Having found out the insurance is fairly cheap on a Mk2 1.8 Golf- Id also be interested to know what relativley low-cost performance upgrades could be done, mainly for throttle response and general easy breathing

Also, in regards to things to look out for when buying- anyone have any pointers? specific to the later Mk2 Golf? (1991ish)

Apologies for sounding like an absolute noob- i really should know better :lol

Edited 20 August, 200818 yr by toddy89

Having found out the insurance is fairly cheap on a Mk2 1.8 Golf- Id also be interested to know what relativley low-cost performance upgrades could be done, mainly for throttle response and general easy breathing

Also, in regards to things to look out for when buying- anyone have any pointers? specific to the later Mk2 Golf? (1991ish)

Apologies for sounding like an absolute noob- i really should know better :lol

which 1.8 engine????

then i can give some info

is it a gti or a driver?

Places mk2 golfs rot:-

In the petrol filler flap

Down the 2 rear seams (below the tail lights) check in the inside of the boot behind both lights to see how bad it is

under the battery tray

Behind both headlights the section of metal work there

Take off both rear wheel (if you can) and check the seam that runs vertically across the inner arch - it leads through under the tank straight across to the other side - this is a MAJOR rebuild job!

If its a 1.8 Carb then bin the Pierberg and fit a a weber with manual choke! Also fit a Gti cam into the head - free flow exhaust and filter and that shgould see you upto about 100bhp

Sorry all. Not sure which engine, - NON GTI, but driver, think its badged as a GL the one I'm looking at anyway.

Polo6n1600i thank you, thats a great help.

Not sure if ill be able to take thewheels off or not but is it at all visible with them on?

Also, on a quick inspection inside earlier when i had a quick look at it I noticed the gear stick went 1-2-3-4E , is this normal? The seller says its a 5 speed, but why does it say E as opposed to the obvious 5???

Cheers all so far!!!

because it's what they call a 4+E gearbox which is supposed to be for good economy, it just means it has a pretty long fifth gear.

most of the mechanicals are easy enough to fix

look out for starting probs and bad idle which will be the carb...gear linkages can wear and cause selection probs (cheap to fix)

and yeah the rust issues, front screen edges , tail gate and back panel, petrol cap etc

you can also inspect the lower door cards for any odd water marks, once the membrane behind these go they leak into the footwells and may cause if its been left like it

because it's what they call a 4+E gearbox which is supposed to be for good economy, it just means it has a pretty long fifth gear.

Alright, that might be handy- thanks for letting me know....

most of the mechanicals are easy enough to fix

look out for starting probs and bad idle which will be the carb...gear linkages can wear and cause selection probs (cheap to fix)

and yeah the rust issues, front screen edges , tail gate and back panel, petrol cap etc

you can also inspect the lower door cards for any odd water marks, once the membrane behind these go they leak into the footwells and may cause if its been left like it

So generally all i should be looking out for is those rust issues and most running problems will be apparent from a lil' test drive.

Thanks all :)

If you cant get the wheels off then this is what you are looking for inside the boot:-

Passengers side - where rear arch meets floor

Drivers side - where rear arch meets floor

Inside the boot under the headlights

This is my GTD's boot floor!

- speaking from 1st hand experience then lol!

I'll check the car out for that. Yey- what a help as always guys

good job i saw this, just been to look at a mk2 golf driver tonight!

rotten to fuck!

yeah hold out for a clean rust free shell...any mech niggles can be sorted

maybe budget to get a weber carb for trouble free running

I'd be looking to get a weber shortly after buying if i do- theres some rust but its more where there has been a little scrape, nothing structural if my memory serves me right, mind you I havn't been able to check the boot etc.. as advised by polo6n1600i.

They're bleeding ugly engines though :(

They are

And a step backwards, almost

Counterflow head... I mean that's 19th century stuff

Also check the A pillars if it has a sunroof. They are prone to rot there as the drain pipes for the sunroof often become blocked.

Also check the leading edge of the doors. Some cars were skimped a bit of body protection too, so the door begin to rot on that leading edge. Also check for bulk head leaks into the drivers footwell, as some times the blanking plate (that is used to convert to right hand drive to blank the fan inlet hole) becomes loose and allows water to enter.

Do the regular checks, allow the car to start from cold & allow to warm up.

Also check bot pan and check for leaks in the boot too.

Another thing - earlier cars (1986 D reg - 1988 F reg) ones have better rust proofing that the later (1989 G reg - 1993 L reg) - these can rot like a bastard!