pjw
Part of things
Posts: 209
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Feb 12, 2012 22:56:58 GMT
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Ive always, always wanted a mk2 Golf16v GTi. The last time i was on the hairy edge of buying one, i was talking to a friend of mine whose judgement i trusted, and he instilled doubt, which led me not to buy one.
What are they like as a daily driver? Are they shockingly bad at all?
I have been looking at a 16v 3dr.
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Diagonally parked in a parallel universe
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Hoppum
Part of things
Posts: 177
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Feb 12, 2012 23:07:30 GMT
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I daily drove my Mk2 valver for a year and a half and the only time it let me down was because of a dodgy new battery. They're not as bullet proof as people like to make out but if it's been looked after and you look after it as well, it'll look after you. They're a fantastic drive when they've been looked after.
Only way you're going to find out is to give one a go, just read the buyers guides and don't buy on the cheap.
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Last Edit: Feb 12, 2012 23:14:46 GMT by Hoppum
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pjw
Part of things
Posts: 209
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Feb 12, 2012 23:12:40 GMT
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Was it comfy to drive? Or horrible and rattly? how does the interior hold up?
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Diagonally parked in a parallel universe
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,926
Club RR Member Number: 174
Member is Online
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Feb 12, 2012 23:18:37 GMT
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Unless its been very well looked after its bound to have a few squeaks and rattles, after all the newest one will be 20 years old now. They're good cars, though I prefer the 8v engines.
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Hoppum
Part of things
Posts: 177
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Feb 12, 2012 23:26:58 GMT
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Added to my previous post.
It was plenty comfy enough in my opinion, it's not going to float like a Bentley, it is a sporting model after all but on it's standard shock and spring setup I was never uncomfortable. If you're after comfort avoid any that've been lowered on budget coilovers.
They can rattle to varying degrees, mine doesn't but friends does, again this can come down to the previous suspension choices, cheap coilovers equals lots of rattles.
Interior comes down to how well it's been looked after.
View and test drive before you buy, if it's in good condition when you buy it and you look after it it'll stay that way. Don't worry about missing out on one if you're not 100% sure on it, there's always new ones coming up for sale, even in the 'rare' colours. If you want the true experience, avoid any that have been lowered, there's a few about that have been setup correctly but most have just been 'slammed'.
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Feb 12, 2012 23:55:28 GMT
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Just my 2p's worth... I ran an oak green run-out model with a 2.0 16v conversion as a daily a couple of years back. I don't know if I was expecting too much from it, given the hype they get, but it always just left me a bit cold. It was fairly quick, handled ok (it was on lowered springs and standard shocks, which probably wasn't the best combo - still rolled an awful lot) and it did look lovely when clean, it just wasn't really the car I was expecting it to be. It had a solid front engine mount, which I wouldn't bother with for daily use as it used to vibrate and rattle at idle. The vast majority will crunch on the downchange into 2nd when the box was cold (this got progressively worse and was not nice in winter) and the box itself was a bit vague ( it had done about 150k though). Another mild cold weather irritation was the handbrake freezing on, leading to an immobile car when stuck on the ice in the carpark of my old flat :-) . Also, it did NOT like being left unused for any length of time in bad weather - no more than 3 days when it was cold/damp. If it was left over a week, it could take 5 mins of continuous cranking to get it going again (all HT leads etc seemed in good condition and I never looked into it further as I was getting rid). I'd just say have a good drive in one before buying. Depends what you're used to - the late ones have power steering, elec windows etc (mine even had aircon, but that's rare), so would be a nicer car to drive every day. Here's a pic:
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Last Edit: Feb 12, 2012 23:58:16 GMT by Twincam
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mk14dr
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 4,472
Club RR Member Number: 85
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I can only pretty much echo what has already been stated. Ive recently got back into Mk2 ownership (my first car was a 1600 Ryder) with a '91 8V GTI that I'm using daily. It is comfortable (it is on coilovers, but decent ones at pretty much standard ride height). Its pretty nippy, and yet decent of juice if you don't drive like you're hairs on fire all the time. The interiors will probably all rattle to a certain extent, (like Matt says, even the newest are 20years old) but its all reasonably well screwed together really. I think they make a good comprimise between fully 'retro' stuff and a modern daily. The only things that aren't as good as they could be are the brakes, I personally think they're underbraked, and it will be something I'm looking to upgrade shortly. If you get a late one they're pretty decently spec'd too. GSF/Eurocarparts don't stock as much for them as they used to, but the amount of specialists and breakers out there means almost everything is available. Go see and drive a few, theres LOADS out there, so you can afford to be methodical and find a car in the spec/colour that you want. Why do you fancy a 16v? Rarity? I found them to be abit peaky, like they need provoking to get them moving, then again, I think the redline comes too quick in my 8v So, I'm summary; Educate yourself, do some research but definitely do it. EDIT -- heres mine.
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Last Edit: Feb 13, 2012 0:20:26 GMT by mk14dr
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
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i also prefer the 8v to the 16v. the power delivery is more suited to a street driven daily driver. on an all out trackday car the 16v might win out, but the power delivery is very top-end only- i think it being described as 'require provoking' as described above is spot on. an 8v is less juicy, but can go as good as a 16v if driven right, and takes less skill to do so as the power delivery is over a wider, lower rev range. 8v is a tougher engine too, its rare for em to have problems.
i don't find them underbraked at all though, you sure your systems up to scratch? even running smaller than stock tyres ive never had trouble hauling up pretty damn quick in one. ive had crappy handbrake issues, but its nothing a caliper slider rebuild and some fresh cables with plenty of grease cant sort.
tbh, id prefer to buy a b3 passat, as its the same engine/suspension/braking/drivetrain package but with a slightly longer wheelbase which i think improves the handling greatly especially under hard cornering, a better built and scerwed together interior and no 'gti' insurance tag, but i can see why people prefer the looks/smaller packaging of the golf.
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mk14dr
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 4,472
Club RR Member Number: 85
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To be honest Dez, although the whole system was rebuilt last summer, including new cables and braided hoses (by the previous owner), I'm not convinced he used decent quality pads, or that he greased them up properly. The handbrake is pants and the brakes seem to fade in pretty short order, and they smell hot after a 'spirited' drive. A mild rebuild is the job #1 come some decent weather.
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test drive a 205 or 309 with a 2.0 16v lump
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I bought one to see what the fuss was, I kept my 205 GTI and sold the Golf GTI.
It was an able enough machine and more suited for daily use than the 205 was but lacked the inducing grin factor the 205 had.
Also another vote for the 8V here (I bought mine mainly on merit it was cheaper than the 16v but a friend of mine had the 16v I preferred how mine drove)
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Some days you just need to take a grinder to an inanimate object, just to make your day a tiny bit better!!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,256
Club RR Member Number: 170
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A friend of mine is a fanboy but generally honest about a car's pitfalls unlike some VW folk I know. He had owned 2 or 3 MKII Valvers and been a passenger of an 8V. He has also owned a few French GTis and now has a Renault Clio 172 as a daily driver and occasional track toy. In his opinion they handle best (on the road anyway) with good or refreshed stock suspension, giving a good compromise between handling and thrills. On cheapo coilovers the ride and handling were poor. On Gaz GHAs the car was superb especially when setup for the track, but herein came the problem. The car became a little too grippy on the road to the extent it left him feeling a little dull when he drove it on the road (he acquired another daily for this very reason so as to keep the car as a track toy). Braking, as has been stated he never had an issue with. He found good brake fluid combined with half decent track pads (M1144s or DS2500s) on a stock system gave him plenty of braking power to play with. Engine wise he reckons the Digitecs (Spelling?) are the systems to go with since they are meant to give less trouble than the K-Jetronic. In the past on a well setup K-Jetronic system (on a Volvo 740 and three XR3is) I have not really had an issue with them myself. Again like most have said, the 16v can be a little meh when not on cam, yet offer quite a few thrills when revved, with the 8v being the smooth operator (but with not quite as much top end as the 16v engines although the 2.0 conversions can give you the best of both worlds). Which power delivery you prefer is up to you. Interiors I have found last well with enthusiasts but not so well with boy racers. As with any car I would buy on condition and not mileage. Better off getting an enthusiast cared commuter car than something that has been thrashed everytime it has been driving out. test drive a 205 or 309 with a 2.0 16v lump Besides the fact that the rear end handling can take some getting used to (it does put a grin on your face however), the ELC quality interior in addition to their Airfix construction I would agree. Out of all the GTis I have owned (205, 306 and 106) the 306 was the best daily, the 106 was like a modern 205 (but with a curse word seating position) the 205 still delivers a smile on my face everytime I drive it . However, despite my affection of French GTis, I would still get the Golf in your shoes. It is clearly an itch that needs to be scratched .
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Last Edit: Feb 13, 2012 1:39:00 GMT by ChasR
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drove one mates 8v gti a few times. very early mk2 on an A!! plate.
and another mates valver.
wasnt impressed by either of them.
Bit MEH to be honest.
Same opinion i had of my own POLO G40. Alot of hype about them for nothing realy special.
I found they both felt alot bigger than they are, the valver had wider wheels but not scene wide.. and that tramlined like hell because of it...
TBF i drove a mk1 gti and found that to be an impressive little car.. to an extent it lived up to the hype. The mk2 seems to just be riding on the back of that mk1 fame.
Ive also never OWNED a golf due to my expieriences of those mk2's.
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craig1010cc
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,998
Club RR Member Number: 35
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I had a mk2 8v as my daily for 2 years and I loved it (one of the cars I most regret selling). It had 168k on the clock when I brought it, but felt like it had done a lot less. I lowered it on a set of matched shocks and springs, and combined with some eagal F1 tyres it used to stick like brown stuff to a blanket. A few (well 8) years before it I had a 1.6 205 GTi, and TBH I preferred the handling of teh golf (more predicatble). Plus I could get 40 MPG out of it on a run and I loved the low down grunt it had. I haven't driven a mk2 16v, but I did own a corrado 1.8 16v which was a nice car, but you had to rev it to get any were and I never got more than 30 MPG out of it. I would have another mk2 8v as a daily in a shot. Comfort wise, I drove mine from Bath to the lake district to crew for my mates rally Nova without any aches or pains (and with a Magnex stainless system on it too)
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Feb 13, 2012 10:10:59 GMT
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another vote for the 8v here. But if you can find a mk1 1600 4speed Gti, its even better. Mine is definitely on my list of ones i shouldn't have sold.
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Its not broken, its resting! Max signature image height: 80px
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EmDee
Club Retro Rides Member
Committer of Autrocities.
Posts: 5,932
Club RR Member Number: 108
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Feb 13, 2012 10:48:15 GMT
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I own a VW which presumably makes me a fanboi meaning I'm not allowed to give an opinion.
If I could give an opinion I'd say don't buy one because people will label you as a "dubber" or a "VW fanboi" and think you're a bellend.
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Feb 13, 2012 11:20:29 GMT
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I think they are ok, but i definately don't think they are all they're cracked up to be, more interesting/different cars out there for the same money
my brother had a mint 8v one and sold it on very quickly, very drab
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nofrills
Posted a lot
my wings are made of Steeeeeeeel!!!
Posts: 1,243
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Feb 13, 2012 11:43:54 GMT
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I had a 8v in 97 which was the nuts, i loved it, handled well on the 14" bbs wheels, it was lowered on shocks and springs, felt very sporty (i was 18 at the time was my second car) it loved to rev too
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Feb 13, 2012 11:44:12 GMT
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I had an 8v Mk II Jetta. It was thirsty but went well. Better in the corners than any Golf I've driven. Staid and solid interior. Mine didn't rattle at all. Not as quick as a 205 GTi, but not that much in it really. The only thing that let it down was gear selection. TBH I think it was probably down to worn engine mounts but you couldn't get first or second while doing a hard right-hander, nor 5th while going left (may have been the other way round). It would loose oil pressure when going some too due to it all sloshing to one side in the sump.
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,789
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Feb 13, 2012 12:55:06 GMT
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I had a MK1 GTi and it never failed to put a smile on my face, however, that wasn't a MK2! A mate of mine had a MK2 8v with over 280k on the clock. He drove it like he stole it everywhere he went. And when i say that, I mean he absolutely raped the curse word out of it! Changed the oil occasionally. Did Dukes of Hazard jumps over bridges. Everything! Damn thing just kept on going. He even bought it back a year after selling, but the tin worm claimed it in the end That car was the VW equivalent to the Top Gear Hilux!
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