SOT: Considering a MK2, 3 or 4 VW GTI for my new DD, Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly... Options

[Gint]

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?

[tod914]

Hey Gint, I had a 77 Scirocco and 1990 Corrado. The Scirocco I had when I was stationed in Alabama. The car was fine on short trips, but anything more than a couple hours it would vapor lock. Definetly gets abit warmer down there than up by you. Pump was replaced and the issue started again. Relay issue maybe? Was a pia to get back to NJ irregardless. Other issues were the fuze box. Water would seep in from the cowl area and cause some minor electrical issues. At least on mine. The wipers would go on if I hit a bump. Other than those issues, the car was easy to maintian and was alot of fun to drive. The hatchback with the fold down seats always came in handy. Prefered the G60 over it, but was a fun car overall. Alfa GTV6 looks alot like one (same designer).. another car I also wanted to own. Keep up on the timing belts on it, and should be a fun car too.