid, in a Daily Mirror competition !
I was used to 8 valves and tried a 16 and kind of preferred the 8 valve, but I think it may have been a good 8 valve I had and a ropey 16 valve I tried, didnt feel much faster, if at all, was a bit disappointing, was expecting a bigger difference.
Get a 3 door if you can, they are all prone to leaking, but the 5 door is worse and the shell is even floppier than the 3 door.
Would avoid a 30 ish year old car as a daily though.
I have had a few, I won one once as a kid, in a Daily Mirror competition !
I was used to 8 valves and tried a 16 and kind of preferred the 8 valve, but I think it may have been a good 8 valve I had and a ropey 16 valve I tried, didnt feel much faster, if at all, was a bit disappointing, was expecting a bigger difference.
Get a 3 door if you can, they are all prone to leaking, but the 5 door is worse and the shell is even floppier than the 3 door.
Would avoid a 30 ish year old car as a daily though.
Meridius said:
J4CKO said:
they were better than mos things at the time but they are all at least 27 years old now.
25 
Last run ones were 1992 K reg.
ked then !Would love to drive another, I did love the ones I had, all 8 valves, they felt quick at the time, I sold the one I won to my dad and can still remember the sound of it starting up, only 112 bhp but it sounded so meaty, a chap locally has a BMW 235i and it sounds different being a six but it has that businesslike buzz that fills the surrounding air like a MK2 did, slightly high idle with a bit of a drone.
The steering was great, unassisted on most, the brakes worked as well, unlike MK1's with their heath robinson bellcrank conversion to RHD.
Still think they would fell pretty fun, might be going back to a GTI after 13 years myself in the form of a MK7, or maybe a Leon.
Morning all,
Firstly I want to thank everyone for their advice and for sharing their experiences of mk2 ownership.
As for the 8v to 16v discussion. My plan will be to buy a car and run it for a year or two. After that if I have fallen in love with the car I will do a full engine out restoration so when I'm looking at performance values I look at the factory claims as the car will be restored.
Another question that has come to me is the used parts. I'm not going to mention the site but it comes up first when you do a search in google for golf MK2 parts. These guys supply everything from panels to minor electrical components. Have any of you used these licenenced parts ? If so how good are they ?
Firstly I want to thank everyone for their advice and for sharing their experiences of mk2 ownership.
As for the 8v to 16v discussion. My plan will be to buy a car and run it for a year or two. After that if I have fallen in love with the car I will do a full engine out restoration so when I'm looking at performance values I look at the factory claims as the car will be restored.
Another question that has come to me is the used parts. I'm not going to mention the site but it comes up first when you do a search in google for golf MK2 parts. These guys supply everything from panels to minor electrical components. Have any of you used these licenenced parts ? If so how good are they ?
I drafted a decent response here the other day then got distracted. Quick summary:
If as your name suggests you're tall it's worth noting 16Vs came with seat height adjustment, optional on 8V. Also sunroofs rob you of headroom.
The talk of 8V lower down torque is bullst, it's a comparison illusion created by the 16V top end energy.
The 16V is a fantastic motor in sound and power delivery. They can vary in goodness, a good one is great.
16Vs had lower gearing, in some gears at least, adding to the energy.
Not likely to reach silly Ford values.
Probably more.
If as your name suggests you're tall it's worth noting 16Vs came with seat height adjustment, optional on 8V. Also sunroofs rob you of headroom.
The talk of 8V lower down torque is bulls
t, it's a comparison illusion created by the 16V top end energy.The 16V is a fantastic motor in sound and power delivery. They can vary in goodness, a good one is great.
16Vs had lower gearing, in some gears at least, adding to the energy.
Not likely to reach silly Ford values.
Probably more.
id go 16v all day long....the 8v is better is usualy spouted out by those that got stuck with an 8v
most important thing is to get a rust free un bodged up shell , oily bits are fairly easy to swap over but you dont want to be patching up a ropey shell
id say rust free shell and swap in a later abf 16v , bit more power and modern enough to be reliable , not many folk around now that can diagnose or repair the later k jet stuff
most important thing is to get a rust free un bodged up shell , oily bits are fairly easy to swap over but you dont want to be patching up a ropey shell
id say rust free shell and swap in a later abf 16v , bit more power and modern enough to be reliable , not many folk around now that can diagnose or repair the later k jet stuff
annodomini2 said:
Tall-guy said:
...Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs...
Urban myth, it was true of the Mk3 Digifant cars, but not the Mk2.The 16v produces more torque throughout the entire rev range.
Also, as they got older, the K Jet cars, in my experience seemed to lose power and the digifant ones I had seemed to fare better, I think the mechnicals of K Jet used to wear out, the one I drove was a bit quicker than my 8 valve but came away a bit nonplussed.
Buy one with a 1.8T fitted, renders the 8 valve vs 16 thing null and void
Get a 16v, much better engine, usually better spec as central locking and electric windows were standard.
Kjet loosing power, myth,if the system is healthy and setup correctly.
I've put 6 different 16v golfs on 3 different rolling roads and the lowest figure from an engine with 199k on it was 138.2hp, with 120-160k on them with the ignition timing set to 7* CO2 to 1-2 a 1.8Kr will make 150-160hp depending on exhaust and inlet manifold setup.
Early pre 87 16v have a smaller inlet manifold which gives better midrange at the expense or 5-7hp at 6000rpm+. Personally on a road car I prefer the smaller intake better still with a 2.0l. But the 50mm does give a sense of freeer power at the top end
With a 2.0l 9a bottom end or ABF 2.0 16v running on kjet they make 160-180hp and this can be done for a couple hundred quid.
Kjet loosing power, myth,if the system is healthy and setup correctly.
I've put 6 different 16v golfs on 3 different rolling roads and the lowest figure from an engine with 199k on it was 138.2hp, with 120-160k on them with the ignition timing set to 7* CO2 to 1-2 a 1.8Kr will make 150-160hp depending on exhaust and inlet manifold setup.
Early pre 87 16v have a smaller inlet manifold which gives better midrange at the expense or 5-7hp at 6000rpm+. Personally on a road car I prefer the smaller intake better still with a 2.0l. But the 50mm does give a sense of freeer power at the top end
With a 2.0l 9a bottom end or ABF 2.0 16v running on kjet they make 160-180hp and this can be done for a couple hundred quid.
Tall-guy said:
Evening all,
Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
by all means try both but in my opinion having owned every variety of GTI in 8v/16v combination is that in standard form a 16v is the better car. It's not JUST about the engine, yes the 16v will make more power low down, and makes more power throughout the rev range, when a 8v starts weazing at 5500rpm an tails off at 6000+ a 16v is still making more power all the way to 7200rpm. Regarding the GEARING, it is ONLY 5th gear that is LONGER on a 8v, all the other gears and final drive are the same thus a 16v is faster in every gear end of. However it is other supporting improvements that a 16v gets like for example larger brakes, larger anti roll bars, stiffer & slightly lower suspension that help make them even better. Look at how many 8v owners go through the fun of upgrading all these parts, hence why 16v parts are always more desirable & as a result can sometimes be a bit more expensive
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
by NOW not later, trust me, I bought my last 16v GTI (1989 110k, 2 owners 3dr red) for £350 7 years ago and sold a 1990 big bumper 16v with 63k on it a year later for £1500., to buy that same cars in the same condition today would easily set me back £1000-1500 for the £350 project, and the other low mileage mostly original with good optional extras eg full leather interior, electric sunroof, electric mirrors G60 arches could be worth £5k
Also when it comes to 8v vs 16v, using you Escort RS Turbo example, look at XR3I prices in comparison, hence it pays to have the top of the range model and not the one that "only has a bit less power and looks largely the same"
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
I've been "into" Golf GTIs and a owner for 15 years, I had my first 8v when I was 19 and expect i've driven somewhere around 100k in a dozen different Mk2s. I'm actively involved with the mk2 Golf owners club and I can assure you there a plenty of members whose Golf is their only car and they do commutes well over 7 miles. Several that I know well do 10-15k a year in theirs others more! MK2s are from the Golden era in my opinion where they are complicated enough to be reliable and simple enough to fix! GRanted there are a few 16v specific engine parts which can be a pain to get but the majority of the times (not many!!!) that I required recovery were due to component failures which could happen on any car of almost any age, for example a split fuel lines/vacuum lines , a fuel pump failure ( car was on 170k) a headgasket (although i still drove it 120miles home an used 10gallons of water!)
hope this helps, any questions fire away!!Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
by all means try both but in my opinion having owned every variety of GTI in 8v/16v combination is that in standard form a 16v is the better car. It's not JUST about the engine, yes the 16v will make more power low down, and makes more power throughout the rev range, when a 8v starts weazing at 5500rpm an tails off at 6000+ a 16v is still making more power all the way to 7200rpm. Regarding the GEARING, it is ONLY 5th gear that is LONGER on a 8v, all the other gears and final drive are the same thus a 16v is faster in every gear end of. However it is other supporting improvements that a 16v gets like for example larger brakes, larger anti roll bars, stiffer & slightly lower suspension that help make them even better. Look at how many 8v owners go through the fun of upgrading all these parts, hence why 16v parts are always more desirable & as a result can sometimes be a bit more expensive
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
by NOW not later, trust me, I bought my last 16v GTI (1989 110k, 2 owners 3dr red) for £350 7 years ago and sold a 1990 big bumper 16v with 63k on it a year later for £1500., to buy that same cars in the same condition today would easily set me back £1000-1500 for the £350 project, and the other low mileage mostly original with good optional extras eg full leather interior, electric sunroof, electric mirrors G60 arches could be worth £5k
Also when it comes to 8v vs 16v, using you Escort RS Turbo example, look at XR3I prices in comparison, hence it pays to have the top of the range model and not the one that "only has a bit less power and looks largely the same"
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
I've been "into" Golf GTIs and a owner for 15 years, I had my first 8v when I was 19 and expect i've driven somewhere around 100k in a dozen different Mk2s. I'm actively involved with the mk2 Golf owners club and I can assure you there a plenty of members whose Golf is their only car and they do commutes well over 7 miles. Several that I know well do 10-15k a year in theirs others more! MK2s are from the Golden era in my opinion where they are complicated enough to be reliable and simple enough to fix! GRanted there are a few 16v specific engine parts which can be a pain to get but the majority of the times (not many!!!) that I required recovery were due to component failures which could happen on any car of almost any age, for example a split fuel lines/vacuum lines , a fuel pump failure ( car was on 170k) a headgasket (although i still drove it 120miles home an used 10gallons of water!)
aka_kerrly said:
Tall-guy said:
Evening all,
Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
by all means try both but in my opinion having owned every variety of GTI in 8v/16v combination is that in standard form a 16v is the better car. It's not JUST about the engine, yes the 16v will make more power low down, and makes more power throughout the rev range, when a 8v starts weazing at 5500rpm an tails off at 6000+ a 16v is still making more power all the way to 7200rpm. Regarding the GEARING, it is ONLY 5th gear that is LONGER on a 8v, all the other gears and final drive are the same thus a 16v is faster in every gear end of. However it is other supporting improvements that a 16v gets like for example larger brakes, larger anti roll bars, stiffer & slightly lower suspension that help make them even better. Look at how many 8v owners go through the fun of upgrading all these parts, hence why 16v parts are always more desirable & as a result can sometimes be a bit more expensive
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
by NOW not later, trust me, I bought my last 16v GTI (1989 110k, 2 owners 3dr red) for £350 7 years ago and sold a 1990 big bumper 16v with 63k on it a year later for £1500., to buy that same cars in the same condition today would easily set me back £1000-1500 for the £350 project, and the other low mileage mostly original with good optional extras eg full leather interior, electric sunroof, electric mirrors G60 arches could be worth £5k
Also when it comes to 8v vs 16v, using you Escort RS Turbo example, look at XR3I prices in comparison, hence it pays to have the top of the range model and not the one that "only has a bit less power and looks largely the same"
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
I've been "into" Golf GTIs and a owner for 15 years, I had my first 8v when I was 19 and expect i've driven somewhere around 100k in a dozen different Mk2s. I'm actively involved with the mk2 Golf owners club and I can assure you there a plenty of members whose Golf is their only car and they do commutes well over 7 miles. Several that I know well do 10-15k a year in theirs others more! MK2s are from the Golden era in my opinion where they are complicated enough to be reliable and simple enough to fix! GRanted there are a few 16v specific engine parts which can be a pain to get but the majority of the times (not many!!!) that I required recovery were due to component failures which could happen on any car of almost any age, for example a split fuel lines/vacuum lines , a fuel pump failure ( car was on 170k) a headgasket (although i still drove it 120miles home an used 10gallons of water!)
hope this helps, any questions fire away!!Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
by all means try both but in my opinion having owned every variety of GTI in 8v/16v combination is that in standard form a 16v is the better car. It's not JUST about the engine, yes the 16v will make more power low down, and makes more power throughout the rev range, when a 8v starts weazing at 5500rpm an tails off at 6000+ a 16v is still making more power all the way to 7200rpm. Regarding the GEARING, it is ONLY 5th gear that is LONGER on a 8v, all the other gears and final drive are the same thus a 16v is faster in every gear end of. However it is other supporting improvements that a 16v gets like for example larger brakes, larger anti roll bars, stiffer & slightly lower suspension that help make them even better. Look at how many 8v owners go through the fun of upgrading all these parts, hence why 16v parts are always more desirable & as a result can sometimes be a bit more expensive
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
by NOW not later, trust me, I bought my last 16v GTI (1989 110k, 2 owners 3dr red) for £350 7 years ago and sold a 1990 big bumper 16v with 63k on it a year later for £1500., to buy that same cars in the same condition today would easily set me back £1000-1500 for the £350 project, and the other low mileage mostly original with good optional extras eg full leather interior, electric sunroof, electric mirrors G60 arches could be worth £5k
Also when it comes to 8v vs 16v, using you Escort RS Turbo example, look at XR3I prices in comparison, hence it pays to have the top of the range model and not the one that "only has a bit less power and looks largely the same"
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
I've been "into" Golf GTIs and a owner for 15 years, I had my first 8v when I was 19 and expect i've driven somewhere around 100k in a dozen different Mk2s. I'm actively involved with the mk2 Golf owners club and I can assure you there a plenty of members whose Golf is their only car and they do commutes well over 7 miles. Several that I know well do 10-15k a year in theirs others more! MK2s are from the Golden era in my opinion where they are complicated enough to be reliable and simple enough to fix! GRanted there are a few 16v specific engine parts which can be a pain to get but the majority of the times (not many!!!) that I required recovery were due to component failures which could happen on any car of almost any age, for example a split fuel lines/vacuum lines , a fuel pump failure ( car was on 170k) a headgasket (although i still drove it 120miles home an used 10gallons of water!)
I'm glad you mentioned that you are involved with an owners club as that would be another perk for me. I have been involved with the Ford RS owners club for the last year or so and I always love going to a show or just even a regional meet. So I would definitely get involved in any sort of social scene associated with the car.
As for the parts. What you've said is pretty much what I expected however I just wanted it clarifying. Obviously there will always been that odd ducks tooth component here and there but the fact the majority of parts are readily available is great.
The fact they are mechanically simple is attractive to me as well, as I like to maintain my car as much as possible as I never 100% trust garages and also I enjoy working on cars.
So now then I've definitely decided what I want. A 16v 3dr in White, Black, Red or Oak Green. I'm just going to keep looking and I'll buy when I find the right car. I'm not going for concours but a good straight body and unmodified engine and running gear is what I'm looking for. I know that prices are rising but the general consensus seems to be that they arnt going silly so I think I can afford to wait (no more than 12-18 months) for the right car.
Again thanks so much for the advice, I hugely appreciate it. Hopefully one day soon I'll be part of the owners club.
aka_kerrly said:
Tall-guy said:
Evening all,
Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
by all means try both but in my opinion having owned every variety of GTI in 8v/16v combination is that in standard form a 16v is the better car. It's not JUST about the engine, yes the 16v will make more power low down, and makes more power throughout the rev range, when a 8v starts weazing at 5500rpm an tails off at 6000+ a 16v is still making more power all the way to 7200rpm. Regarding the GEARING, it is ONLY 5th gear that is LONGER on a 8v, all the other gears and final drive are the same thus a 16v is faster in every gear end of. However it is other supporting improvements that a 16v gets like for example larger brakes, larger anti roll bars, stiffer & slightly lower suspension that help make them even better. Look at how many 8v owners go through the fun of upgrading all these parts, hence why 16v parts are always more desirable & as a result can sometimes be a bit more expensive
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
by NOW not later, trust me, I bought my last 16v GTI (1989 110k, 2 owners 3dr red) for £350 7 years ago and sold a 1990 big bumper 16v with 63k on it a year later for £1500., to buy that same cars in the same condition today would easily set me back £1000-1500 for the £350 project, and the other low mileage mostly original with good optional extras eg full leather interior, electric sunroof, electric mirrors G60 arches could be worth £5k
Also when it comes to 8v vs 16v, using you Escort RS Turbo example, look at XR3I prices in comparison, hence it pays to have the top of the range model and not the one that "only has a bit less power and looks largely the same"
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
I've been "into" Golf GTIs and a owner for 15 years, I had my first 8v when I was 19 and expect i've driven somewhere around 100k in a dozen different Mk2s. I'm actively involved with the mk2 Golf owners club and I can assure you there a plenty of members whose Golf is their only car and they do commutes well over 7 miles. Several that I know well do 10-15k a year in theirs others more! MK2s are from the Golden era in my opinion where they are complicated enough to be reliable and simple enough to fix! GRanted there are a few 16v specific engine parts which can be a pain to get but the majority of the times (not many!!!) that I required recovery were due to component failures which could happen on any car of almost any age, for example a split fuel lines/vacuum lines , a fuel pump failure ( car was on 170k) a headgasket (although i still drove it 120miles home an used 10gallons of water!)
hope this helps, any questions fire away!!Firstly 8V or 16V. I know the 8V is better low end and the 16V is better at higher revs but for daily use with the odd B road blast which is better in terms of responsiveness and power consistency through the rev range ? Are there flat spots? etc.
by all means try both but in my opinion having owned every variety of GTI in 8v/16v combination is that in standard form a 16v is the better car. It's not JUST about the engine, yes the 16v will make more power low down, and makes more power throughout the rev range, when a 8v starts weazing at 5500rpm an tails off at 6000+ a 16v is still making more power all the way to 7200rpm. Regarding the GEARING, it is ONLY 5th gear that is LONGER on a 8v, all the other gears and final drive are the same thus a 16v is faster in every gear end of. However it is other supporting improvements that a 16v gets like for example larger brakes, larger anti roll bars, stiffer & slightly lower suspension that help make them even better. Look at how many 8v owners go through the fun of upgrading all these parts, hence why 16v parts are always more desirable & as a result can sometimes be a bit more expensive
Next up is when to buy. As recent as 6-7 years ago you could buy Escort RS Turbos for under 10k easily but now they have doubled in price in such a short period of time. Do we think the golf will do the same thing ? If so I need to be buying sooner rather than later.
by NOW not later, trust me, I bought my last 16v GTI (1989 110k, 2 owners 3dr red) for £350 7 years ago and sold a 1990 big bumper 16v with 63k on it a year later for £1500., to buy that same cars in the same condition today would easily set me back £1000-1500 for the £350 project, and the other low mileage mostly original with good optional extras eg full leather interior, electric sunroof, electric mirrors G60 arches could be worth £5k
Also when it comes to 8v vs 16v, using you Escort RS Turbo example, look at XR3I prices in comparison, hence it pays to have the top of the range model and not the one that "only has a bit less power and looks largely the same"
Lastly is this a car that can be used as a daily driver for a short 7 mile commute or are they too fragile ? I see plenty advertised with high milages but is this due to the abundance of parts and the fact they are easy to work on or is it because they are genuinely well made ?
I've been "into" Golf GTIs and a owner for 15 years, I had my first 8v when I was 19 and expect i've driven somewhere around 100k in a dozen different Mk2s. I'm actively involved with the mk2 Golf owners club and I can assure you there a plenty of members whose Golf is their only car and they do commutes well over 7 miles. Several that I know well do 10-15k a year in theirs others more! MK2s are from the Golden era in my opinion where they are complicated enough to be reliable and simple enough to fix! GRanted there are a few 16v specific engine parts which can be a pain to get but the majority of the times (not many!!!) that I required recovery were due to component failures which could happen on any car of almost any age, for example a split fuel lines/vacuum lines , a fuel pump failure ( car was on 170k) a headgasket (although i still drove it 120miles home an used 10gallons of water!)
I'm glad you mentioned that you are involved with an owners club as that would be another perk for me. I have been involved with the Ford RS owners club for the last year or so and I always love going to a show or just even a regional meet. So I would definitely get involved in any sort of social scene associated with the car.
As for the parts. What you've said is pretty much what I expected however I just wanted it clarifying. Obviously there will always been that odd ducks tooth component here and there but the fact the majority of parts are readily available is great.
The fact they are mechanically simple is attractive to me as well, as I like to maintain my car as much as possible as I never 100% trust garages and also I enjoy working on cars.
So now then I've definitely decided what I want. A 16v 3dr in White, Black, Red or Oak Green. I'm just going to keep looking and I'll buy when I find the right car. I'm not going for concours but a good straight body and unmodified engine and running gear is what I'm looking for. I know that prices are rising but the general consensus seems to be that they arnt going silly so I think I can afford to wait (no more than 12-18 months) for the right car.
Again thanks so much for the advice, I hugely appreciate it. Hopefully one day soon I'll be part of the owners club.
Classic_kid95 said:
Thanks for the information so far this has been massively helpful !!!
I'm glad you mentioned that you are involved with an owners club as that would be another perk for me. I have been involved with the Ford RS owners club for the last year or so and I always love going to a show or just even a regional meet. So I would definitely get involved in any sort of social scene associated with the car.
As for the parts. What you've said is pretty much what I expected however I just wanted it clarifying. Obviously there will always been that odd ducks tooth component here and there but the fact the majority of parts are readily available is great.
The fact they are mechanically simple is attractive to me as well, as I like to maintain my car as much as possible as I never 100% trust garages and also I enjoy working on cars.
So now then I've definitely decided what I want. A 16v 3dr in White, Black, Red or Oak Green. I'm just going to keep looking and I'll buy when I find the right car. I'm not going for concours but a good straight body and unmodified engine and running gear is what I'm looking for.
12-18mths to find the right car is quite a timescale, its highly likely then that you will have to walk away from a few tarted up dogs. There is a good forsale section on the mk2 owners club an various MK2 facebook pages which has its advantages of being able to find out about a cars history but there are still gems out there that aren't being pimped all over the forums owned by enthusiasts & those who simply appreciate an older car that can be better value.I'm glad you mentioned that you are involved with an owners club as that would be another perk for me. I have been involved with the Ford RS owners club for the last year or so and I always love going to a show or just even a regional meet. So I would definitely get involved in any sort of social scene associated with the car.
As for the parts. What you've said is pretty much what I expected however I just wanted it clarifying. Obviously there will always been that odd ducks tooth component here and there but the fact the majority of parts are readily available is great.
The fact they are mechanically simple is attractive to me as well, as I like to maintain my car as much as possible as I never 100% trust garages and also I enjoy working on cars.
So now then I've definitely decided what I want. A 16v 3dr in White, Black, Red or Oak Green. I'm just going to keep looking and I'll buy when I find the right car. I'm not going for concours but a good straight body and unmodified engine and running gear is what I'm looking for.
I've been involved with the mk2 owners club since the first few meets which were just a bunch of us from around Gloucester/Forest of Dean. These started getting a bit more popular an we'd get a dozen or so of us, then twenty something turned up which meant a change of pub a couple of times to find bigger car parks. The internet forum has members from all over the world, i think every continent is represented. Then we organised a National club meet at Billing, which has progressed to the last years meet at Cubrough Spring circuit an circa 200 mk2s - it's in 3 weeks time!!!!!!
There are regional meets which you can simply rock up to an have a chat, it's not all guys stood around in matching VW motorsport fleeces hehe. Sign up online an no doubt there are members who would let you have a nose around their cars an offer advice.
Prior to owning mk2 Golfs I'd not really done much in the way of mechanics but always fancied having a go & found the Golfs (VW in general) quite easy to work on & you don't need tonnes of specialist tools , things like a 32mm socket for hubnuts, a slotted socket for top mounts, caliper wind back tools, a timing belt tensioner tool , a GOOD set of splines/allen keys are worthwhile but anything else ought to come in a £50 tool set. That's not an understatement, I did my first engine swap ( a 1.8KR to 2.0 9A) on my driveway with a Halfords socket set, trolley jack and axle stand kit.
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