1st car HELP

hey guys!!

sorry to be a pian but do you think gettin a mk1 is a good car to start off with?

Hi and welcome thats a good question to ask on a Golf mk1 site I think I can speak for most on here when i say YES    

hope you enjoy the site and get lots of help and advise as im sure you will

thanks : )  do i need to no nethink in common to go wrong with them?

i supose it will run find intill i start playin about with it to see what i can do with it to make it in to a track car just becuz im me hehe

erm i heard gear boxes can sometimes go wrong with some volkswagens and cam belts but i dno if its the same with the classics…???

is the person i heard that dumb or is it a common problem?

im all over blond and a bit slow haha i supose all cars have week parts hey! thanks guys

think im gna learn alot for being on this site : )

There is a known fault with the diff pins failing on some VW gearboxes, but to be honest that is more related to high power applications.

For a Mk1  as it is likely to be 25+ years old the most important thing is condition and rust.  There is a buying guide on the home page which will answer all your questions - but hell, go for it. Much more fun and style than a Corsa!!

If you can find one, go for a Mk1 Golf Driver.  They were only available at the end of the series 1 cars in 1980 and again at the end of the series 2 hard tops in 1983.

They have an insurance and tax friendly 1.3 engine but it makes enough power to have some fun as the car is so light.  Also, it's got all the GTI trims and extras so it'll really look the business.  If you want to make a convincing GTI replica, a Driver is a great place to start.  The only main differences are the seats, headliner, brakes, front spoiler, bootlid sticker and wheels (although most Golf Drivers now have GTI alloys on them, and alot of them have GTI seats too).  Oh, and the engine of course - lol

I agree with Steve above, you should start with a smaller block engine 1.1 - 1.5 (1.5 are classed as soemthing like a 1457cc and still fall under the small engine tax apparently!).

If you go for a bigger block engine like the 1.6 or 1.8GTi one of the common problems is where the clutch cable comes from the pedel and through the body of the car (bulk head) they are very well known to pull through and require a plate, which is around ?5 from GSF, you will be able to tell if it's been done anyways + not a big job!

Apart from checking for rust on the sills, around the sunroof (unless you want a cabby) and the wings / arches, you can't go wrong with a MK1

Also welcome to the site, hope to see you in one soon!

Also I've moved this to "MK1 Golf Chat" for you

1.5 is a big block.

novocaine said

1.5 is a big block.

I know it's actually a big block engine, as in it faces upwards not forwards like the 1.1 / 1.3 but by engine cc it only makes 1457 (or something along those lines) which falls in the cheap tax bracket.

The bracket is up to 1549cc @ ?120 a year and over 1549cc @ ?185 a year.

36thCrazyFist said

novocaine said

1.5 is a big block.

I know it's actually a big block engine, as in it faces upwards not forwards like the 1.1 / 1.3 but by engine cc it only makes 1457 (or something along those lines) which falls in the cheap tax bracket.

The bracket is up to 1549cc @ ?120 a year and over 1549cc @ ?185 a year.

Truth. Road tax just raped my bank account for ?100 (6 months). Happy Chrismas to me

tyeness said

36thCrazyFist said

novocaine said

1.5 is a big block.

I know it's actually a big block engine, as in it faces upwards not forwards like the 1.1 / 1.3 but by engine cc it only makes 1457 (or something along those lines) which falls in the cheap tax bracket.

The bracket is up to 1549cc @ ?120 a year and over 1549cc @ ?185 a year.

Truth. Road tax just raped my bank account for ?100 (6 months). Happy Chrismas to me

Mine too mate, I have the full intention of doing it for a year in may so i don't happen again - although I said that last year too

The other option open to you, thinking about it, is to buy an early Golf Cabriolet.  They did a 1.5 carburettor version called something like a GL or GLS Cabriolet.  It'd be an early one (ie. V-reg/W-reg era) but it'd be worth it come the summer when you can get the top down.

…or just do what I've done and buy a hardtop and softtop Mk1 - lol

Providing you are not under 25, your biggest expense will probably be the car itself. Buy the best shell you can afford!

My 1st car was a mk1 and i have since then (a few years) missed it so much.

The best 1st car you could ever buy