Golf mk2 or mk3?
Discussion
They are very similar/share many parts but in my experience the mk3 has way more issues with build quality compared with the mk2.
The mk2 is pretty hard to fault except 16v gti head gasket failures (mainly because it's a hard job so expensive to replace and the cars are getting old), the annoying bit of plastic between the first/reverse gears which fails on almost all meaning you put it into reverse at traffic lights. Rust around the rear window/numberplate lights.
Oh and obviously if you're after a gti there are many SERIOUSLY abused examples out there which no manufacturer can cater for.
If it must be a mk3 check for noisy speedo cables, rust patches on brake disks (outside and inside of disks - reach round-) brake parts commonly seize, very heavy clutches due to cable seizing, rust in the usual places like arches.
Generally they feel very solid, smooth, quiet and creak free when working correctly so if the car you are looking at feels loose, noisy, unwilling to rev or full of rattles its probably best left.
The mk2 is pretty hard to fault except 16v gti head gasket failures (mainly because it's a hard job so expensive to replace and the cars are getting old), the annoying bit of plastic between the first/reverse gears which fails on almost all meaning you put it into reverse at traffic lights. Rust around the rear window/numberplate lights.
Oh and obviously if you're after a gti there are many SERIOUSLY abused examples out there which no manufacturer can cater for.
If it must be a mk3 check for noisy speedo cables, rust patches on brake disks (outside and inside of disks - reach round-) brake parts commonly seize, very heavy clutches due to cable seizing, rust in the usual places like arches.
Generally they feel very solid, smooth, quiet and creak free when working correctly so if the car you are looking at feels loose, noisy, unwilling to rev or full of rattles its probably best left.
I'll add my opinions which are completely the opposite of the above poster,
The mk3 rust issues aside is IMO the best put together Golf there has been, very easy to work on and utterly reliable, my MK3 VR6 is still the most reliable long term car ive owned
They dont have speedo cables either they are all electronic
My MK2 However, utter heap of crap, never stayed in one bit longer than a few weeks and constantly needing bits fixed
The mk3 rust issues aside is IMO the best put together Golf there has been, very easy to work on and utterly reliable, my MK3 VR6 is still the most reliable long term car ive owned
They dont have speedo cables either they are all electronic
My MK2 However, utter heap of crap, never stayed in one bit longer than a few weeks and constantly needing bits fixed
martin mrt said:
They dont have speedo cables either they are all electronic
You learn something new every day. It was some years ago but I swear I remember my friends mk3 2.0 gti always made a mechanical clicking from the speedo area that sounded like a failing speedo cable. I assumed it was a speedo cable!? No idea now.Edited by Niffty951 on Monday 2nd May 22:20
Niffty951 said:
You learn something new every day. It was some years ago but I swear I remember my friends mk3 2.0 gti always made a mechanical clicking from the speedo area that sounded like a failing speedo cable. I assumed it was a speedo cable!? No idea now.
My Mom's does this! Something urgent need replacing? We've kinda gotten used to it now...Edited by Niffty951 on Monday 2nd May 22:20
Having owned a Mk2 GTI albeit only an 8 valve they are fantastic. It's the closest you will get to owning a true hot hatch next to buying the best, MK1 GTI. Rust is the main achilles heel. All four arches suffer, particularly the rear as they catch a lot of road debris imbetween the arch lining and the arch itself. Rust along the bottom edge of the boot lid is fairly common as is on the bottom of the doors although I haven't seen it particularly bad there. The worst place they go tends to be around the filler cap. If it hasn't got it round there, it's been well looked after or repaired in the past. If it's the latter, check the paint in the light for signs of where a new panel has been welded in, its a joke how many bad jobs have been done on some cars. Another area to look out for is the body work at the bottom of the A-pillars. Most GTi's will have been driven hard at some point, and some suffer from stressing in the metal there and crack the paint. Underneith the car too is worth a look. Subframes are common to go rotten. The obvious checks for crash damage goes without saying. Chassis legs, boot floor etc, all really easy to see in these cars. I wouldn't be too put off by modified ones so long as they have been done in good taste, I say this not only as a biased oppinion of a VW enthusiast and member of various VW forums but because many owners now throw lots of cash at them and there are many good examples. There are plenty of new OEM and aftermarket parts to return them to standard. Service history on some cars are really extensive, mine even had the original bill of sale. I wouldn't worry too much about the service history though as they are now old and people tend to work on them their selfs as they are easy!
Overall bodywork wise so longs there hasn't been no crash damage and too much rust you can't go wrong. With the age of the cars your going to have to expect car park dings and scrapes here and there unless your paying about £6k (they do exist!).
Engine wise they are fairly bullet proof. As said above, the 8 valve digifant or Digipants as they are fondley nicknamed do have the Idle issue. The symptoms are the same for all cars but for some reason the cure is somewhat a grey area. For reasonable money you can squeeze 160/70 bhp out a PB block and this makes them a lot livlier. Modify the the brakes with the G60 setup and you will be pretty impressed.
Expensive items to replace are mainly bits of trim. The roof gutter rubbers and window rubbers are sickening when you see the prices. This isn't helped when people mass purchased the parts when VW announced they were going obsolete. G60 arches, which I was luckily enough to own on mine go for around £400 a set now!!
Gear linkage repair kits really transform the feel of the gearbox, and a weighted shifter from a MK3 is a nice 10 minute addition to get them gear changes feeling crisp. A common issue with a Mk2 gear box is usually a crunch when selecting second gear, so bear that in mind.
MK3's are often considered the b
d child of the Golf world but they are solid.. but if I am honest they don't have a patch on a Mk2. A well setup Mk2 will out handle the mk3 and bring more smiles per mile.
Overall bodywork wise so longs there hasn't been no crash damage and too much rust you can't go wrong. With the age of the cars your going to have to expect car park dings and scrapes here and there unless your paying about £6k (they do exist!).
Engine wise they are fairly bullet proof. As said above, the 8 valve digifant or Digipants as they are fondley nicknamed do have the Idle issue. The symptoms are the same for all cars but for some reason the cure is somewhat a grey area. For reasonable money you can squeeze 160/70 bhp out a PB block and this makes them a lot livlier. Modify the the brakes with the G60 setup and you will be pretty impressed.
Expensive items to replace are mainly bits of trim. The roof gutter rubbers and window rubbers are sickening when you see the prices. This isn't helped when people mass purchased the parts when VW announced they were going obsolete. G60 arches, which I was luckily enough to own on mine go for around £400 a set now!!
Gear linkage repair kits really transform the feel of the gearbox, and a weighted shifter from a MK3 is a nice 10 minute addition to get them gear changes feeling crisp. A common issue with a Mk2 gear box is usually a crunch when selecting second gear, so bear that in mind.
MK3's are often considered the b
d child of the Golf world but they are solid.. but if I am honest they don't have a patch on a Mk2. A well setup Mk2 will out handle the mk3 and bring more smiles per mile. I've owned plenty of both and would not touch another mk3.
Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
Sline said:
I've owned plenty of both and would not touch another mk3.
Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
Gorgeous car.. and as with the comments on Edition.. your mates sister isn't bad either hahaStrangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
Sline said:
Jabbasport G60 stage 3 was the only dissapointing drive I've had in one (perhaps I was expecting too much?). Vr6 conversion was lovely, a mk3 2.0 bottom end with lightened flywheel on a ported 16v head with standard cam, standard fuel pressure and advanced ignition timing is probably the best combination I've had in one. Had a couple of 2.0 16v's but that was the best.
Naughty cam on a 2.0 8v also works but you get the short gearing which is annoying on long motorway drives and it's not quite as 'strong' when you step on the throttle.
martin mrt said:
I'll add my opinions which are completely the opposite of the above poster,
The mk3 rust issues aside is IMO the best put together Golf there has been, very easy to work on and utterly reliable, my MK3 VR6 is still the most reliable long term car ive owned
They dont have speedo cables either they are all electronic
My MK2 However, utter heap of crap, never stayed in one bit longer than a few weeks and constantly needing bits fixed
Now this is an unusual view. The mk3 rust issues aside is IMO the best put together Golf there has been, very easy to work on and utterly reliable, my MK3 VR6 is still the most reliable long term car ive owned
They dont have speedo cables either they are all electronic
My MK2 However, utter heap of crap, never stayed in one bit longer than a few weeks and constantly needing bits fixed
Having owned many mk2s and a few friends having mk3s my summary of a mk3 is that it has a few more creature comforts eg it's possible to get Air con, there is far more sound deadening and the dash is more modern looking but beyond that there are no advantages of a mk3. The mk2 has a better chassis (yes i know that 99% of a mk3 is the same underneath but 150Kgs of weight doesnt help!) far more of a "raw" feel with high levels of driver involvement and even outside the VW community is a much more respected car than a mk3.
For a daily driver and for someone who is not mechanically minded and wouldn't attempt DIY mechanics then the best compromise of reliability/practicality and some fun is a mk3 with a 2.0 16v ABF engine as these have a reasonable amount of poke whilst being frugal simple engines and are often available for FAR less than a good condition mk2.
Best all round package though is the mk2 golf fitted with a later 2.0 16v or Vr6 running gear and engine management from a mk3 - there are quite a few of these conversions around and they give you best of both - old skool styling/dynamics with modern ECUs diagnostic ports, Electronic fuel management an reliability.
Parts wise a MASSIVE number of mk2/3 parts are available from GSF/ECP and the prices for common parts are largely the same.
Oh an 16v headgaskets are not a common fault and not hard to fix - £100 of parts inc head skim and a few hours work and use it as an excuse to buy a 2.0 bottom end !
dave
Lanxx said:
Which is the better car?
By better I mean reliability, fuel, parts, performance etc (the real everyday stuff)
Cheers
As no one else has asked - which engines and to do what with?By better I mean reliability, fuel, parts, performance etc (the real everyday stuff)
Cheers
IMO the MK2 looks better, but not as good as a MK1. The MK3 always seemed a bit of a let down when new, but in today's market maybe has a bit more going for it.
The MK3 will be newer, so 'might' be in better condition. But it's less of an enthusiasts cars, so might not have had any money spent on it in recent years.
And the question I always ask - why a hatch?? Is that what you truly need?
Sline said:
I've owned plenty of both and would not touch another mk3.
Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
truly stunning!Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
I've bought my first mk2 golf, a 16v gti with a bbs bodykit. it feels like a proper car to drive, heavy and responsive steering, great handling and noise to die for(with my exhaust anyway)
Sline said:
I've owned plenty of both and would not touch another mk3.
Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
You didn't happen to be in East Sussex last week did you? Strangly enough im selling my ep3 type r after buying my 14th mk2 golf last month. There really is something about them that gets under your skin!
I know you all hate "dubs" so i apologise in advance!
But heres my newest edition...
Diabolik said:
You didn't happen to be in East Sussex last week did you?
There's a chap that way called James who does a lot with them. I bought a car from him once. Great guy, real enthusiast and had an amazing mk1 vr6. To this day one of the most fun cars I've been in.might have been one of his creations
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