Hey

Hey so im new here, Kierons the name
Im from the Lincolnshire region. Im 16 at the minute and should be driving asap when im 17!

Ive got my eye on getting a mk1, I don't really know all the models etc, nor do i know alot about cars! All i know is that im getting a 1.1 and i want 2 doors only!

I got a quote for ?1400 insurance earlier, with a estimate of the car costing about ?500 ish, i thought that was okay.

So Up until now i thought i wanted a GTI, but apparently they're harder to insure? and i didn't realize there were just 'normal' ones or non gti, so ill probably end up getting one of them.

I also wasn't sure if spending ?500 will get me anything good? like i said, i have like no knowledge of 'hardware' in car terms so there probably wont be alot of 'restoration' coming from me lol.

Hiya Keiron… how you  doing buddy?

Firstly a mk1 is a car you can learn on as it has a lot of free space in the engine bay (means you can move around and work on the car).  The engines are far simpler than modern cars and you'd probably be able to do most things yourself if your willing to open a Haynes manual and get stuck in… a lot of people on here are freindly so you'd be in good hands for advice too.

How long before you are 17 and starting to drive mate?  Great taste in cars by the way mate  :wink:

Hey man. that sounds good to me.

Ill be 17 in about 5 months unfortunately, but im already learning to drive in my friends cars, a VW Beetle old one, and a Suzuki Samurai!

So hopefully it shouldn't be difficult

Haha my car taste is funny. heres what i have wanted in order;

MG Midget > MGB GT > Peugeot 306 > Mitsubishi Colt > Citroen Saxo > VW MK1!

Pretty different cars lol, but ide like to think ill stick with the VW as i definitely like it the most!

A couple of questions, whats the difference between a GTI and a normal? and would a GTI be more expensive to insure being 17?

By normal do you mean normal 1.1 engine or something?  Basically fuel injection means fuel is forced through a small nozzle creating high pressure.  It gives the engine far more fuel therefore increasing performance.

A carburetor engine (1.1 in this case) is only low pressure and generally adds fuel to the air stream by way of one/two nozzles inside the carburetor squirting the fuel.

The fuel injectors (of which there are 5 I beleive in the mk1 GTI) are fed from a fuel pump in order to push the required amount of fuel through at speed.

To get insured on a GTI (performance) car… even a 25 year old one you'd be looking at serious money.  You'd either have to have a blank cheque… even then some companies may not even take you on.

There's an advanced course you can take mate once you pass.  It's called "pass plus" and it's available through most regions in the country.  Some insurers offer 15% reduction to young drivers after it… I've put a link here for you:-

http://www.direct.gov.…alifiedDrivers/DG_4022426

Hope you're lessons go well bud.

I see, difficult trying to understand the technical jargon!

Ill look into the pass plus, it seems like it'd be worth it.

What i meant by normal, is like, can you get a VW Golf MK1, without it being a VW Golf GTI Mk1?

If you get me lol, like are they separate?

The actual car is a VW mk1 golf.   You then get different models and derivatives…. so…. you get three doors or five doors with loads of different engine options from a 1 litre to a 1.8.  I think X on here had a three door mk1 called a "mk1 golf driver" and it had a 1 litre engine but I may be wrong.  Regardless… you get many engine sizes, interior trim and 3 or 5 doors… your options are wide open mate.

Ah i see, I think to please the insurers a bit ill go for a 1, or 1.1! Should save me a bit.

How much do you think im looking at? Or lets say how good a car will i get for about 500 pounds sterling?

Possibly with these criteria!

1- 1.1 engine.
Decent interior, i don't care about scuffs and tears really.
Tin top.
black, or mars red, for the sake of adding a color.

thanks!

You should be able to pick up something for ?500 but it may need a bit of work.  Check our for sales section here, ebay, exchange and mart, edition38 is a good site for buying cars, piston heads etc… there's loads of places to see carsin your budget… just get out on that world wide web and have a little look mate.  There's a buyers guide on here than even helps when you go to view a car as it tells you what to look out for…

Hi and welcome!

I agree with Spudfingers. From what you're telling us, I'd advise you ask around for a 1.1 'Golf C' model made around 1981 - 1983. That's the only 1.1 engined 3 door model I can think of. It has basic interior/exterior trim (it was the base model of the range) but can obviously be modified as you see fit, and a lot already have been! I must say though, you would be hard-pushed to find one in black unless someone has resprayed it that colour. They did come in Mars red though. The 1.1 would certainly be your best bet for cheap insurance. They are 50 horsepower, but weigh about 800kg so are fairly nippy - a good starting point for new drivers.
The next step up is a 1.3 engine (60 horsepower) which could be in the form of a 'Golf Driver' which is a 3 door model aswell (it has some GTI trim as standard so may be a higher insurance group?).
The 1.3 'Golf CL' model is a 5 door though, as is a 1.1 'Golf C Formel E' and most of the big block non-GTI engines (1.5, 1.6). I'm sure folks will correct me if I'm wrong on any of this!   
There's plenty of people who've found a very decent 1.1 or 1.3 within your sort of budget…so when you're ready, get on the web and magazine classifieds and start searching - they can crop up anywhere.  :wink: