hi from a newbie

Just thought I would say hello and see if it was possible to get a bit of advice.

First a little bit about myself.

I brought my first German car 10 years ago which was a 1989 E30 BMW 1.8i, I had this car for 3 years and it caused me no problems what so ever, so I was hooked on German cars and now anything made in Germany, be it tools, appliances or cars.

After my BMW I decided to purchase a 4 year old MK4 GTI turbo in Jazz Blue, the car is totally standard but with 3 kids it has not fared well and sometimes resembles a skip on wheels more than a car. I also had a T5 130 for work when I was self employed which was just a lovely drive.

As a family we are going to require a larger car soon, and I have my eyes set on a Audi A6 (used)when I can afford one. The plan was when we get a larger car to keep the MK4, as for what I could sell it for now  doesn't seem worth it, so I might as well keep it for a run around as we only have one car.
Well my plan has suddenly changed, I have started getting my hair cut by an old school friend and he happens to have a MK1 golf (I can't remember the model), his co worker has also just purchased a MK1 golf GTI, so when I go to get my hair cut I see these 2 lovely cars staring at me. Well the temptation is too great and I have had to find myself one.
My new plan is to keep the MK4 and over time if it's not to expensive is to use the 20v engine and have a conversion into a MK1   
I know hardly anything about cars workings or how to fix or restore them, but am willing to give it a go and do the things I can, the rest I will have to pay someone who knows what they are doing.

I have found a car Im interested in and am in the process of buying it, I haven't seen it which is probably a mistake but I do like a bit of risk in life so am willing to take the gamble. I am buying the car with the thinking that it will be along term project but I would like to have it running for a while so I can get a bit of fun out of it before I strip it.

I have been studying the photos of the car im buying over the weekend and reading the buying guide on here and a few concerns have flagged up, I was wondering if anyone could take a look at the photos and perhaps pass an opinion.

On this photo I am looking at what appears to be rust runs on the left coming from under the windscreen pillars.



Here is another view.



Is this anything to be concerned about.



Thanks

Sam

It doesn't look anything too bad to me but I would never buy a mk1 without reading the guide and shopping around mate.  The two mk1's that you see when you get your hair cut, ask the guys to show you around their cars, tell them you're thinking of buying one and ask them to show you the potential issues.

Most things on the mk1 are fixable yourself if you have a good parts supplier.  a mk1 20vt conversion is around £5,000.  As you would be supplying someone a complete mk1, a complete engine and ECU it may be a tad cheaper but not much.

The big point on the mk1 is rust because of it's age.  Get a fairly solid mk1 and you'll never look back!!!  But DO get one… they are soooooooo much fun!!!  I ended up driving mine for a few months, rebuilt the engine….. and bought a mk1 run-around while I was doing it lol… all because I couldn't be without one for weekend letting your hair down  :mrgreen:

Welcome to the site it's great to see you have the MK1 bug  :mrgreen:  :wink:

spudfingers thanks, I can see why you've got yourself a run around as im already thinking about the possibility of doing the same in the future if I start a project with my first MK1.

I didn't think the 20v conversion would be that much so might be a long way off for me, but something to aim for.

blocp said

spudfingers thanks, I can see why you've got yourself a run around as im already thinking about the possibility of doing the same in the future if I start a project with my first MK1.

I didn't think the 20v conversion would be that much so might be a long way off for me, but something to aim for.

Get in about it mate…. they're cracking because you can tinker with them then blast around  :mrgreen:

I'm sure it wouldn't cost £5k if your using your mk4 as a donor car?

Shouldn't take much more than a two or three weeks for someone competent enough.

spenny said

I'm sure it wouldn't cost £5k if your using your mk4 as a donor car?

Shouldn't take much more than a two or three weeks for someone competent enough.

Doubt you'd get much change from £4,000 - £4,500 even with a donor car.  The money is the time, fabricated parts, driveshafts etc I beleive but may be wrong… either way it's a chink of change  :dontknow: