hello,

basically i'm looking for a cheap car to have some fun with and hopefully some track time.

i've been looking at the mk3 polo gt and the mk2 golf gti (probably 8v) but am finding it hard to find any info about either.

i was hoping you lads (and lasses) would be able to give me some info about the polo.

what i really want to know is, how good are they for track?

are they easily tuneable? engine and suspension

what is the handling like as standard? if poor is there any farily cheap solutions?

what is the standard bhp and 0-60 time for the GT?

whats the cheapest way to get some more power (if needed)?

aslo if anyone has experienced both the golf and polo, which would you reccommend?

any info on the golf would also be helpful if anyone knows about them?

thanks in advance

curran

i'd say GT over the Golf, Golf is heavier, although if you get a valver that'll make up for it

i had a GT and it was fun to drive, and with some choice parts you can get them to handle really well (ARBs, Subframes, H&R kit), and for economy awell a GT is the way to go, i abused mine and still got 30mpg. Short ratio gearbox makes them good for acceleration, and engine wise they're very easy to tune, new cams, chip, 4 branch, decat pipe, Induction kit and you'll be looking at near 100bhp ish, stripped out they're pretty light so all in all a fun package

sounds good. i thought the polo would be considerably lighter but at the moment i dont know much (if anything) about the engine.

what bhp are they as standard?

also any idea of a realistic weight for a TOTALLY stripped polo. i.e. drivers seat and not much else.

also is there any websites that are good for mk3 polo spare/performance parts to i can price some bits up.

I've had both a GT and 2 8v mk2 gti's.

GT = 75bhp

MK2 8V GTI = 112BHP

The golf gti is much faster, theres no contest. Its heavier though so if you haven't got power steering then get some

arm muscles! The GT is fine really on steering, none had PAS but its light enough. For the track i doubt it matters.

whats the handling like on the golf compaired to the polo?

so really the best bet would be the 16v golf, but if not then the 8v golf is faster than the polo.

i dont really want to spend too much so the 16v may be out of my budget.

I guess it depends what you want. To be brutally honest,you will have to spend a few hundred quid minumum just to get a GT to keep up with a Golf Gti round a track or on the road. That same few hundred quid could be spent making a golf go even quicker and handle even better. However, a polo will probably be cheaper to run and insure.

You can just about get a polo GT to tickle the 95/100bhp mark with some bolt on mods, any more power than that and you are looking at bike carbs or throttle bodies, or scrapping that plan and buying a G40. i think mk3 polo weighs 840kg as standard, i think you can lose around 100kg or so if youre lucky by making everything lightweight, polycarb windows and all that shit.

If i could afford to insure a golf Gti i would. Better chassis, more power, more parts available and generally cheaper than polo equivalent, same retro-style looks, etc etc etc... But i can't, so instead i drive my polo, and end up pouring enough money into it that id be better off with a golf instead!!

theres a lot of 16v about and cheap ones to you have to get them above 3500 rpm for them to go well I've built some engines upto 160 bhp and yep they fly I've done a mk3 16v with 185 bhp

and had a feature 8v with 150 bhp some years ago "preformance vw "

but i have a 1400 16v 6n now that goes like stink and is great fun to drive

thanks for your honest opinion.

insurance isnt a problem. i have a mk4 golf 1.8T as my daily driver. this will just be for some fun over the summer. a car that i can abuse as the mk4 will be more of a show car when finished.

i'll keep a look out to see how much the 16v'ers go for but i think they will be a bit too much. otherwise its looking like i'll go for the 8v if its better than the polo GT.

i would love a G40 but they're too expensive for now.

Edited 1 April, 200818 yr by Curran

Theres always a huge debate on 8v VS 16v gti's and the concensus is that the 8v is pretty similar to the 16v up until about 90mph. I did hear that the 8v has a little bit more torque and IMO better gear ratios!

As a track car i would say the 8v would be better than a 16v anyway.

happy shopping

Theres always a huge debate on 8v VS 16v gti's and the concensus is that the 8v is pretty similar to the 16v up until about 90mph. I did hear that the 8v has a little bit more torque and IMO better gear ratios!

As a track car i would say the 8v would be better than a 16v anyway.

thanks for that, i just assumed the 16v would be far better as they usually are.

happy shopping

thanks very much everyone, you've been very helpful!

anyone know of any good mk2 golf forum? so i can do some more research.

Yeah theres clubgti and Edition 38, they should keep you busy for a while!

Just one thing....dont ask which is better, 8v or 16v hahaha They go mad. Do a search and you'll find loads of info and....debate.

Yeah theres clubgti and Edition 38, they should keep you busy for a while!

Just one thing....dont ask which is better, 8v or 16v hahaha They go mad. Do a search and you'll find loads of info and....debate.

i'll keep that in mind lol

i'm already on edition38 but the guys on there seem to be more into their styling rather than performance.

i'll have a look on club gti.

thanks again Dublass

Edited 1 April, 200818 yr by Curran

i would seem biased but as someone who was about to sell my car, id say check GTs out coz i fell back in love with mine when i got i got all its gremlins sorted

nothin better than tannin someone in a 1.6 astra etc and then pullin up vand sayin what engine u got hahahahaa 1.3 powaaaaa

i've owned both gt and gti, if you want a little run around thats nippy and fun to drive then get a polo gt, if you want some thing thats competitive then get the golf gti.

if you want to get the polo to handle any where like the golf does as standard then you'll be spending around the £1000 mark (sub frame, coil overs ect ect), to get one to stop like a standard gti you'd have to upgrade the breaks (even upgrading to G40 stuff wouldn't compare tbh), the lack of power is helped by the less weight the polo carry's and although its only a 1.3 they do pull very well, but not as well as the golf so you'd end up having to spend there as well, and that would be just to bring the polo into line with a standard golf gti. money that could be spent making the golf even better.

the polo gt's are a lot of fun around the lanes, but they just don't compare to the gti tbh.

as for the 8 vs 16v i'd go for the 16v, to get the best out of them you have to drive them like you stole them, but as you'll be using it on a track that shouldn't be a problem

although the only 8v i've had was a mk1 gti, and even tho thats was fun it just didn't compare to the 16v i've got now.

The Polo's are more fun in traffic,but you wont get your lap-times with one. That's really your call. For the track,you'll easily make a great race-car hatch from the heavier Golf and its big-block engine. VW's MK3 (officially MK2/f) Polo is a little lighter,but its a problem getting them to go seriously fast,and they have lower handling limitations. So it depends what you want from the car.

easier and cheaper to make a golf handle better.

more power as standard.

slighty more expensive to run

thanks for your help lads.

it certainly seems that the golf is going to be the better option for me.

i'll be looking for one in the next couple of months so that i can have some fun over the summer.

i've had a look on club gti and the 2L block seems like a nice little mod for the golf to gain some more power and its cheap too which is a bonus

unfortunately that means i will be spending my time on golf forums rather than this one which is a shame as it seems like a good one. a credit to your memebers!

thanks for your help guys. have a good life

if its a 2ltr you want then a 2a engine is what you want rather than the mk3 2ltr witch is 15mm taller

i love my GT when its working, great for going round town as they do zip about

i love my GT when its working, great for going round town as they do zip about