ooof! decisions decisions!

hello

Ive just been offered 2 mk1 golfs, and im trying to decide which one i should look at/buy. now, my problem with this one, is that its in liverpool, and im in bucks just outside of london! here is the specs…


1981
1.1
Red
3 door-wooooooohoooo
23k miles (genuine, as it used to be his grans car from new)
10 months MOT
Body work is sound but with a few rusty patches that need work. The paint is also showing its age in places.
Offers around 1k"

he says he will take some photos of it for me to show its condition, so what do you think? is it worth travelling all the miles for it?


ill be getting photos of that car tomorrow.


OR

heres another one im looking at as well…

from the seller…

"Its a 1.3 1981 white, 5dr.
completely standard and has done 68,000 miles.
Ive only had it a couple of years but the previous owner had it from new. Got pretty much every reciept for work done on the car.
A recent MOT from november, just had to change the front shocks to pass it but other than that it went straight through.
I am looking for about ?1250 "

now, this guy is based in kent, so thats not too bad for me… under an hour? and ill get photos for this one tomorrow too.

so its a red 3 door 1.1 vs white 5 door 1.3… not really the biggest fan of a 5 door if im honest!


oppinions?! ill get photos up ASAP…..

Its a long distance to go to come away empty-handed. I'd suggest asking for a lot of detailed pics, of all the corrosion hotspots (ie make sure you ask for these pics, don't just let the seller decide what to send). Also beware, while its sought after, low mileage on an old car isn't a guarantee of good condition - some parts degrade if left to stand for long periods of time and can prove to become niggles. Also if you're going to use the car day-to-day, then low mileage is meaningless because you'll be piling on the miles! (People tend to keep Mk1s for a long time, unless they're sheds which get passed around etc)

To me the answer is simple….

….you've already said you dont really like 5 doors, so I think getting one wouldnt be a good move as you'll always regret not getting the 3dr or holding out for a better 3dr model.

Try not to rush into anything, get the one you really want, and if the one in Liverpool is no good, then put it down to experience and keep looking.  :wink:  It is a long way away - but if it is good, you'll have a great long drive home to enjoy the new car.  8)

paul_c said

Good stuff

What he said. The fact that it was his Grans, and also that it is rusting could indicate that it may not have been looked after the best that it could have been, to me at least  :dontknow:

tyeness said

paul_c said

Good stuff

What he said. The fact that it was his Grans, and also that it is rusting could indicate that it may not have been looked after the best that it could have been, to me at least  :dontknow:

exactly my point ( and thanks for the oppinions) it may be low mileage, but it may not have been looked after as well as the white one….

it wont be as much a daily driver, it will get me to work and back twice a week, which is only about 28 miles a week tops? and then the possible few trips to car shows, friends houses, etc etc…..

but then the guy with the white one just sent me some photos of it this morning… and it looks lush!

bit of rust on one of the sills, drivers seat a bit tatty.. nothing too bad…











i got more photos but he gave them to me in PDF format, which is a pain!


i could live with it….

but ill wait till i see the red mk1 photos.


just a bit of advice, where shall i tell the red mk1 owner to take photos of, where are these "hotspots" for rust? the sills? door shuts?

i may have someone off edition 38 going to look at the car for me, so that will save me a wasted trip up to liverpool….

That does look very nice! Hard choice!

You need to see the sills, the spare wheel well, the A pillars, and bottom of the windscreen (top of scuttle/wiper arm area), inner and outer arches (front and rear), fuel cap surround, erm…

…Anyone?  :mrgreen:

tyeness said

That does look very nice! Hard choice!

You need to see the sills, the spare wheel well, the A pillars, and bottom of the windscreen (top of scuttle/wiper arm area), inner and outer arches (front and rear), fuel cap surround, erm…

…Anyone?  :mrgreen:

anymore?!

yeah there not amazing photos, but it looks schweeet.

Go for the red 3 door!

Even if the bodywork is worse than the white one. Bodywork can be fixed. With 23k miles it will be worth a lot more than the white 5 door if you spend some time on it. Worth it in the long run!

Mullet52 said

Go for the red 3 door!

Even if the bodywork is worse than the white one. Bodywork can be fixed. With 23k miles it will be worth a lot more than the white 5 door if you spend some time on it. Worth it in the long run!

oh god, a friend of mine of edition 38 went to look at it, and it seems like its in quite bad condition…. not looked after at all..





























im looking for a good little runner that wont need much work, this is a full on resto imo, which i dont have the time or money for.


i really am thinking alot about that white 5 dooor….. i can live with an extra few doors…

i would just try and be patient and wait for another 3dr to come up again..

the white one does like nice though, but i too could never be satisfied with a 5dr..

you never know the true glory of a 5dr till you've owned one!!
no going back form me now.. Ilove them

When i first read this, i would have just said, sod it, I'd get them both  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  but after seeing the pics of the red one, it looks like e mess, especially after I've just picke dup Eric, see link in signature, for ?320 with almost a years tax!!!

I do like the look of that 5dr tho, if you dont get it, wanna share the details???

Lawsy said

you never know the true glory of a 5dr till you've owned one!!
no going back form me now.. Ilove them

When i first read this, i would have just said, sod it, I'd get them both  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  but after seeing the pics of the red one, it looks like e mess, especially after I've just picke dup Eric, see link in signature, for ?320 with almost a years tax!!!

I do like the look of that 5dr tho, if you dont get it, wanna share the details???

you got lucky with that! arrrgh.

heres another one ive found…


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150313239823

it seems pretty tempting as the guy doesnt have a clue what hes doing, it shouldnt be that expensive, so ill pump my change back into it,


worth it?


oh this might be mine! dont bid on it, please


if you want the details for the white 5 door, gimee a shout, its a beaut!

if i hadnt just got eric, i would have been tempted for the white one, looks tidy and unusual in white too.. dont see many 5dr's in white, in fact i dont think i ever have!!

your ebay one is safe, (link doesnt work)

Liam_R said

heres another one ive found…

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150313239823

ths looks like a great find, you shouldnt have told everyone though.. bid in the last minute for it.. good luck

litlekris said

Liam_R said

ths looks like a great find, you shouldnt have told everyone though.. bid in the last minute for it.. good luck

nah i think ill go look at it first, and pshht! if someone wants a bidding war, lets have it

but yeah a free roof rack? wooohoooo

but yeah if you think its a good one, then i may as well go for it.

LIam,
You said you want a 3dr and in that case that's the one your heart will always want.  I searched for months and looked at over 10Mg's before I bought the one I wanted and was sooooo pleased I got the one i did.  
Keep looking and wait for the best one you can afford and from then on you'll be loving it!
Good luck :y:

R11ysf said

LIam,
You said you want a 3dr and in that case that's the one your heart will always want.  I searched for months and looked at over 10Mg's before I bought the one I wanted and was sooooo pleased I got the one i did.  
Keep looking and wait for the best one you can afford and from then on you'll be loving it!
Good luck :y:

thanks bro! i appreciate that.


my dad is saying it looks poop, but what does he know?

i hate this! ive had so many people telling me to get it/get one, and mk1's are good, and yes they do need a bit of work on all of them, but im willing to learn, he says i dont have the experience in fixing them up, but i got so many forums that can help me with the car, so why dont i just go for it?


he says just get a 6n polo, but you dont see many mk1's about, and plus it has so much more soul than a 6n polo…..


so i need your help if i buy this one or even just a mk1 in general!

Liam_R said

i hate this! ive had so many people telling me to get it/get one, and mk1's are good, and yes they do need a bit of work on all of them, but im willing to learn, he says i dont have the experience in fixing them up, but i got so many forums that can help me with the car, so why dont i just go for it?

Don't worry about not knowing anything about them, I didn't know anything really when I got mine, but you just do lots of reading and ask lots of questions and you'll soon pick up most things (certainly not saying I'm an expert though!).

Best advice I got though was from RustysMk1, who I already knew outside the forum before I got my car. He basically said, buy the best you can afford, and be aware that it WILL break down. Probably quite a lot. In my case he was 110% right.

Basically, don't get one if you're either not prepared to keep spending after you've bought it, or be without transport while you fix it yourself. If you're gonna fix everything yourself get a good jack, and access to a garage. I have neither and rolling around under the car literally in the gutter, is not nice.

HTH
Mat

If I was buying one of those cars for myself, it'd be the Mars Red 3-door.  But bear in mind I've got all the skills to make it good again for not much coin.  I'd also be pulling the seats out in favour of GTI red stripe items, chucking a set of alloys at it, a big sound system and a big block carb lump I've had lying in a wheel barrow (of all places) for a while.

If I was advising anyone else on which car to buy, I'd be saying go for the five door as it look ALOT cleaner and will [probably] give alot less hassle.

what happened to your golf?  ebay link