am i taking a chance on an F reg mk1 golf 1.8 auto...?!?!

Hi! im buying a mk1 1.8 auto F reg clipper in a few days… it looks very tidy and drives reasonably well for its age! it is in immaculate condition inside and out and engine looks fairly clean maybe running bit rich on oil by the smell of it , and has a new convertable roof recentely put on which is a great bonus. but..i have heard bad comments about the auomatic gear box…saying that if it were to break i may not find a replacement or be able to get this fixed?  is this true?!?! please reply asap as i do want to buy it to drive straight away and am selling my current car to buy this one….i think it will be worth taking the risk. you only live once ey!

The auto box itself is shared with the Mk2 Golf, there's fairly reliable and they come up secondhand from time to time, so if the worst happened, I wouldn't think there's any issue finding another. If anything, the auto box is better than manual in terms of the overall car condition, boy racers don't buy autos - so the car is more likely to have been looked after sensibly and driven properly too, instead of being ragged/etc. Also there's no issues with wearing/slipping clutch, as on a manual.

I had an F reg clipper a while back, it too was an auto, the box was good, changed smooth, but something was holding mine back, felt underpowered..

The only issues i had with it was the starter motor, sometimes if it got too hot or just when it was feeling like it it wouldnt re-start if engine shut off and some days would stick..

then replaced that with a MK2 auto on an E reg, V Low miles, drives very well (ask mcscrew) thats also a 1.8 and i cant fault it at all, other than with only 3 gears a long run gets a little thirsty