Golf 1.6 SR 8v - Any good?

Sobanek

Well, from economical point of view, there's no point in getting myself a 525i (1080 tax, high insurance) so I thought about the MK4 Golf with a 1.6 8v engine. How are these in terms of reliability, and general use?
I don't expect it to be fast, but will it be ok on the motorway, or is the 1.9 TDI a better choice?
I know it copes with LPG quite well, so the plan would be to convert it cheaply.

Well, as long as it is cheap to run and I can save up more money for the 645ci, it's all fine and dandy

(Before judging, I would love to get the 525i, but for now, smaller car makes more sense. I could go with the E36 316i, but a BMW with this little power will be more of badge snobbery rather than a proper car).

unkel

That engine is very old, not very frugal and not very powerful (75bhp from memory). That said, it is very reliable and will be fine on motorways. You don't mention your mileage, but if it isn't high I would pick it over the 1.9TDI

May I ask why your choice of car is so specific? If you want to save money, keep an eye on the bangernomics thread. Ideal for finding in between cars that you own for a bit while saving for your dream car

Sobanek

unkel wrote: »

That engine is very old, not very frugal and not very powerful (75bhp from memory). That said, it is very reliable and will be fine on motorways. You don't mention your mileage, but if it isn't high I would pick it over the 1.9TDI

1.6 SR (101PS) - that's the MK4.

I know the 1.9 TDI would make more sense with my mileage, but the tax and insurance are higher, and also the cost of the car itself goes up.

I know what the Golf is like to drive, I know what the E39 is like to drive, I know what some other cars are like to drive. I don't really want to go all over the place

unkel

Ah you're right that generation was 100BHP. Sure that's ok, that car weighs barely over a tonne

My dad had the same engine (75BHP) in an early 90s Audi 80. He owned it 13 years from new, never any major mechanical problems

lomb

1.6 8v is a terrible non revvy engine that feels like it should power a truck more than a car. Trust me when I say the 1.4 16v vw engine is a better engine even with fewer hp due to the revvy nature of it.
People say its slow but it isnt if you keep your foot welded to the floor through the gears. It soon motors up to legal limits with a revvy tune.
Lower tax as well a better engine all round. Get a post 2003 version and youll be fine.

sean1141

Buy a tdi if you do any sort of high millage. I had a 1.4 16v seat leon and changed to a 1.9tdi and my running costs (including tax and insurance) were cheaper in the tdi which had twice the power of the petrol (75bhp v 150bhp).

Sobanek

Ok, after some calculations here are the yearly running costs (just from tax, insurance, cost of the car and fuel)

1999 Golf 1.6 SR
Total Cost (Petrol): €6,450.60
Total Cost (LPG - including conversion): €5,623.00

1999 Golf TDI (90hp)
Total Cost: €5,966.93

And just for a laugh:
2001 VW Polo 1.4
Total Cost (Petrol): €7,474.96

unkel

Sobanek wrote: »

1999 Golf 1.6 SR
Total Cost (Petrol): €6,450.60
Total Cost (LPG - including conversion): €5,623.00

And you would be making a lot of savings in year 2 as the LPG installation has already paid for itself in year 1

lomb wrote: »

Trust me when I say the 1.4 16v vw engine is a better engine

Do you mind if I don't trust you on that one?

That lump is the worst VAG lump in recent decades...

Leonard Hofstadter

The 1.4 is unreliable and has a gearbox made of chocolate. The 1.6 is very reliable but also shares the same chocolate gearbox with the 1.4.

Bobo78

lomb wrote: »

1.6 8v is a terrible non revvy engine that feels like it should power a truck more than a car. Trust me when I say the 1.4 16v vw engine is a better engine even with fewer hp due to the revvy nature of it.
People say its slow but it isnt if you keep your foot welded to the floor through the gears. It soon motors up to legal limits with a revvy tune.
Lower tax as well a better engine all round. Get a post 2003 version and youll be fine.

I would disagree with that statement. I had that engine in my VW Passat b5.5 and found it to be quite rev happy and even thou most people say it's underpowered engine in the size of car such as Passat I still found it to be more than decent enough and it can easily cruise and accelerate quickly at above 120 kph on the motorway.

Sobanek

unkel wrote: »

And you would be making a lot of savings in year 2 as the LPG installation has already paid for itself in year 1

€1,676 to be exact. (That's almost year's tax for the 645ci!)

unkel

Sobanek wrote: »

I can save up more money for the 645ci

My neighbour just drove one home. He offered me a spin in it but I wouldn't be insured

Lovely car though and incredible value for money they are. The N62 sounds good and revs nice :cool:

Go for it (in a few years time)!!!

I've had BMWs with the M60 and M62 V8s. Glorious engines!

MuppetCheck

That engine is reliable enough, timing belt change and MAF spring to mind. The gearbox can cause issues too, bearings tend to go and looking at around a grand to put right.

George Dalton

That 1.6 is no better than the 1.4 in my experience. They are just as prone to oil burning and failing the NCT on emissions as the 1.4. Even apart from that issue they are more troublesome than the 1.4, they are hard on petrol and they are not a nice engine in terms of sound or power delivery either. Overall they have very little going for them IMO.

Leonard Hofstadter

George Dalton wrote: »

That 1.6 is no better than the 1.4 in my experience. They are just as prone to oil burning and failing the NCT on emissions as the 1.4. Even apart from that issue they are more troublesome than the 1.4, they are hard on petrol and they are not a nice engine in terms of sound or power delivery either. Overall they have very little going for them IMO.

Interesting, I always thought the 8v 1.6 was fine from a reliability perspective, but the 16v 1.6 was the one to avoid. The 1.6 16v and 1.4 16v are the same engine apart from the engine capacity, so the 16v 1.6 will have all the problems of the 1.4 for sure.

unkel

George Dalton wrote: »

That 1.6 is no better than the 1.4 in my experience. They are just as prone to oil burning and failing the NCT on emissions as the 1.4.

Are you sure George? We are talking about the ancient 8V 1.6 as used by VAG for decades (still used in the Audi A4 in the mid 00s)

George Dalton

unkel wrote: »

Are you sure George? We are talking about the ancient 8V 1.6 as used by VAG for decades

People think it is the same 1.6 they always used but it isn't. It uses an aluminium block rather than the old cast iron lump. I can tell you for certain that they are an absolute disaster for burning oil and consequent emissions problems. If I had the choice between 1.4 16v and 1.6 8v I would take my chances with the 1.4 every time. They have the dubious advantage of being easier to strip down and rebuild than the 1.6

Tea 1000

unkel wrote: »

That lump is the worst VAG lump in recent decades...

I don't agree, the 8v 1.4 is worse than the 16v one!!
The 1.6 is a remarkable engine in that VW managed to make a petrol with all the characteristics of a diesel in terms of coarseness and crap power delivery, but none of the benefits in terms of low down torque and good mpg!
It's a fine example of how the biggest car company in the world with so many loyal fans can not only dupe them by selling so many in the Golf, but actually do the same in their "premium" band Audi!

Sobanek

Fiesta turned out to be very cheap to run, so I'm going with that.

eddykyusa

I have a 2002 vw golf mk4 1.6 SR it has an AVU engine code. It is an 8 Valve engine, pretty responsive and fast, I use super4 plugs, I clean the throttle (has an electric controlled throttle) and MAF sensor frequently, even a dirty fuel filter cuts power down in these cars, gearboxes(duu) are great the problem is with ATF people put in them that kills the box, it is recommended Dexron 3, but even Dexron 6 is ok, and remember to change ATF filter in the gearbox when doing oil change, it helps and you will feel the power this engine is putting to ground. This engine pulls really hard between gears, and mine can attain speeds of upto 220 Km/h. I drive 650 km on full tank and left with a qurter on arrival....

spiggotpaddy

eddykyusa wrote: »

I have a 2002 vw golf mk4 1.6 SR it has an AVU engine code. It is an 8 Valve engine, pretty responsive and fast, I use super4 plugs, I clean the throttle (has an electric controlled throttle) and MAF sensor frequently, even a dirty fuel filter cuts power down in these cars, gearboxes(duu) are great the problem is with ATF people put in them that kills the box, it is recommended Dexron 3, but even Dexron 6 is ok, and remember to change ATF filter in the gearbox when doing oil change, it helps and you will feel the power this engine is putting to ground. This engine pulls really hard between gears, and mine can attain speeds of upto 220 Km/h. I drive 650 km on full tank and left with a qurter on arrival....

The DUU box is manual. So what the ATF are you talking about.

eddykyusa

I have a 2002 vw golf mk4 1.6 SR it has an AVU engine code. It is an 8 Valve engine, pretty responsive and fast, I use super4 plugs, I clean the throttle (has an electric controlled throttle) and MAF sensor frequently, even a dirty fuel filter cuts power down in these cars, gearboxes(duu) are great the problem is with ATF people put in them that kills the box, it is recommended Dexron 3, but even Dexron 6 is ok, and remember to change ATF filter in the gearbox when doing oil change, it helps and you will feel the power this engine is putting to ground. This engine pulls really hard between gears, and mine can attain speeds of upto 220 Km/h. I drive 650 km on full tank and left with a qurter on arrival....

eddykyusa

ATF is automatic transmission fluid

spiggotpaddy

eddykyusa wrote: »

ATF is automatic transmission fluid

And the box is manual

eddykyusa

The box in my car is an automatic, don't have experience with manuals, have acouple of friends who have damaged the box due to using inappropiate oils, but good news u can get box from 2.0 mk4 coz it is the same unit...

eddykyusa

Am considering mk5 R32 from this car....