Noob looking for direction

[buguy]

Hey guys, im new here and wanted to see if I could get some GTI direction. I have been looking at these (all) for a couple weeks and I think I would like to get one. Problem I am having is I cant decide what gen to get? I prefer the look of the MK2, but I like the idea of a 1.8t engine. Looking to spend 4-5k on one, or one and some leftover $$$ for work. I know it seems simple....just do a swap. Thats the thing here, im not interested in a swap. What are your recomendations for a GTI that is a good platform....or a good performance per dollar base. I also want to stay away from cars that have already been swapped. Too many hacks out there. Im not scared of some work (I restore cars for a living) but prefer to keep the powerplant the car comes with.
Oppinions and why please?

[buguy]

By the way im no noob to building VW's or turbos.....just nothing watercooled/FI yet!

[DUTCHMANia]

mk2 16V plenty fast in stock form.

[Sanityana]

Agreed the 16v is a good base that can easily be turbo'd if you really want to. You can also do a lot for it keeping it NA. My 88 Scirocco is NA with a few simple improvements and is a total blast to drive. Hard to beat a mk1 or mk2 car with well tuned suspension and speedy motor (As you already know from the bugs, in the lighter vehicles a little goes a long way)

Good luck whichever way you go

[buguy]

Ok great! Thanks guys. Im not looking for a rocketship or anything. Just as long as its fun to drive. Its proving to be difficult to find a decent MK2 that hasnt been all riced out by little kids.

[Hondapicker]

. Its proving to be difficult to find a decent MK2 that hasnt been all riced out by little kids.

It surprises me a little regarding something that old that kids are playing with these.

[buguy]

Haha! The fast and the furious came out in like 2001. So the broke ass kids have been butchering them since then! 95% of the ones I find are swapped, have 2 spoilers in the rear, slammed, and have spray paint in the interior.

[Rockerchick]

It surprises me a little regarding something that old that kids are playing with these.

They're cheap. Kids don't have a ton of money. Therefore, they buy the older cars. Still enough parts out there for them too.

I do enjoy mk4's. My GTI is awesome. The stock 180hp is pretty sweet. Tuning will get you some good gains too. The 1.8T is a great engine for modding. BUT the older cars are good too...lighter weight so they don't need as much power to be a fast, fun ride.

[buguy]

I acually found a deal I dont think I can pass up. Its an 01 GTI with a 1.8t 5 speed with 34,441 verified miles. Talked him down to $4000. Its in great shape! Does have a little snag looking thing on the drivers seat. Other than that its pretty nice.

[sic_null]

MKIII VR's are fun and can be had in that price range with extra $$ left over to put in it

[buguy]

What is a VR?

[buguy]

Ahhh...brainfart...sorry. VR6. How are the VR6 compared to the 16v 4cyl and the 1.8t?

[Hondapicker]

Haha! The fast and the furious came out in like 2001. So the broke ass kids have been butchering them since then! 95% of the ones I find are swapped, have 2 spoilers in the rear, slammed, and have spray paint in the interior.

Really, are we talking about VW's or Hondas'.
Being older, coming from the Honda community, unfortunately, I saw much too much of this, and it is disappointing.

[buguy]

Yeah i am amazed at the number of GTI's down here in FL that are for sale that have problems. I dont usually see that many cars that people sell that are jacked. Im still thinking pretty hard about the one I found that I can get for 4 grand. 34k miles is REALLY low for a car that age. Although its not my favorite GTI to look at, its not too bad and I like the powerplant. Easy to upgrade from what I can tell.

[Hondapicker]

I acually found a deal I dont think I can pass up. Its an 01 GTI with a 1.8t 5 speed with 34,441 verified miles. Talked him down to $4000. Its in great shape! Does have a little snag looking thing on the drivers seat. Other than that its pretty nice.

I'd jump on that, it sounds almost TOO good to be true.

[buguy]

I thought the same thing! He said he would provide me the VIN to check myself, and would give me the carfax.

[Rockerchick]

Make sure to get maintenance records too. Just because it wasn't driven much doesn't mean it was well taken care of. I'd do an oil change and the timing belt when you get it. It may not have a lot of miles on the belt, but its got years.

[buguy]

Yeah I definately would do those things.....and more. I like my **** reliable. The guy said that he would put me in touch with the last owner if I wanted it. Seems legit. He just wants an S2000. I think he said he has only put on 3500 miles since he got it. Only thing done to it is he said it was chipped. But that was done before he got it. He did say too that he had to have a clutch put in it.

[Tornadored99.5gti]

I would get a nice all stock MK4 VR6 gti with low mileage and do things to it as you get the money.

[buguy]

Ive never seen a low mileage GTI besides this 1.8t im looking at.

[buguy]

I didnt want to start a new thread so I thought I would throw this in here. I found a nice 1991 8v GTI for a decent price. Any reason to stay away from these? Can a 16v head be put on this to make it better?

[furryrabbit84]

I LOVE 8vs they are great (a bit slow) if you want go-fast in an MK2 go for the 16v. However an 8v can be just as much fun with proper mods cam/exhaust ect. You'll want a digi-8v if you want to do a VR6 swap down the road or you'll also need the CE2 harness to make it work. I have an 8v (2.0) MK3 that I LOVE TO DEATH. I have owned it for 7 years with NO major issues. With a 276 tt cam/chip and exhaust it's as quick as a stock MK2 16v car.

[buguy]

How do you know if its digi or not?

[fabiancuc]

noice