Sold the 88 944 NA today. Using $$ to fund /6 project for Racecar. .

I will have about $1500 left over from my project so......What do you guys know about VW Scirocco's? I have always liked the looks, but have never driven one. Found a 84 that looks interesting. I would use it to be just a around town car.

My brother-in-law had a 82 Scirocco in 1996, complete with factory squishy rear wing. I don't remember the engine size, but it was very peppy and dependable. Had the manual crank sunroof too.

I drove it a few times and had a lot of fun with it.

They can be fun. I have driven a few and they are a neat little car.

Emphasis on the "little"... At least, on the inside! I dated a girl who had a 914 and a 'Rocco. I hated riding in that thing, because I had to tilt my head sideways any time I sat in it! Needless to say, I always wanted to go in the 914, or in my car!

They're supposed to be pretty neat, but let's just say my appreciation for any good points it had was quite overwhelmed by the down-side.

--DD

They are neat cars. A friend of mine has a wikedly fast one. Like anything else of that age it does need work periodically.

I had a 84 that I bought new. I'm 6' and never felt cramped at all. I put about 120,000 miles on mine. The problems I had were all minor, but usually related to the fact my car had electric everything.

T.C.

My '81 'Rocco S was the coolest. kinda quick, reliable, very good looking.

Mine looked exactly like the one on Wiki.

Ive always been a big fan of the corrado.

It's kind of the next generadtion of the 'rocco. and you can get it with a vr6

A $1500 80's VW is gonna be another project car. Frankly I would put the money aside for future "Oh shits" and "while-yer-in-theres". But if you gotta buy another car, I would buy a BMW e30. Preferably a 325i 5 speed with the sport package. At least the interior won't rattle, and its rear wheel drive.

I've had two. Both 8 valve 1.8's. My last Scirocco was an 84 and cost me $1000 back around '94. I put $400 into it right from the start and then pretty much never spent another dime on it outside of oil changes and routine maintenance. If I found one laying around here local for $1000 I'd probably buy it. And if I could find a GenI that wasn't a rust bucket...

By 81 or earlier. That is the bettter body style. (my first car)

If you can find an S model, then you scored. They had a sunroof, and fancy striping.

The 16 valve engine was available after 86 1/2, but had more electrical issues.

I also had a VR6 Corrado. (no comparison)

Rocco's were cool. If you get one, get the 16 valve version. Otherwise, its going to seem totally anemic - cause it is. They were sporty FWD cars long before sporty FWD cars were popular, and can be made to handle very well.

But if it were my money, I'd get a corrado.

Zach

i had a 84 that served me well, it was a 1.8 8v i put many miles on it before seliing it
i should have popped a 2.0 under that head
my second was a 1.8 16v that was a much quicker car
but my corrado was a pos lots of electrical problems

That's because you had the VR6. My 1.8 G60 blown Corrado is still one of my all time favorite cars.

I also had an '81 S for a while. It was actually my brother's car when we were in high school, but he wasn't interested in cars, so I did all the work on it.

It was a really fun car. Very light and a real nice driving feel. Shifted well, seats and steering wheel were nice, I thought it had plenty of power for a fun, toss around car. Took a lot of abuse and was ultra reliable.

I love the looks of the '81 with the S pack.

I think it would be cool to have one in really nice condition, mostly stock, like the one on the Wiki. Probably hard to find these days:



Ours looked just like that one, except was a darker grey and didn't have those cool wheels.

I used to have an 86.5 16V. Black with cloth interior. I really liked that car and wish I didn't sell it. I still have a A2 Jetta 16v and its a daily driver.

The 16Vs came with all of the goodies; Good suspension, better brakes, bigger axles, recaro seats, good instruments, sunroof, etc.. They would give the early 944s a run for their money.

They are surprisingly practical with the hatchback too.

CV joints take a lot of beating, expect to replace them if they haven't been changed recently. Bad motor mounts will make it rumble, but its an easy fix.

Parts prices aren't cheap, as a lot of them are bosch.

They are very fun to drive.

Good luck.

My 85' Scirocco has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. I'm still driving it today after 16 years of daily use. I was bored afew years back and decided to upgrade the engine with a 2.0L shortblock from a 97' jetta (used my same head and CIS F.I.) Now it has tons of torque ang gets more than 35mpg on the highway. I also put a taller 5th gear in it soon after I bought it back in the day. Smart choice on the old Scirocco!

The early 81' and older have a major issue - you can't get body parts for them - or windshields or rubber gaskets etc.
All Scirocco's are A1 VWs so if you have driven an old GTI you have driven a Scirocco (the roof is a good 2 inches lower.) All of the mechanical parts are the same and all of these cars need a 2.0 shortblock, it makes a huge difference in perceived power. Stick with the 8valve engine, the 16v head design absolutely sucks (it was used in a text book as how not to design a cylinder head) and go fast parts cost a fortune. I still have my 2.0 16 engine from the track car with ported head, big cams and ultra rare euro intake manifold. For the money I spent on those parts I could have made a killer 8v that would smoke the 16V. If you get on don't install a front sway bar only a rear one.

Can you say rust, CIS and VW. Oh yeah the parts for the A1 cars are like gold. I have a couple of customers that are big into the VW stuff. One had a 81 with a G60 engine in it. It was slower than hell and always had a problem. No thanks. Suspension is crappy and the chassis is not very strong. Most of the ones I have seen are pretty tired.

Go for the early ones. Mine 1st was a new 1980 S , Recaros, special shifter, White with black molding, Faster than any others on the road and Mt Saint Helen was pushing a lot of them in the opposite direction.
Click to view attachment
$14,750 and I used my crashed 1974 Carrera for $9000 partial trade in. Kept Scirricolonger than ANY car I ever owned. I love the 914 BUT the 80 Sciricco was the best car I EVER owned.

As I expected some hate them, some love them. Keep in mind this is not a car I will race or anything. Just something to drive around town to help keep the miles off the gas pig Dodge Ram. The 914 (driver) is the sunny day only car now that I have the racecar also. I just like the looks of the Sciroco, never driven one and maybe once I do I won't like it, who knows. I plan to call the guy tomorrow to get more details and setup a time to check it out. Here is a pic of the car in question.

I had an 85 that looked a lot like that back in 88. It was an absolute blast to drive. Great handling, good acceleration and very responsive steering. I would not mind having one again.

i like em...i still have mine from the last 14years. it was one of my projects until i bought my 914...great car...

I had an '82 with a built GTI engine and close ratio gearbox. It was a nice modern car, I loved how well it was put together, nice factory Recaro made seats, good looking dash, and galv. body. Very practical, you can haul a lot of stuff under the hatchback (more than a 944 because it has a deeper floor).

I did not like the front wheel drive weight balance (I had nice Tokico shocks and Neuspeed swaybars and stressbars). They sit too high in the front stock and lose too much supension travel when lowered.

The worst thing about it was the seating position. I had to tilt the back of the seat back a lot, and then it was difficult to get good leverage on the (manual) steering. My shoulders tended to hurt after driving the car for a while. I'm 5-11 for reference.

For gas mileage, you will be happy if it is tuned to normal specs. About 34 miles per gallon. Thinking back to the years 1980 thru 1993. I thought the pedal response I felt was that of a good sports car but one in which my family could enjoy the thrill too. I am assuming it is a 5 speed. If so, the shifting is much more precise than a 914 so you might even get spoiled and want to drive it to 914 events. I would!!
Just like the 914. A fun car to drive but body is by Karman.
Good luck.

WOW!!

Hi Garold

I had an 85 Golf. A friend of mine had the Scirocco that was pretty nice car at the time. I loved my Golf. It was an 8 valve motor that started instantly no mater what the temperature was. I got rear ended and the car was a total loss. I picked up a 16 valve GTI and I hated it. There was no low end power. The motor was noisy. The transmission was geared lower. On highway speeds the motor RPM was really up there adding to the noise level. If you get one, I would stick to the 8 valve motor.

In 1975 I traded my '72 914 for a brand new Scirocco. I believe this was the first year for the model. It was a beautiful car; silver with plaid seats and the word Scirocco in tall thin letters on the side rocker panels. It was fun to drive and smooth as silk. I have often thought about finding another as a hobby car but recently obtained a '73 914 instead.

M

Which is worse? 914 or Sciricco fever? Saw this while cruising Internet?
I had to share as these are getting like the 914. Fewer and fewer.
http://boise.craigslist.org/pts/572300648.html

Hope this is on topic or I'll understand the

Had an '82 for six years. Well, I should say it was my wife's. It was a lot of fun & caused to problems (other than lousy motor mounts)during the time we owned it.

Sold it in '88 to a neighbor's daughter (because she was hot!) & my wife was really pissed at me, because she loved it. She settled down after I got her a new Audi 90. Sometimes, wish I still had it, though it was a bit crude.

It was red. Haven't had but one non-red car since 1970.

My first new car was an 88 Scirocco 16V, what a fun car it was.