 SOT: Considering a MK2, 3 or 4 VW GTI for my new DD, Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly... |
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| Gint |
 Dec 15 2009, 04:57 PM
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Mike Ginter  Group: Admin Posts: 16,098 Joined: 26-December 02 From: Denver CO. Member No.: 20 Region Association: Rocky Mountains   |
I don't want to spend a fortune and I don't buy new cars anymore anyway. I like the fact that I can get into cars I've always liked without losing my shorts or spending a a ton of cash. I have a 914, a 4WD truck and a DD (the DD will be replaced with this car) so absolute dependability isn't the most important factor as I can deal with one car having a little down time.
I've been wanting to get an old water cooled VW again for quite awhile. While I'd prefer a MK1 Scirocco or GTI, they aren't exactly plentiful anymore. So I'm looking at the later GTIs. Of course a Scirocco wouldn't be out of the question either. But I can go as late as the early MK4's GTIs. I've heard different things about the reliability of these cars, but I respect most everyone's opinion here and know a lot of you guys have probably owned a few of these. So give me the run down on the different years and their strengths/weaknesses? |
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| rhcb914 |
Dec 15 2009, 08:20 PM
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member Group: Members Posts: 360 Joined: 3-February 04 From: Boston, MA Member No.: 1,626 |
I owned a 97 GTI VR6 Jazz Blue Drivers Edition that I had till 06. Overall I loved the car. Great power, descent handling and a tons of companies to supply performance parts at a reasonable price. I have had tons of watercooled VW's over the years. 84 Jetta GLI w/Audi 2.0L engine, 85 Scirocco, 84 Rabbit Cabriolet, 88 Fox. The GTI was by far the most refined of them all and the VR6 put the car in a different league. It was smooth as silk when it was running right.
The bad...From the day I got it small things would break. Exterior door moulding would never stay on. Coil packs I must have replaced them 10 times over the time I owned the car (luckily I bought the extended warranty and had a friend at the dealer). Ball joints, tie rod ends, a CV joint, motor mounts. Then at 100K the thermostat and waterpump needed to be replaced. Given the amount of things I had to replace you must think that I beat on the car...I really didn't. I actually beat on it less than the Jetta, Scirocco and Rabbit that I had at the same time. Those were my beaters, the GTI was my nice day weekend car. For a daily ride I would probably not recommend the car unless you have some pretty deep pockets to fix the ton of issues that will come up.  |
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Posts in this topic
Gint SOT: Considering a MK2, 3 or 4 VW GTI for my new DD Dec 15 2009, 04:57 PM
brant Mike,
which years are a mk4?
We've had 2 go... Dec 15 2009, 05:44 PM
Gint Mike,
which years are a mk4?
We've had 2 go... Dec 15 2009, 05:49 PM Downunderman I can thoroughly recommend a Mk 5 GTI if your budg... Dec 15 2009, 05:49 PM Gint I can thoroughly recommend a Mk 5 GTI if your budg... Dec 15 2009, 05:51 PM sixnotfour Then convert it to mid engine configuration;
chec... Dec 15 2009, 06:06 PM Gint Then convert it to mid engine configuration;
chec... Dec 15 2009, 06:23 PM Scott Schroeder Hi Mr Gint -
I had a MKI and a MkII Gti. I beat th... Dec 15 2009, 06:10 PM Gint Thanks Scotty! I had two MK2 Sciroccos and Co... Dec 15 2009, 06:21 PM Vacca Rabite There were SERIOUS quality control issues on the M... Dec 15 2009, 06:27 PM Gint There were SERIOUS quality control issues on the M... Dec 15 2009, 06:35 PM sendjonathanmail I had a '99 Jetta (MK3), great car. It was a 2... Dec 15 2009, 06:29 PM Gary Had an '86 Jetta - $6k out the door new. ... Dec 15 2009, 08:34 PM dlo914 Ever thought about a VW Corrado VR6? Love how they... Dec 15 2009, 08:52 PM Gint Ever thought about a VW Corrado VR6? Love how they... Dec 15 2009, 09:41 PM Gearhead1432 I've had MK IV VWs for a few years now. I put ... Dec 15 2009, 09:19 PM arvcube Mk1s,2s, and 3s are easy to work on. good cars if ... Dec 15 2009, 11:42 PM wayne1234 What are you guys doing to your cars :woohoo: just... Dec 16 2009, 01:12 AM dlo914 Oh okay. In that case, i'd settle for a nice M... Dec 16 2009, 01:15 AM Gint What are you guys doing to your cars :woohoo: just... Dec 16 2009, 07:19 AM Gint Dlo,
Appreciate it, but you don't have to sho... Dec 16 2009, 07:41 AM NS914
I don't want to spend a fortune and I don... Dec 16 2009, 09:54 AM jmill
I would look for a 1992 2.0 16v GTI
:agree:
... Dec 16 2009, 10:17 AM Justin Fischer
I would look for a 1992 2.0 16v GTI
Same here ... Dec 16 2009, 11:54 AM Gint I thought for sure Cap'n Krusty would weigh in... Dec 16 2009, 03:24 PM tod914 Hey Gint, I had a 77 Scirocco and 1990 Corrado. T... Dec 16 2009, 04:04 PM Ferg You know where I stand :D LOVED mine :headbange... Dec 16 2009, 04:31 PM Cap'n Krusty Here I am, late to the party. NOTHING like the Mk... Dec 16 2009, 05:59 PM 1970 Neun vierzehn A 2003 that has been problem-free since new, but t... Dec 16 2009, 06:28 PM r_towle Not sure of your budget but a mid 90's bmw 5 s... Dec 16 2009, 06:44 PM Maltese Falcon
A couple bucks more and get into a used low mile... Dec 16 2009, 08:15 PM tod914 Here's an old shot I dug up from the 1977? Ne... Dec 16 2009, 08:27 PM Cap'n Krusty 2.0 FSI motors are explosions just waiting to happ... Dec 16 2009, 08:47 PM Gint Mk1s vs MK2s being heavier cars are a fact of life... Dec 16 2009, 09:51 PM pete-stevers Mike here are a few of my thoughts
Steer clear of ... Dec 16 2009, 11:29 PM mbrown3039 I can't speak to the GTI, but I've had a ... Dec 17 2009, 12:00 AM al weidman Gint, I inheireted a 2001 Jetta from my father in ... Dec 17 2009, 12:48 AM dlo914 E30 325is' are pretty fun straight out of the ... Dec 17 2009, 03:54 AM Mark Henry Man, I better sell my '99 Passat fast...it has... Dec 17 2009, 06:15 AM johnnie5 Mike - I had an '86 Golf GL 4 door I bought in... Dec 17 2009, 01:10 PM Gint I bought this and drove it home from Salt Lake. S... Dec 19 2009, 01:37 AM P.Rocket Good choice! Mine works perfect for a daily co... Dec 19 2009, 03:00 AM P.Rocket [quote name='P.Rocket' post='1252684' date='Dec 19... Dec 19 2009, 02:02 PM ghuff You want a mk3 2.0 GTi and here is why:
1. A mk2 ... Dec 19 2009, 07:12 AM |
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