is it worth saving a rotten mk1?

hi basically im new to vw's tbh im more of a jap fan but as i recently had to scrap my ae92 corolla gti i need a project. i know this guy who has a mk1 that is rotting away and i mean seriously rotting away and one thing i hate is classics going to waste. so anyway i have been drinking a lot lately and want something to steer me away from it. i took a look at this golf and it is rotten all over huge gaping rust holes in pretty much every panel. it doesn't bother me to much as i can weld and will be carrying out everything myself.

so questions really are.

1.  is it worth saving?

2. should i keep it factory or do an engine swap? and few mods? if so whats available? don't want no stupid bodykits just some nice subtle mods engine and handling.

3. price of parts? and availability i.e. panels, lights and other bits ect.

its not a gti i presume its a driver? like i say im more of a jap enthusiast the closest ive come to anything other was pug 205's i had 8 of them haha

i cant get any pics at the minute maybe in a few days.

cheers, steve

If you want a project then start with the best you can afford.
Using something "just because it's there" - is complete false economy.
Unless the car is a special, rare or has some interesting history then it sounds like its too far gone to consider.
Once the rot gets in the seams it'll be there forever.

yeah didn't want to just turn round and tell him i would have it. thought i would get some opinions first. he just wants rid of it i haven't looked underneath it yet as there is way to much stuff round it. its probably been sat for 15 years plus. always fancied a mk1 tho lol.

if its been sat for 15 years then its probs too far gone
get some pics when you get a chance

keep it mate and stick some pics plz

You never know it might be a handy donor car if you can find parts which can be swapped to another vehicle which needs some love. 

Failing that it can always be broken and the parts sold to finance another mk1 project! Although its sad to see one being stripped for parts there is never a shortage of people wanting obscure and obsolete bits from them!

Good luck

If it's cheap enough and storage isn't a problem then it's worth getting the car even if it's just for some parts. Otherwise as Yomp said buy what you can afford.

Personally and from experience  a standard car will be worth more in the long term.

Good luck

anything can be fixed with enough effort, just a case of if its cheap enough to be worth it financially for you I suppose.  main thing is you chop out and/or treat all the rot otherwise as above it will come back eventually.

repair panels are available for most parts, some can be costly depends which ones you need and the quality:
http://www.golfmk1.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.vwheritage.com/