MK3 Golf

[Willenium]

Hey all,

I'm looking to buy a MK3 Golf sometime soon and I was wondering if there are any common problems I should watch out for on these cars. Also, are there any particular models that you would recommend besides the GTI? (Insurance will rape me if I get a GTI)

I've got some 17" Wolfrace wheels to go on. Will I need to modify the arches at all? I'm possibly going to have lowering springs fitted which will probably be around a 35mm drop. Reckon I can get away with it or will I definitely need the arches rolled?

Finally, a lot of the cars I've seen are quite high mileage (100k plus). Most cars would be nearing the end of their lives by this point but I've heard mixed opinions on whether this also applies to Golfs. Being as they are German I would imagine they are very long lasting.

Cheers

[v6dub]

Yeah the mk3 golf is getting on now and it is getting harder and harder to find low milage ones, however 100k on a golf that has been looked after and well serviced is nothing, i know a golf on 240k (it's a diesel) but the body still looks good and not to worn inside. I'm not sure of any big problems, i'm sure there are a few, i don't know your age, but the gti's are not to bad to insure, but just watch out for ones from young drivers cause they could/will have been driven hard, i know your going to modifiy your but try not to get one that has been done already cause i maybe from a boy racer and not really looked after.
hope this is of help

[BugsyMalone666]

I have a mk3 driver, its got a nice GTi style interior is 1.8 but lacks GTi Performance(although im working on some ideas for an upgraded engine)

mines a 5 door I have lowered it 60mm at the front and 50mm rear with a suspension kit off ebay from germany I run 17" wheels with a ET40 offset and they clear everything nicely (although the axle is a bit close to the exhaust but it still has a bit of clearance ;)).

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/bugsymalone666/My%20golf/DSC03268.jpg

also fitted the hella twin headlight conversion.

I got the car at 82k with a full vw approved history and its had a fair few bits done to it.

im now on 101k after 2 years its still going strong and i suspect it`ll see much higher milage, its still on its first clutch and i drive it fairly hard.

Heres a list of stuff I have replaced/broken things/stuff to watch out for i found on my golf in the past 2 years:

- Exhaust system cat back

- suspension kit - this was after I decided to do the bump stops and then fitted 35mm springs, it makes it quite hard due to alot less suspension travel and your shocks at 80-100K wont cope with it for long as they have spent their life running higher up.

- rear wheels bearings at about 95k due to them running dry of grease ( i hadnt previously touched them)

- Radiator - slight leak at the bottom in the opening of the bumper due to age/corrosion

- One of the metal heater matrix hoses that runs round the front of the engine has a habbit of corroding on the bracket which supports the other metal heater hose - cheapish to replace

- Inlet manifolt rubber - the bit the injection `carb` sits on, after many years the rubber perishes about a £25 quid fix but causes poor running.

- Heater fan control can play up, a mate had the resistor go on his because it got water in it(he got a small leak insided due to an old knackered rubber) on mine the switch its self wore which can be taken apart and fixed quite easily if you dont mind playing.

- My tailgate was good nick and I`d heard they suffer problems with rust, in the past it had a shunt according to the service history so its newer than the car, i think they tend to bubble round the rear wiper.

- Sunroof mechanism - when i got mine the sunroof didnt work and the people i bought it from (volvo trade in) said it was probably just the switch, it is infact cast components of the sunroof mech, apparently these can be bought from volkswagen but its a big job taking all the headliner out and doing it(hence i havent done mine.

- look at the front jacking points just behind the mudflaps, commonly idiots with trolley jacks cruch the sill bottoms over right where there is a drain hole, on my car this resulted in a bit of the sill rusting out and me doing some welding

- general rust round the arches is something I have noticed on mine but just a few bubbles

- check round where the axle mounts to the body underneath, the stone chip covering tends to come off round it for some reason meaning it rusts, just could mean it also rusts out!

- clutchs are generally good for about 140k apparently, but a friend had hers go at about 100k so something to check.

Insurance, based on me 25 with 3 years no claims on that policy 10k limited milage (just to save me a few quid at the time) fire and theft is about £400 odd paying for it monthly, a VR6 would cost me 900 quid fire and theft as a comparison.

thats all the bits I think I have come accross over the past couple of years, it walks through MOTs no problem, it can do as high as 40mpg really cruising it but can get as low as 28mpg if your only doing alot of local town driving. Easy to drive no real problems for me I have a fair amount of mechanical knowledge.

[Willenium]

Cheers for the replies guys ;)

Ideally I'd like a GTI but I'm only 20 so the insurance is a bit much for me at the moment. To give you an idea of how much it will cost to insure, my quote for a Subaru Impreza was a little less.

Once I've sold my Micras I'll be hunting for a MK3. Something I've been told is that going for a 1.4 might not be much use as I'm looking for something quicker than my 1.0 Micra which apparently is about on par with a 1.4. Is there much in it between the 1.4 and 1.6? If the insurance isn't too much, I might even be tempted to look for a 1.8.

So, Drivers are good. How are the CLs? PAS would be nice but presumably that only came in after a certain year?

[v6dub]

Not sure how much you think to much for insurance is but, i'm 22 now, i drive a mk4 v6 4motion, i insured that when i was 21 and it came out at £900, which i think is good.

[BugsyMalone666]

Not sure how much you think to much for insurance is but, i'm 22 now, i drive a mk4 v6 4motion, i insured that when i was 21 and it came out at £900, which i think is good.

how many years no claims? with who?!

[BugsyMalone666]

Cheers for the replies guys ;)

Ideally I'd like a GTI but I'm only 20 so the insurance is a bit much for me at the moment. To give you an idea of how much it will cost to insure, my quote for a Subaru Impreza was a little less.

Once I've sold my Micras I'll be hunting for a MK3. Something I've been told is that going for a 1.4 might not be much use as I'm looking for something quicker than my 1.0 Micra which apparently is about on par with a 1.4. Is there much in it between the 1.4 and 1.6? If the insurance isn't too much, I might even be tempted to look for a 1.8.

So, Drivers are good. How are the CLs? PAS would be nice but presumably that only came in after a certain year?

If you can afford it i`d try and go for the Driver. a friend of mine has a 1.6 and its a nightmare to get to most of the engine due to is positioning, the 1.8 is a slightly laid back engine meaning a service is a piece of cake, easy to get to plugs and oil filter, check alternator drive belts etc. Also they have the nicer interior, all 1.4/1/6 models come with a standard interior, my Driver has black charcoal interior, bucketed front seats(not excesses but GTi style ones) most of the CL/GLs I have seen have normal unbucketed seats, also comes with rear window spoiler and tinted rear lights/clear front indicators.

levels of equipement on these cars seems to vary car to car, the CL being the more basic and GL being the higher end, you can get GL in 1.8, i have seen them with foglights and the GTi headlights (one piece normal headlight thats got 2 pieces inside) spec wise, with electric windows etc. but when a manual winder mech on my golf goes its about 10 quid from GSF where as a elecy window unit is £55.

basically you probably need to have a look at a few and decide what year you can afford, Im sure it was only the pre 94 models that didnt have PAS, mines got it and its a 94.

[v6dub]

I have 2 years no clams and I'm in my 3rd year, i have been driving for 5 years, It is fully comp with admiral.

[Driver1.8]

:beerchug:Hi I have a 1995 3 door driver 1.8, done 119,000 miles,still drives really well, although best thing i have done is fit coilovers,which are not that expensive,it has transfored the handleing with too hard a ride. Currently running abour -60mm on 15 wheels. I was going to sell the car but could not bring myself to do so, so replacement gearbox it is then !

[Willenium]

On a MK3 GTI I was quoted about £1200. Was quoted about £1100 on an Impreza :P All quotes came from Moneysupermarket based on having 2 years NCB.

Once I've sold the Micras I'll be out hunting around for a decent example of a MK3. Did the Driver model come as standard with those seats or did you buy those yourself? I'm going to get some quotes pretty soon so as to get a rough idea of what I can look to buy. 1.8 would be nice but we'll see what running costs will be. Not too keen on that £180 road tax :P