Tasty MK1-how much should i pay for this car!? HELP!

Hi all,

thinking of buying this car…which will be my first MK1!

i'd appreciate some opinions on how much YOU would pay for this car…Here's the details:

1982
series 2
1600 GTI
5 speed

120,000 on clock
15 former keepers
12 months MOT
NO tax

all the mods you can see from pic's (only the FK coilovers you can't see)

the owner has a bodyshop-she was repainted last year and now wears four coats of Lacquer. (this was not a bare metal re-spray)

the interior has had a leather re-trim but is pretty tatty in places

the engine is satandard

if you need more info i'l try to post more pic's (got about 40!)

Thanks,

Rick

ur probably looking at a grands worth of extras there with ATS classics, Coilovers and those chrome bumpers that everyone wants and then a good tidy 1.6 GTI to boot - i'd say around the ?2k mark but difficult to say without seeing it and having a good poke around  

Its a shame its been resprayed but that a lot of the trim and fittings don't do it justice. Also, if you say the car was painted over its original paint, then the respray won't look that shiny too long - maybe 1-2 years before rust bubbles start to appear. So, It puts it somewhere between condition C and D (?750-1000) on our price guide. Then add, say, ?500 for the mods. ?1250-?1500?

Hmm!

thats a lot less than the owner's asking! :?

so as far as re-sprays go…it's bare metal or nothing?!

why will the rust come back if it's been prepared properly?

thanks for the replies

rick

schoey said

Hmm!

thats a lot less than the owner's asking! :?

so as far as re-sprays go…it's bare metal or nothing?!

why will the rust come back if it's been prepared properly?

thanks for the replies

rick

You don't need to bare-metal a car, but the problem is in one of the pics I can see rust already coming through - the spare wheel well. So I'm unsure of any rust in any other areas. You'd need to check very carefully.

It looks like a tatty car which has been 'blown over' to make it look presentable on the outside, rather than a sympathetically restored car. Its probably cost around ?100 in materials for the guy, so you see where his economics are coming in - buy a car for ?500 in dire need of a respray, spray it for ?100 in the evening, taking not too much care in getting the rust out, etc, then try to sell it for ?2000.

thanks paul,

i can see where you're comming from…thanks for the advice.

maybe i'm a sucker but i don't believe this is just a quick buck for the seller (even if it is overpriced) this is the info i've had:

the car was the body shop owners project car (HPI confirms he's owned it since 2000-was orignially registed in carlisle) which he's abandaoning due to a new baby, the inside of the car was never painted…hence the wheel well being a bit tatty.apparently the interior and engine bay were next on his list.

the owner sent me some photo's of the car that were shot last summer by a proffesional photographer for a feature that was never printed (i'm told). since then the owner has pointed out that a small patch on the tailgate has started to bubble up but bar that the paint that he put on is in good condition.i'm a profesional photographer myself and looking at the pictures i would say:

-yes they were shot by a profesional

-they were shot in the summer time

i'm thinking if the guy intended to keep hold of the car for a while he'd make a good job of the paint? it's all ready been on the car at least a year and the car is in the shetland islands so i'm thinking the conditions there would make even a well painted car bubble a tad?

What do you think?

Rick

thanks paul,

i can see where you're comming from…thanks for the advice.

maybe i'm a sucker but i don't believe this is just a quick buck for the seller (even if it is overpriced) this is the info i've had:

the car was the body shop owners project car (HPI confirms he's owned it since 2000-was orignially registed in carlisle) which he's abandaoning due to a new baby, the inside of the car was never painted…hence the wheel well being a bit tatty.apparently the interior and engine bay were next on his list.

the owner sent me some photo's of the car that were shot last summer by a proffesional photographer for a feature that was never printed (i'm told). since then the owner has pointed out that a small patch on the tailgate has started to bubble up but bar that the paint that he put on is in good condition.i'm a profesional photographer myself and looking at the pictures i would say:

-yes they were shot by a profesional

-they were shot in the summer time

i'm thinking if the guy intended to keep hold of the car for a while he'd make a good job of the paint? it's all ready been on the car at least a year and the car is in the shetland islands so i'm thinking the conditions there would make even a well painted car bubble a tad?

What do you think?

Rick

2k max but as Mal said hard to tell without seeing it up close

just thought i'd post a couple of said pic's

this car was in performance vw mag in the readers rides section jan 07 ,thought it looked good in the mag and pro shots but not as good  in the close ups
 could end up with constant work with the respray issues ,could be only used occasionally in weather and garaged rest of the time ,are you parking it outside ???

could make it detiorate quicker .


keep looking ,too many maybe's for my liking or silly offer, and put the bits right.

schoey said

thanks paul,

i can see where you're comming from…thanks for the advice.

maybe i'm a sucker but i don't believe this is just a quick buck for the seller (even if it is overpriced) this is the info i've had:

the car was the body shop owners project car (HPI confirms he's owned it since 2000-was orignially registed in carlisle) which he's abandaoning due to a new baby, the inside of the car was never painted…hence the wheel well being a bit tatty.apparently the interior and engine bay were next on his list.

the owner sent me some photo's of the car that were shot last summer by a proffesional photographer for a feature that was never printed (i'm told). since then the owner has pointed out that a small patch on the tailgate has started to bubble up but bar that the paint that he put on is in good condition.i'm a profesional photographer myself and looking at the pictures i would say:

-yes they were shot by a profesional

-they were shot in the summer time

i'm thinking if the guy intended to keep hold of the car for a while he'd make a good job of the paint? it's all ready been on the car at least a year and the car is in the shetland islands so i'm thinking the conditions there would make even a well painted car bubble a tad?

What do you think?

Rick

I'm thinking maybe I was a little low on my valuation now! Its right what others have said, its not really possible to value a car apart from seeing it in the flesh. Things like meeting the owner, seeing his approach to work on cars, etc counts for a lot and you can trust your gut instincts to gain a feeling that the work that's been done, is decent quality. Its unfortunate that its missing the boot mat, with the rusty spare wheel well, cos that sticks out like a sore thumb for me! Also, missing trim such as mirror adjuster, different trim like the window winder handle, etc.

It would be worth checking if its a trade or private sale. The fact that the vendor owns a bodyshop, could mean that its not his personal car but one thats been in the workshop, etc. Worth getting clarity on this, because it affects your comeback if something mechanical goes wrong - which would also affect the value, I guess.

is this the car you was talking about being in islands off scotland or something.

i am with paul aswell, that bootfloor just sticks out like a sore thumb, why go to all the trouble of prepping the car for a full re-spray, and then only do half the job. I can see the reason of only doing the outside if the insides like the floor were mint, but that is far from it.

but even after that it does still look sweet off them professional pics. i have a feeling though the guys propably asking more around the 3-4 k mark

am i right schoey

If your looking to spend up to ?4k why not buy a tatty but solid example and have it restored, say another ?2.5k for paint  and whilst this is being done gather together the bits you need. That way you know if the car is solid, when your stripping it back your bound to find some rust but at least you can sort it.

It's hard to tell from the pictures what the car is like but it looks clean and comes with some good extras. There is always going to be a slight unknown buying a MK I IMO as the majority have some little gremlins hidden away and there are a lot more knowledge people on here then myself to tell you what to look for.

I would agree with the others ?2k would be a good price. I think you need to try and view the car and budget what you might have to spend to fix any niggles that turn up.

I do think it looks like a cool car though  8)

Hi,

What does it drive like? what are the mechanicals like? did you look at the underbody? Mileage? has he any photos on the respray as he did it? what panels did he replace? where is there fillers !!!?? if any? what is the interior like, are all electrics working? did he do things like bushes etc all these are clues as to whether its a polished up turd or a real find !

Get it checked mechanically by a pro and the body likewise. Obviously do the usual HPI and insurance checks to see was it ever written off.

If it is your first motor and it checks out it may be a good learning place for you where MK1s are concerned.  2k is not a lot for the car again as someone said - take the ATS, tyres and the bumpers and the coilovers out and the guts of the 2k is gone.

Hi everyone,

thanks so much for all the advice!

someone asked if the car will be only used on occasion- well no, it's going to be my daily driver and i don't have a garage. these worries about re-sprays are new to me, i was originally thinking this would be a better protection than the factory paint? anybody else got any opinions on this?

thinking i'm going to offer 2 grand for this (the owner will probably tell me to P**s off!) but it does need a LOT of work doing eh? the asking price (?3,500) is far too high considering everybody's estimates so i'l give him a try and if not just wait for something else to come along!

will ring him tommorrow so wish me luck!

thanks again,

Rick

Get the car checked and then negotiate an offer. Pointless going and throwing 2k on the table - you will piss his off ! When checked you can return to him and say the jobs it needs doing and then negotiate down from 3.5k. You may end up meeting him halfway ie 2750 and it may be well worth it but you should really have an expert give it the once over first to be fair to yourself and the seller  :wink:

it is HARD buying a MK1!!!!!

just got an email form seller:

hi Rick, tried calling you.Put the car for an mot today and the hazards and rear wiper are not working , it's gonna cost me ?300 to sort it including the mot. the guy at that garage says he'll give me ?3500 as she is.I ain't goin to mess you about, its easier for me just to sell it up here as she is so that's what am goin to do, really sorry ….
Allan


Thanks again for all suggestions….you havn't heard the last of me!

MikeGTi said

Get the car checked and then negotiate an offer. Pointless going and throwing 2k on the table - you will *CENSORED* his off ! When checked you can return to him and say the jobs it needs doing and then negotiate down from 3.5k. You may end up meeting him halfway ie 2750 and it may be well worth it but you should really have an expert give it the once over first to be fair to yourself and the seller  :wink:

i think the cars on the shetland islands or somewhere like that. so i think thats why he cant go and check

i may be wrong though, where is the car based schoey.

said the asking price would be around 3-4 k  

The chase is as much fun as the kill !

The car was not for you - drive on plenty more good tight MK1s out there - get yourself a nice Campaign  8)

i've said this before. when buying a mk1, be patient. the right car will let you know if you are right for it.