Mk 2 Golf GTi

Zonda999

Hey guys, what do ye think of this?



http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mk-2-golf-gti/5664504

I went to see this last night and I like it a lot. I've been looking for something interesting for my next car, not going to be doing hectic mileage so something like this is definitely a goer. I;m 23 so insurance isn;t a major problem. Question is, what is\ it actually worth?

Personaly I think 3k is a bit much, although I suspect he would take 2.5k for it. Problem, there aren't many cars like this out there so its value is hard to guess at

Any thoughts?

Alanstrainor

I have no input...but damn its a nice car!

schadenfreude8

you want to get the 16v ..dont go 8v.. Rust is a problem also

Anan1

I had a 16v back in the mid 90s and, while very forgiving, it just never felt that quick. I finally sold it after one two many break-ins involving a screwdriver through the door skin just under the handle. If I were going back down that road I think I'd sooner a 205GTI 1.9. Still, if it's not all about speed then that 8v does look well minded.

schadenfreude8

The noise and pull of the 16v is contagious. Driven a few 16v and owned one. All drive differently.

irish bloke

It's lovely looking alright. Think it's better as a 3 door only though.

Zonda999

Thanks for the feedback guys. I know its only an 8V but that doesn't really bother me. She felt plenty quick enough on the limited test drive I had. Plus I've heard that the 16V only comes into its stride when you trash it so in day to day driving, the 8V is as quick. That could be bo**ox though, I've never driven a 16V. After all, this car (when it was new) has 112bhp and it only weighs about 930kg ans those figures sound decent to me

I know its a 5 door as well but i actually prefer it that way. Its more likely you'd find an untouched(which this is) 5 door at this stage plus the added practicality is a plus. Remember this thing is only about the size of a supermini by modern standards

As for rust, I went to see with a friend who knows a lot more about Mk2's than I do and he could find effectively none. It was at night when we saw it tho, would have preferred during the day

Security is a worry alright in all honesty, not much you can do about that

I have to say as well, that it looked for real every bit as good as the pictures. Both the interior and exterior overall are in remarkable condition for the age

schadenfreude8

looks like a manual sunroof, but its a nice clean example, even the rear wiper has not been modified.:eek:

you can remap the 8v if needed. they are solid cars and not enough on the roads

ShadowHearth

Golf mk2 were cars for "public" from where I came. It was cheapest all arounder. Even if it is GTI I dont know why someone would one to drive one of these at 2013... It costs 3k too! :eek:
I understand the MK1 as a classic, but mk2?! I used to drive 1.8 8 valve one myself back in the day. The only reason I would drive one of those again, if I would drive it in to a skip.

George Dalton

I personally prefer the later 8v engines to the 16v. It is slower than the 16v (but remember that both 8v and 16v are slow by modern standards) but uses a much more modern engine management system to the old mechanical setup on the 16v, which makes it less temperamental and easier to fix when it does go wrong. It is also much more economical. I drove one every day for years (still have it in fact) and used to average 33mpg in mixed urban/motorway driving.

€3k is probably a bit on the high side for that car in the current climate but it does look like a good one so if it is as good as it looks then it is certainly worth €3k. Buying a cheap one for half the price could easily end up being more expensive in the long run.

Anan1

Zonda999 wrote: »

Security is a worry alright in all honesty, not much you can do about that

You could fit a good alarm, and there were strengthening plates available that fitted around the front door handles.

SEPT 23 1989

Make sure the heater is working 100% if not the matrix is going and thats a big job to sort out and make sure its alarmed to the teeth

as soon as this recession is over im buying another one of these:D

Wibbs

Zonda999 wrote: »

Security is a worry alright in all honesty, not much you can do about that

Actually there is a LOT you can do about that. As Anan1 said fit a good alarm properly fitted, throw in the door lock plates and even a hidden switch or two that cuts off a separate circuit to the alarm immobliser(fuel, ignition, starter*) so even if they get your keys they're going nowhere. Do that and the car will be pretty secure. Indeed with secondary kill switches it'll be more secure than a modern car as the majority of them are nicked by stealing the keys in a burglary.






*starter immoblisers are the least secure, though the commonest fitted, as all the scum need to do is silently roll it out of your driveway and push start the car.

SEPT 23 1989

If you cant afford all the security initially,take the coil lead out when she is parked up at night

Neilw

The more door cars are not the sought after ones but if you're happy with it there is a chance of getting a better car for slightly less money.

That's a UK car, I'd go over it from top to bottom looking for rust just in case.

I have one myself, a 3 door Irish Gti. It was an 8v but its now a 2.0 16v

apw99

I had a Mk2 for 9 years and it was the best car I have ever driven. I have had a Mk3 for the last 6 years and the Mk2 was a much better car in practically all respects. The Mk2 was an 8v with 112bhp, my current Mk3 is a 16v 150bhp. 0-60 times are EXCATLY the same, the Mk3 is way heavier and you need to rev the guts out of it to make it move. The Mk2 8v was a much more drivable car with proper torquey power curve, way lighter and handled really well, the mk3 is a small family car with a lump of an engine that waddles around corners.
Check the boot lid for rot near the spoiler, check under the doors and the sills. Check the oil for any white gunge and the water for same (indicating dodgy head-gasket). They are good for 250k miles if taken care of, it looks like a nice example. 3k would say it is MINT. I agree that the 2door is a much nicer looking car and holds a higher value. Check out the Golf GTi forum for advice from enthusiasts. Best of luck!

Zonda999

Anan1 wrote: »

You could fit a good alarm, and there were strengthening plates available that fitted around the front door handles.

It has the strengthening plates around the handles already to the best of my knowledge.

Wibbs wrote: »

Actually there is a LOT you can do about that. As Anan1 said fit a good alarm properly fitted, throw in the door lock plates and even a hidden switch or two that cuts off a separate circuit to the alarm immobliser(fuel, ignition, starter*) so even if they get your keys they're going nowhere. Do that and the car will be pretty secure. Indeed with secondary kill switches it'll be more secure than a modern car as the majority of them are nicked by stealing the keys in a burglary.






*starter immoblisers are the least secure, though the commonest fitted, as all the scum need to do is silently roll it out of your driveway and push start the car.

I know a fair bit can be done on the security side, I meant just more a car like this will always be sought after by thieves for some reason. Yeah good alarm is an absolute must. The switch circuit idea is well worth looking into as well.

Neilw wrote: »

The more door cars are not the sought after ones but if you're happy with it there is a chance of getting a better car for slightly less money.

That's a UK car, I'd go over it from top to bottom looking for rust just in case.

I have one myself, a 3 door Irish Gti. It was an 8v but its now a 2.0 16v

I definitely don't mind that this is a five door at all. I will be using this as my day to day car for a while so the extra doors will always come in useful. I really doubt there would have been that many five doors registered in Ireland originally. The three door is the better looking car but I don;t think theres much in it Its an import alright but rust doesn't look to be an issue with it. The paint has been touched up undoubtedly so thats probably why

George Dalton

You are better off with an import in my opinion, the Irish cars generally didn't have as good a spec as the UK cars. Most of them didn't have power steering, tinted glass, a sunroof or other bits and pieces such as speakers in the front doors.

Zonda999

Yeah, its a good spec for a car of its age, front electric windows, power steering and central locking and a trip computer are all there. I think its a "run out" spec which explains the spec

ytareh

8V WAAAAAAAAAAY better than 16V in my opinion .(Drove two 16Vs and owned a few 8Vs)16Vs are only worth the premium to mint cond collectors...Youd get close to 40MPG(certainly 38mpg) on motorway in 8V if gentle -ish

kodirl

I'd go for this- far better looking and rarer than a mk2 IMO. Good value too considering spec.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-corrado-16valve/5800214

daRobot

kodirl wrote: »

I'd go for this- far better looking and rarer than a mk2 IMO. Good value too considering spec.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-corrado-16valve/5800214

That is seriously nice. I'd choose that over a GTI all day long.

Zonda999

Thats a seriously nice Corrado lads but tbh, I don;t think you can compare the two. This is way more impractical than a 5dr Mk2 and insurance would be a far bigger hit on this than the Gti as Corrados are known for high insurance premiums. I'm only 23 after all!

As well, its a grand more expensive

kodirl

Zonda999 wrote: »

Thats a seriously nice Corrado lads but tbh, I don;t think you can compare the two. This is way more impractical than a 5dr Mk2 and insurance would be a far bigger hit on this than the Gti as Corrados are known for high insurance premiums. I'm only 23 after all!

As well, its a grand more expensive

It may be a grand more but it sure looks like it's worth a few grand more than the Golf. Premium for a VR6 Corrado would be more than the Golf but a 16v Corrado should be the same. I agree with you on practicality though!!

Zonda999

Well I bought her anyway lads, brought it back home tonight. I payed under asking in the end, not as low as I might have liked but I doubt there are many in the country in as good all round condition as the car. PM me if anyone wants to know what I actually paid.

I didn't get much of a chance to drive her on on the way home as the roads were a bit wet but she feels really well planted on the road. It isn't overly powerful by modern standards by any means but it is always willing on the road. Its useful power as well, seeing as its an 8V

beertons

We'll wear lad, that's a special car.

Wibbs

Nice one Zed. Very cool car.

Zonda999

Just thought I'd give an update on this, having been driving it since I bought her and clocking up 1500 miles

Its been great in fairness. I still love the looks of the thing and the way it goes around corners. Had a 40 mile journey on twisty regional roads there last weekend and it was great fun. Its also been better on juice than I was expecting, averaging about 37 mpg so far in about a 70/30 split between open road and urban driving. As well the electric windows and central locking are great bonus's on a car like this

On the more negative side of things, the clutch took a bit of getting used to after driving a relatively modern diesel for the last few years. There no f**king fuel light so telling how much you've left is pretty tricky, ran out of fuel a few weeks back, thankfully I was only a few miles from home at the time! . Other than that, there are no other really bad points, she's never failed to start or anything. A couple of minor problems is a noisy speedometer cable than makes an annoying vibration when you're getting up to speed. This is a fairly common issue on Mk2's though. Need to tackle that!

Supergurrier

Well wear.

If any felters ask you what its like on diesel, punch them across the back of the head