Golf GTi 2.0

[Honoop]

Looking to get me a new car.... going back in time as Im wanting to buy something that is mine. Idea is to be cheap to run, which I know this isnt going to be, but I cant bring myself to get something boring!
So - Ive found 3 all at the same garage.... your opinions will be greatly appreciated:


VOLKSWAGEN Golf 2.0 GTi , 5 Doors, Manual 5 speed, Hatchback, 1997 P Reg , 90,000 miles, Metallic dark blue met, 3 Owners. .call for details please, 15" light alloy wheels, Adjustable Seat Height, airbag double, Body Coloured Bumpers, central doorlocks with remote control, Ewindows x4, excellent all round, F.S.H, new mot and serv included, power steering, ABS, Computer, Electric mirrors, Electric sunroof. £2,995


VOLKSWAGEN Golf 2.0 GTi , 5 Doors, Manual 5 speed, Hatchback, 1997 P Reg , 101,000 miles, dragon green, 2 Owners. cat 1 alarm, you will not find better, 15" light alloy wheels, 3 months warranty inc., Adjustable Seat Height, airbag double, Body Coloured Bumpers, central doorlocks with remote control, credit cards accepted, Ewindows x4, excellent all round, F.S.H, Front Fog Lights, new mot and serv included, power steering, ABS, Computer, Electric mirrors, Electric sunroof. £2,795


VOLKSWAGEN Golf 2.0 GTi 16V , 5 Doors, Manual 5 speed, 1995 M Reg , 90,000 miles, satin red met, 4 Owners. 15" light alloy wheels, 3 months warranty inc., Adjustable Seat Height, Air Bag, Body Coloured Bumpers, Central Door Locking, credit cards accepted, Electric Slide/Tilt Steel Sunroof, excellent all round, new mot and serv included, Electric mirrors. cat 1 total closure alarm £2,795

Also - what kinda things do I need to be looking out for? Any idea when cam belt should be changed?

Thanks guys....

[Rave]

From what I've heard the Mk3 GTi is boring. Too little power in a body that's too heavy and badly suspended. Take a test drive and compare it to something like a 306 GTi is my advice.

[javalord]

Have you considered a tdi of some form? My Fiat deal with my aunt fell through so I ended up getting a 306 dturbo P/97 model for £1100 with 140K on the clock, from a garage.

Full MOT, full service. Handling is superb , its very close to Ford Focus standards and for some reason its doing 0-60 in 8.5s with 3 people in the car! Allard turbo sport thinks its due to loose engine thanks to mileage.

Motorway, I get 50MPG easily at roughly 75MPH~, city easily 30 even with a bit of turbo usage. Mine even came with alloys and a sunroof.

Make sure you do find one with Service History. It appears you can have your cake and eat it thou

[5lab]

i would check the service history, if one isnt complete don't get it. then go on colour/extras you want

[Honoop]

Hmm see this is the trouble Im having... I need to get myself a new car - well not NEW but different coz I cant afford my current car.
Got no idea what to get - absolutely LOVE Golfs, but am determined not to end up with an Astra/Escort/Corsa etc - not that there is anything wrong with em... I just need to find something I will be happy with else I'll be wanting ANOTHER new one before you know it!!
Will have to go out on Saturday on a test-drive fest Im thinking....

Can do without it all at the moment tho tbh - but hey ho! It will be fun.... but I should be studying!!

[Zak33]

Golf GTI 8v is sloppy, dull, slow and fat

Go find ANYTHING else....please

[[GSV]Trig]

Get the green one if ur going for one of them Dolfs....

[Russ]

rallye!!

[Skii]

TOYOTA Celica 2.0 GT, P reg.
AUTOMATIC, Lift Back, low mileage, air con, alloy wheels, r/alarm, all electrics etc, superb condition, new MoT. £2,850.



Ok - not very cheap to run...

[Butuz]

Isnt that particularl model of golf GTi generally thought of as being the most boaring and slow golf GTi ever to wear the badge?

Steer cleer IMHO. If you want fun fun fun, but with cheap running costs, then get a Mazda MX-5. Not sure if you'll pick a good one up for under 3 grand tho..

Butuz

[Nox]

Isnt that particularl model of golf GTi generally thought of as being the most boaring and slow golf GTi ever to wear the badge?

think the 8v was but still more pokey than the non gti's.

Are the top two 16v? They aren't advertised as such, so am guessing they aren't, in which case you only have one choice...

Things to look out for, rust/bubbling. They don't rust, so anything in a non 'predictable' place is a big problem. (predictable meaning by a deep scratch or caused by stone chip) We went looking at golfs 6mths ago for my other half, one had bad patches in really wierd places over the body - avoid. They had a bad batch or two apparently...

sills, below the door in the middle, go for a past time, check round this area, that said, they aren't that expensive to sort!

few other things, check some gti sites for info here.

otherwise check for the regular things. I don't know why cam belts are such a big issue with people, yes they need replacing, but its not exactly an expensive/difficult job!!! A good history of bills/servicing etc is a fine place to start checking over a car, or speak with the AA for £40 or however much it is these days.

The 8v isn't a fast engine for that car, however it's 0-60 time is almost the same as the 16v (they are both classed as gti's) but its the overtaking speed & 60+ mph you want to look at, it has no power above x rpm. The 16v delivers the power much better through the whole range, meaning you won't find yourself in the wrong gear as much. Also the engine... pop the bonnet, the 8v is erm, tiny, the 16v looks much more substancial!!

why a golf? they are great. It may not be the best mrk in a lot of peoples minds, but it will be reliable, not turn into a lump of rust in 5 years, (unless its allready one) and hold its value.

I drive my wifes golf quite a lot, and love it. The 16v performance is very good, much better than the 8v (which should never have worn the gti badge) Its comfortable, and you feel safe. I certainly think its fun driving it

Best thing to do is take two out for a test drive, and a few other random ones, the one we bought felt a lot more responsive than the others.

Nox

[Fox]

Awful cars in my opinion, sorry. Hugely over-rated.

The 2.0 8v is just pathetic. It develops a woeful 114bhp - this engine doesn't even deserve to be in any car, let alone a car badged as GTi - most manufacturers have 1600cc engines with a better power output.

Then you've got the prices. It's a Golf, so people pay absolutely barking made money for them. I mean you've got one there, an M reg Golf 2.0 for £2800! Nearly 3 grand for a 10 year old Golf! Thats madness - I paid less than that for my fully loaded (leather/AC/cruise/computer) 4 year old car over a year ago.

They hold onto their value, which is good when spending £10k. But you are not spending £10k you are spending less than £3k. This is where you want BAD residuals - becuase cars with good residuals for not much money tend to be ancient, as the example above prooves. It's a sub £3k car, its got bugger all money left to loose anyway so depreciation doesnt matter.

The worse the depreciation, the better. Owning a £23,000 car and paying less than £3k for it is far better than owning a £10k car and paying the same becuase it has 'solid residuals'. Residuals matter when you spend a fortune, not when you buy a cheap car.

Want a hot hatch? Buy a proper one. Get a lovely 306 GTi-6, or perhaps a newer Xsara VTS etc.

[5lab]

114bhp is shocking.. a 360 glt from 1983 (which was never, ever considered a sporty car, just a nippy version of a family car, warm hatch-ish) managed more than that (115bhp lol) from a 2l block, and another volvo from the same era (1987 i believe) managed 200bhp from a 2l block (16v head and a turbo) at stock! quite how they can get away with calling a heavier car (which the golf surely is) with a less powerful engine sporty, i'll never know.

this is gonna cause some controversy, but how about a 3-series? i dont like em myself but for a car that size they handle really really well. failing that, you'll get an oldish scooby for that money

[Nox]

yep, thats the 8v... the 16v is higher, think its around 130-140.

Nox

[Firelord]

1400cc 16v K-Series engine - 105BHP
1600cc 16v K-Series engine - 110BHP
1800cc 16v K-Series engine - 118BHP

I have a rover 214Si 16v that develops 105BHP and thats a pretty quick car as it doesn't weigh much (BMW 318 compact drivers get a surprise ) and I can't imagine a car calling itself a GTi with not much power than that but weighs about a third more! Pitiful!

How about a Saxo VTR/VTS?

[schrickvr6]

I'd echo Nox's sentiments and say go for a 16v although those forecourt prices are a bit steep, a mechanic friend of mine sold his P reg 16v £1800 the other day, it had 120k on the clock but was maintined regardless....Have you considered a corrado 2.0 16v?

8v golf's are dog slow but then so was the mk2 8v, the standard spring/damper setting is a bit soft on all mk3's (especially the vr6) and handling wise they benefit massively from some uprated shocks and springs.

Nearly all mk3 tailgates apart from the very last ones rust around the bottom of the glass so don't be too worried if it has a few scabs on it, tailgates are cheap on ebay and from breakers. Also look out for jacking damage particularly on the front of the sills, i've seen alot of damage from retarded mechanics using a trolley jacks or ramps in the wrong place. While you're under the car check the rear beam bushes as these wear around 80k and are quite expensive to replace, if they are worn they will be obviously split or cracking which will result in side-to-side movement of the rear beam and very nervous handling. Peel back any rubber seals and roof gutter strips to check for overspray, if it's had work done be very careful. Armour door plates are also used to hide damage caused by theiving scumbags' screwdrivers

Inside just make sure all the electrics work, make sure all the functions on the MFA work as they should, check all windows and sunroof as the wiring can become brittle and break in the rubber boots that feed the wires to the doors.

Any questions just give me a shout as i've had just a few golfs

And Fox you really don't like golfs do you? I suppose that will happen if you drive a grandpa/repmobile for too long.....it's only a matter of time untill the flat cap and pipe get you