Quick help from golf mk1 pro?

Hi all!


Well im 19 and looking to buy a mark 1 carb 1.6 online

Its gold colour convertible and really like it however the mileage is sitting at 197 000! they are asking £1000 for it, they said the roof was replaced in 2006 and has recently recieved a full service, the guy has only had it a year.

Any tip before I drive 8 hours to buy it?

Is it worth driving 8 hours home with it?

ALL INFORMATION IS APPRECIATED. i honestly dont know much.

Thank

Solomon

To be honest mate, I wouldn't do it as once you have driven that distance (or got the train) you have just put yourself into a situation which hugely favours the seller, which basically means you will end up buying it even if it is a shed :-(
If you do however decide you want it then as a minimum you want to see a lot of photos inside and out, full history, service history, and MOTs including advisory notes so you can see what has actually needed to be done to it.
At that mileage you will be starting to think about engine rebuilds and a lot of components are starting to get to the end of their life if they haven't already been replaced, my gti did 240 000 miles and was getting really bad before I pulled it off the road for a few years.

There are a lot more mk1s about if you look hard and usually closer to home, and as it is likely to be your first/second car you really don't want to end up with a dog, not that I am saying it is one, (it might even belong to a member on here!) It is just that an 8 hour drive is a long way to find out!

If all else fails and you want a little more peace of mind then I am sure an AA or RAC inspection would be worth the expenditure to put your mind at rest before you drive over to have a look yourself!

let us know what you do decide to do!

Can be a very hard question to answer as this could be a really good car that has been very well looked after despite the high milage, but then again it could be a real dog and to drive 8 hours in a reasonably oldish car could be a lot for it to take but then again all them miles may mean it has been a very reliable car that is very capable of it.

You could always try asking if there is any1 local to where the car is for sale to have a quick look over at general condition before driving 8 hours to find its no good, as i done this last week when i travelled only 1 and 1/2 hours to look at a mk4 golf 2.8 V6 to find that it was very rusty and wanted top money for a car worth peanuts and was gutted that i had travelled around 80 miles either way.

Yeah that sounds like a plan if there is anyone local to where the car is, whats its location? worth a beer for someone to have a look and take a few notes for you! :-)

Guys, thanks alot for your quick responses.

Yeah, well my dad is a mechanic (own business) for around 15 years. Which is a definite plus to this whole ordeal. Here is the link for it to check it out:

Used cars for sale - PistonHeads UK

I spoke to the guy briefly and told him to send me alot of images, which I guess is a good idea (millfischk69). I also spoke o the guys wife and she said he is a mechanic and has had i for a year. I just hope he didn't get fed up with the car and know is just shifting it on.

Any more recommendations after veiwing the car with the link given would be awesome!

Thanks in advance

Sol

if its eight hours away then its probably going to cost a feew hundred quid to get it home - even id nothing goes wrong, why not look for a slightly more expensive one closer to you ? regardless to how much you spend going to get it the cars still only woth 1. find one closer worth 1300 and chanses are it`l have decent milage and will be much tidyer.

Take your time and don't rush into it Sol. The car does look nice but there are many more about - if it was a rare or exceptionally good car I'd consider travelling such a long way for it, but the one in the link is not particularly special.

I'd hold on, perhaps save a bit more cash whilst you look and find one nearer to you. Look around the forum and find out as much as you can.

Have a look at this link for Prowlers' Cabriolet buying guide

Thanks a lot mate. Yeah I guess im just desperate for a car right now. What part of the car do you think is not special? I am rather put off the millage…

He is going to send me a lot of new pictures so Ill post up here for you all to check out.


Thanks So much!

Sol

By 'special' I mean has something exceptional about it, ie low mileage, 1 owner, full history, rare model etc etc. It does look nice and quite tidy and not bad for the money but you'd be spending more by travelling to see it. If you go all that way and it turns out to be a dog you would have wasted a full day and quite a bit of cash that could buy a better car more local to you.

Also what sort of mileage will you be covering in the car? As you've pointed out it's high, although it's not uncommon for Mk1's to be over 200,000 due to their age and because they are fun to drive. However, once it's tipped the 200,000 mile mark some people might be put off and an engine rebuild would possibly be of benefit (obviously it all depends on how well the car has been looked after for the previous 200,000 miles!)

Have you posted in the 'cars wanted' section on here?

Sol, we've all been there, or at least I know I have.

It was 2 years ago when I drove to nottingham with my dad to see what i thought was a mint cab…

It was a heap, but I had travelled about 400 miles, so I decided I could restore it, give it a clean, it would be fiiiiiine….

put it this way I'm glad my dad was there, he wouldn't let me buy it.  I was just desperate.

a couple of days later, and I picked up the dreamboat in manchester.  Much better car, nearer, cheaper!!

Just keep looking.

I know you'll not wait this long, but in 6 months, you'll get any convertible much cheaper.  Convertible buying guide: Buy in winter, sell in summer.


Good luck with whatever you do man, I am 2 years on, and still loving it.

you only really want to be traveling that far for a tintop.  Cabbies are quite common and I bet theres a few nearer to you