Daily Drivers

as per title really, how many of you drive your mk1 golfs/gtis/cabs on a daily basis or as your only car, are they reliable enough to be drove every day, 100 mile round trips once a month and long journeys?

Joe

Our Gl Auto has been my husbands work car for nearly a year until we got the gti cab too. Which incidently, was meant to be my posing car but has been stolen so he can pose on the way to work  :roll:
my husband drives around 15m to work and back each day.
a week after the auto was mot'd after being off the road for 4yrs, we drove 1000m in a week around cornwall. she did have a few problems - mainly split rubber pipe bits that had just got too old but made it there and back and was repaired at home.
the auto does have her moments - in the last year so many things have had to be replaced but hopefully now things should be a bit more realiable. I mainly use her now for pootling about & the nursery run.
gaz hasnt had any probs atall with the cab apart from the accelerator falling off  :wink:  

I use my cab every day. Have got around 200miles of driving to do in about and hour visiting customers in Surrey and then backl around Kent.

I replaced the hoses and waterpump when  I got it and now I am going to replace the warm up regulator and injectors as its a bit grumpy when cold. Once warmed up its fine.

The main thing to remember is that is an old car and things are going to break and go wrong, but its more fun than my A3 1.8T quattro with 230bhp!

im just trying to weigh up the pros and cons of having one as my daily driver.
as the age i am and deffo for this year it will be my only car. get something VAG and special in Jan 08 so till then i want a mk1, just finding the right one really and deciding what model?

early, late, tip top, rag top, gti, carb etc…  :dontknow:  

Mine used to be a daily driver. Wish I still could (if it was on the road! ops: )

Much prefer driving it, no matter how nice the passat is!

Mine is a daily driver, sounds like i was in a fairly similar situation to you when deciding whether I could go for a Mk1. It'll be a second car come the summer but until then will have had about a years use doing 200ish mile weeks. As long as you look after it there are far fewer things to go wrong than with newer computer cars

Mine is used about twice a week, when it isn't broken…

They are old cars. They can be used as dailys, but be prepared to spend some time each weekend fixing the rattles and broken parts that have occured during the week!

Will ?1500 build me a reliable one?

what parts must be in good condition to be classed and used as a reliable motor?

True Al.

I try to do all the maintenance over the summer so I don't have to get cold and wet. Has worked so far although I am itching to get started on this years programme of works!

Peter.

tallpete said

I am itching to get started on this years programme of works!

Peter.

Peter, I wish I could rely on mine that much to plan the work!

Mine seems to turn round and bite me with the unexpected, such as the core plug problem. It had only been back on the road two days last week and I had a fuel leak!

Got it in work today though and it seems fine after 3 hours underneath it at the weekend…  

G60_joe said

Will ?1500 build me a reliable one?

Your guess is as good as mine!

G60_joe said

what parts must be in good condition to be classed and used as a reliable motor?

I would say, your fuelling system and electrics. These are always the problematic areas that will stop the car running.
Anything else is purely down to how close you are to your MOT test! (Lights, bearings, rust etc…)

I've ran a Mk1 GTI, a Mk1 Driver, a Mk1 1100 and a Mk1 Polo all as everyday drivers.  The only problem I've ever had was with the Polo but after a ?36 head rebuild I've done about 20,000 miles in it, rain, shine and snow.

Drive my Cab every day but not over vast distances - had a few problems but nothing you would not expect driving anyother old car.

I use my sportline cabrio nearly everyday for work and just bombing around town, its much more economical to run than my VR6!!! i used my Lhasa green Gti as a daily driver for 7 years!!!!! never gave me much grief in that time either, couple of flat batterys, a bad earth, a split fuel pipe and a broken fuel pump, which isnt bad as it was 15 years old then,  i sold it in 1998 to a mate and as far as the DVLA tax check goes its still going now!!!! I find the more you drive them the better off they are, if you leave it in a garage all the time things become seized and fragile and when you do use them something lets you down which is really annoying

Yup, drive mine every day, not huge distances, probaly 30 - 40 miles, but a lot of stop start town driving, which is probably harder on it than motorway cruising.
It's perfectly reliable provided you service things that need doing, and don't leave strange noises hoping they will go away!
Helps if you have some experience working on cars, and a set of jump leads/tool kit in the back…oh, and i sometimes carry a tow bar thingy (like a tow rope but solid…highly recommended!)

i have had mk1 gti's as daily drivers for the for about 8 out of the last 12 years. on the whole, they have been very reliable.
do bear in mind though, you'll be buying a hobby

Mines a daily driver , 20-60miles day, sometimes more. Only a 4speed cl but a joy to drive.

Bought mine as a daily driver to replace a god forsaken ford festa diesel (yes, i did spell if 'festa' on purpose…)

Been 100% reliable mechanicly. Electricly, a few quirks… gauges work now and then. Also got pulled the other week with nearside rear lights completly not working. Was looking at a re-wire, turned out to be a tail light bulb. Wasn't actually blown, but the glass and metal parts had seperated. Replaced all the bulbs, cleaned all the contacts and no more issues!

And i've just done 700 miles in 5 days - used the golf to go to Norfolk visiting my folks - 160 miles each way (non stop), plus numerous trips out whilst there. Didn't miss a beat, 4 up with luggage for a week… all she needed was a top up of oil before i left… oh, and i have only used a tank and half of fuel - a lot less than the Voyager uses

I drive my y reg GTi (who is called Blue, cos he is) every day from Chesterfield to Sheffield (about 30 miles there and back) and then drive it as, and when to the shops etc, weekends, good blasts around etc. All in i do about 1000 miles a month. I get about 33 to the gallon if i have a relaxed drive. (not often i must confess  :twisted: ) The car has handled it very well and has not let me down. I have spent approx 500 quid on making mechanical things right etc. Still needs a respray and has a slight balljoint issue and hundreds of little 'round tuits'. I have spent quite a lot of time doing things myself, with the fantastic support of a mechanic friend. I enjoy my car, but it does consume an awful lot of my time. That's the MK1 bug i think.

P.S.

Does anyone else have their Golf Haynes manual in the toilet?  8O

Mine are for weekends, but ime using the GTi for a 100 mile round trip
for the next few days as the S**T -Tron (sorry, Citroen) has died.

So far so good…. really enjoying it, but I do miss decent brakes especially
on the motorway, and fast wipers!.

If I did less miles I would use it a lot more  :wink:

Regards

Dibbler