Roadtrippin'

Hey dudes,

So, as I mentioned in the new folk page when I first joined, I'm looking for a mk1 cab to take round Europe in August, as I can think of nothing more fun and exciting than droppin' the roof and cruising through Europe's most beautiful cities in the scorchin' summer sun (hopefully).

I been scouring for about a month, and eventually found what I think is the perfect cab (after being very dissapointed the first time I thought I found one, and being grossly dissapointed when I went to collect).

She's an '83 GTI in black with 109k on the clock and receipts for ?3k of mechanical work, incl. new radiator, new clutch, new exhaust, new dizzy caps?, new spark plugs, reconditioned BBS alloys, etc. etc.

The only downside, she's been described to be in need of a bit of bodywork repair.  Nothing major, just a touch up of the sportline body kit and perhaps a full respray.  The interior seems mint.

Anyway, enough bragging, I have a question…

How reliable is this baby gonna be for my Euro RoadTrip ???

What problems am I likely to encounter ?? and how can i prevent them?

Also, as I'm going to pick her up early next week…monday or tuesday, what should I be looking for, and what would be a clear sign that I should walk away…

I am totally excited, and don't wanna regret parting with hard earned cash if it turns out to be in bad nick.

Ebay Item number is…320132223943 if you wanna let me know a general consensus?

Thanks, and I look forward to being the proud new owner of my first mk1

Looks ood from the pics.  Dont know if you've seen the cab buying guide?….. http://www.vwgolfmk1.info/main/Buyingacab.pdf  Gives you a good idea of what to look for, questions to ask etc.

Let the adventure begin…..!

Looks good for the money, as mentioned, have a look at the
buyers guide, and if its not already been done replace
the timing belt!.

Let us know how you get on with your trip!

Cheers

Dibbler  :wink:

Thanks guys, had a bad experience with a car on ebay last week so I'm hoping this one is as described and not another con jobby.

I d/loaded the buying guide to study on the way to manchester, but does it mention anything about the motoring of the car? i.e. what to look and listen for on start-up and before driving her home?

What will petrol consumption be like on a 5000 mile round trip with city cruising and motorway bashing (60/70) and how much should be budgeted for this?

Thanks again for any feedback, and would be cool to hear from anyone that's undertaken such a trip?

I look forward to uploading pictures of my new baby and her subsequent EuroTrip.

Hoping for the holiday of a lifetime.

Not sure on consumption figures, as I only use mine at weekends
so never really thought about it, im sure someone here will know.

Usual checks apply, check oil,water (make sure there is no oil in
the water and water in the oil) head gasket problems.

They can be a bit tappety, but this isnt too much to worry about, they
are genrally good engines with no major problems, just make sure there
are no clouds of blue smoke pouring out of the back, which could mean
bigger problems later on, let it idle and make sure the temperature
does not go too high, open the petrol cap and have a look at the
filler neck (where you put the petrol in) or look behind the rear wheel and
make sure its not too rusty, as they rust through and cause all manner
of problems, other than that not too much to worry about, just give it
a thorough look over, any history with it is also a good sign, but judging
by the description and the work its had done it looks ok.

let us know how you get on

Dibbler :wink:

Mine's not quite the same car as yours (91 Rivage GTI) but I do regularly take her on road trips in France. If you take the tolled roads, beware that your skin will tingle for a bit afterwards! It's much nicer to take the non-toll roads where possible (I know in France they have to have non-tolls to match all toll roads, but it can mean you can get stuck behind tractors and stuff pretty easily - just gives you more time to look at the scenery though).

And if you do take the toll roads, make sure you've always got enough petrol to get you between petrol stations: they're often widely spaced.

Oh also, remember that not all European countries have late-night manned petrol stations. There are unmanned ones, but your bank card is unlikely to work in it, even if it's a Visa/Mastercard. So, if you *do* need petrol, try to get it before 7pm.

Oh, and keep your licence, passport, registration papers and insurance papers handy (both for border crossings and if the police/customs ranomly stop you  on the road).

I'm hopeless with figures so not much use re budgetting…but I think UK petrol is higher than many European countries so you should get a bit more bang for your buck (not to mention the EXCELLENT exchange rate at the moment for people earning British pounds!).

Enjoy!

sorry, what does "your skin will tingle for a bit afterwards" mean?

please excuse my ignorance

Well, the extra air circulating with the roof down "massages" your face when you go fast, so, when you slow down, it'll leave you with a tingly feeling. Hard to explain. Best off trying it for yourself.

I hope the other info was useful  :dontknow: