?3000 for a golf gti?, help and advise needed

I've seen a Golf gti mk1 series 2 for sale at ?3000, the car was advertised as immaculate, but when I went to see it, it had corrosion surounding the fuel filler, and the fuel pump was held up with ty-wraps and the exhaust was burst, setting the corrosion at the filler aside, the rest of the bodywork seemed fine, and I hpi checked the car and it's ok, what I really want to know is, is this car worth this money and how much should i be paying for a decent example, thanks in advance
                                                     Steve

The problem with rust is that its often like an iceberg, if you can see a bit there will be a lot more that you can't until you start digging.

Having said that, my Cabrio is 99.9% rust free but when I change the rear shocks one of the upper spring cups had virtually disintegrated  8O

Need to go over the entire car, innner wings, lower valances, sunroof (if fitted), rear seat belt mounts, rear axle mounts etc etc all the MK1 grot spots.

?3k is a lot for one that needs some body work and respray that a repair there will cause. (Do you mean the filler pipe or the rear panel it fits to?)

Thanks for the advice, with regards to the fuel filler, I think it is the plate it fits to, I could feel the paint was "bubbling" under the decal that surrounds the filler.
              Steve

Almost all Mk1 Golfs will have corrosion in this area, or had it in the past. It also tends to extend to the seat belt mounting point and the axle mounting area, eventually earning the car an MoT failure. It depends how extensive the area is, to repair, but its a bit of an involved job (axle off and fuel tank out, etc). A lot of Golfs will have been welded in this area, and of course its possible to "bodge" the job or do a good quality repair.

Good advice, you should (can) buy a good example for
?3000, so have a good look around before you decide on one.
If its an "enthusiast owned" car, you wont find cable ties holding
things up, or filler, etc…  it should be virtually problem free,  and
any suspect areas will be pointed out beforehand.
Take your time, and have a look at a few, there are lots out
there, and at the moment people will be more likely to move
on price, so any little imperfections may work in your favour?.

Good luck with the search, and keep us posted.

Regards

Dib.

Have a look at the 'Guides' section on the front page on the right and print off if you can. take them with you to refer to. the cabby one may not directly relate to what you're looking at but its worth haing as extra.

Also….

this book..

http://www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/productDetail.php?prod_id=V4188&prod_group=Cars%20Vans%20&%20Trucks&

was sent to me by the publishers for a look at. Its pretty good but does include the Mk2 as well. Its A5 size so should fit in your pocket nicely!!! believe the reviews, I did submit mine but they haven't used it!!  ops: Its only ?10 but could save you loads and loads of money if you buy the wrong motor.

Cheers, Dan

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my very first post on this site, I am really glad I signed up, I was tempted to buy the fore mentioned Golf, but I've decided to hold back and wait for the right one,
                The search continues.
                                    Steve

As said above - take your time. There are a lot of polished turds out there. Do not believe any of the adverts you read. Personal opinions differ wildly.

Keep doing your homework on this site and look at the projects thread. You can see on there where problem areas occur on these cars.

As early-1800 said a bit of rust maybe the tip of the iceberg.

My own experience is the more you look at the better feel you will get about them and then one day the right one will come along and you'll know it is. You should get a nice one for 3K.

Good luck!