Hi All, Right VR6 isn't possible to buy, so now im looking at a 1996 N reg Dusty Mauve 3 door Golf GTI 16v!! It sounds a minter, and the only faults on it are as follows: OSF headlamp is cracked behind the headlamp covers which are fitted Very very small rust bubble on the drivers door just underneath the mirror There is a rust spot on the nearside sill Recaro interior is fitted too. (non leather) I owned a mk2 16v 1.8 previously and i know this engine is almost the same just a 2.0. What things are best to look for? blue smoke on start up and noisy tappets? any buying guides for the 16v's? I know tilt and slide sunroof and electric windows need to be well checked... any more help appreciated! Love dusty mauve as a colour, is it rare? Rich
sounds like a nice buy that!! colour isn't very common at all and I really like it - never seen a 16v 3 door one tbh........ The ABF engine is pretty bulletproof really, should pull strongly in all gears - over 60 in second and mine shows 99 in 3rd!!!! check the MFA see what mpg you are getting on a test run, matt82 says it's a good indication of how good the engine is running..... electric windows etc are temperamental so worth giving them a good go check they work ALL the time..... all in all they are a great all round car, although not as fun as a mk2 16v in all honesty...
hmmm interesting... cheers guys for the replies so far.. very very useful... all electric apparantly work which is great, and its suppose to be in tip top condition... asking about 1.8k for it...so its a fair bit of money and its really at the very top of our budget (if not more) can't really afford a decent vr6 (wanted a highline) Rich
check the gears can be selected smoothly. mine was mint, but the box was shagged. so was evrything else actually. looked nice but pretty poor car tbh. I could think of better ways to spend 1.8k but good luck, just really check things work properly.
the 16v box should be super smooth, one of the nicest bits of a mk3, if your spending that much just doudly make sure it is a cracker and you will get your money back on it... If I was buying a mk3 16v I would want to spend at least 1500 - the one's nearer a grand are mainly tatty or need stuff doing to them.... 16v is better than a VR6 anyway!!!!!
I don't think 1800 is all that bad if it's in good condition with a good service history...but by that I mean all belts done and a while to go till you need to do them again/shocks replaced/rear brakes done as this is an expensive job (300) as needs wheel bearings done at same time. I bought mine 2 1/2 years ago for 3100 as was immaculate, has a factory fitted Votex kit and a nice AmD remap. I have since then had to do shocks/belts/dizzy/water pump but I get 38-40mpg at 70-80 motorway and get 300-320 miles per tank with lots of fun driving and is as quick as a VR6 due to less weight and 180bhp/175ftlbs Also rarer colours rock (mines Black majic Pearl )
whip the plugs out when you go to see it. if there is a problem with the car, it goes to safe mode and then runs super rich. when they are super rich the plugs go black. when running right the plugs are the usual coffee brown colour vagcom would be a great help too rust is common above the wingscreen and the door sills if you get a later 96 car, you get 288 brakes MAKE SURE THE ABS AND AIRBAG LIGHTS LIGHT UP PROPERLY!!
Ditto lol Wish I'd checked that on mine... 1.8k sounds good for such a clean car IMO (I hope it really is that good!). Paid a similar amount for mine (Full VW history, spotless bodywork and interior, etc. Most common colour of all though; Flash red lol) and the colour on the one you're looking at is feckin' lovely too. Don't think - Just buy! lol
yeah its got full service history, every MOT, and a few recipts etc.. i reckon its worth the cash but just gotta do the viewing probably next weekend!!!! got a nice recaro interior too!!!! @_ i l;ove dusty mauve!!!!! Will check for other rust and stuff.... does it come with any other toys? it has a full audi closure alarm and immo that i presume is cat 1? ive got vag.com and wil do that...where is the plug for it? Didn't know you could map them? what do they map too? Rich
im just thinking, if i upgrade my seat FR+ to 312mm brakes, i would be able to use my 288mm ones.. how do you upgrade to 288 from 280? just a disk change or need carriers too like the seat ive got?
oh yeah and how easy is it to do the mk4 light conversion on the front? can you buy its? prefer the lights to the mk3 ones...and if have a cracked lens be a good time to change Rich
mk4 lights look ghey to the max, they look too modern (and ****) for the mk3 as for vagcom port, it is behind a cover thats to the left of the ashtray. ashtray comes out, the cover slides to the right. 280 will go to 288 but you have to add new carriers and new banjo things for the fluid lines
What is this VAG.COM you speak of...? It sounds useful lol Everyone's talking about it and I'm ashamed to say I've no idea what it is or does... *hangs head in shame* Oh, and I believe the mk4 style lights are ready to fit and share the same connectors as standard mk3 lights. Only issue I foresee is indicator wiring? Thing is, they only look right when flashies and foggies are removed from front bumper (IMO)
ahhh right! cheers dude... whats the best mods then.. induction kit (100?) full s/s exhaust (300?) upgrade brakes (ghardly seems worth going to 288 really) - presuming a early N reg will have 280... remap??? never knew you could do it! Any thing else worth doing? Rich
vag.com is basically a handy computer program and cable you plug in to the diagnostics port of almost any VAG car to get error codes on the engine and stuff like that.. search on google and ye shall find
depends on what you want the outcome to be. induction kit is pretty much a waste of money, and if its an open cone in the engine bay will lose power too. mod the current airbox, that works great i beleive the decat is worth while (by the seat of pants dyno) but essthree actually dynod it and it gained nothing, apparently. 280 brakes work fine, the car isnt fast enough/heavy enough to need any bigger for road use.
few mk2 lovers would say otherwise!!!! lol if it looks as good as it sounds, has all the old history etc and you VAC COM it and it reads no fault codes then go for it!!! stil beat them down to 1600 though wouldn't bother with induction kit as is said above, full stainless is always good idea, you can re-map them but better to do it after all the mods planned... also I would buy the car and run it for a while before you add anything, just incase you have a few initial problems that you don't want complicated by engine mods etc...
