Battenberg
Part of things
Time for Cake....
Posts: 744
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May 15, 2015 11:30:54 GMT
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I have owned MK1, 2, 3 Gti's and the MK1 was the most memorable of the bunch as it was like a Go Kart, rotten as a pair, LHD and on German plates which meant you could drive it like you stole it!
Currently have a MK7 Golf R and i have to say as a piece of engineering it is phenomenal, but it is slightly aneasthetic in the fact it just dosn't do anything for me or make me look back at it like a Polish blond when I park it up.
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Current Fleet: 1968 Wolseley 1000 2022 BMW 430xd MHT Coupe 2007 L200 Animal - Dog walking transport 1998 318is Coupe 2007 Mini Cooper Supercharged 1989 BMW 530 - in storage
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May 15, 2015 11:36:45 GMT
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Seeing this: I guess he was going to type 77 or 78 golf in 1986?! Well, either that or...
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Last Edit: May 15, 2015 11:38:20 GMT by dbizzle
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,328
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May 15, 2015 12:02:26 GMT
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I will agree that they are pretty dull, not the best handling, not the best engines and boring to look at.... However in my car history of 6 ford sierras, 5 subaru legacys and countless stuff i cant even remember Ive owned 2 and don't regret them. The 1st one was an A reg 8V rally car bought unseen on ebay. It was basically a standard early GTI with a cage. Though it wasnt fast it had the ability to make you think you were doing warp speed due to its standard short ratio box. I loved this car because it just worked whether it was on the road or in a forest. The 16V golf is my current project(also bought unseen on ebay). It has no attributes of the 1st car. It didnt work when i got it. It still doesnt work properly. Ive had to removed the Kjet injection and fit carbs and the clutch exploded the last time i drove it. However I don't think badly of the car, just the clown who ruined the KJET, ruined the wiring loom, put the timing belt on the wrong tooth and bodged everything on the bloody car. What I'm trying to get at is its not the car thats boring its just the people and the scene culture. Its very similar to the Ford Rs owners club. My mate nearly murdered 2 of them for coming to look at his sierra cosworth he had for sale, not because they wanted to buy it, they just wanted to see the car, find out where it came from and who was selling it. I think you should try a nice standard ish mk2, not one thats been stanced, is entered into shows or thats photographed every week and posted on facebook. If I could afford to build my ideal rally car I would build an ae86, if i won the lottery I would buy an Ex works 3dr cosworth but i cant afford either of these so i stick with the golf i bought off ebay Standard mk2's do feel old, plain and relatively uninspiring to drive. I recently drove one in standard spec and I couldn't believe how dull it felt. It really did feel like a plain, old car. Stepping back into my mk2 was like stepping into a completely different breed of machine altogether, and I still look back at it when I park up. The solution is a decent engine upgrade so power:weight ratio is upped to a decent level (my vr6 makes ALL the right noises and is hugely addictive), widetrack conversion from a mk3, improved suspension setup and proper induction/exhaust upgrade. Mix that with a couple of personalised aesthetic tweaks, and you won't want to sell your Golf to anyone else.
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woodenspatulas
Part of things
Retro in ways you can't imagine
Posts: 448
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May 15, 2015 12:58:41 GMT
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I've always loved Mk1 Golf's from when I was a kid. My older cousin bought a GTI and it was rapid (at the time of course!) I remember it well, had a metallic blue front end as the old red panels had rotted out. We got stopped by the police once looking for a blue golf, until they saw the red back end and just let us go I would still like to own a MK1,2 or 3 to be fair. I currently have a non retro mk4 (still 15 years old now) tdi and its dull, dented, rusty and scratched. But its like an old dog that's half blind, got shaky back legs and occasionally pees on the carpet but you just cant part with it because its become part of the family!
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1999 Vectra Estate + 1995 Saab Engine = Good Times
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foldy
Part of things
Posts: 710
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May 15, 2015 15:25:43 GMT
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I've just bought my first Golf (though I've had two mk1 Caddy vans, and a mk2 Jetta), it's a mk4 GTI turbo, and I love it. It's a nice strong engine, fairly reliable (they do have a few niggles), it's only 150bhp but theres plenty more to ring out of it with a few choice mods. It's a pretty unassuming car, blends in completely, doesn't turn any heads, drives lovely, and the build quality is, well, German. But my, when you put your foot down does it make you smile!
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Last Edit: May 15, 2015 15:26:37 GMT by foldy
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May 16, 2015 17:32:46 GMT
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Never owned a Golf myself, but my old man does and I drive it quite often. It's a US import MK3 2.0 8v
I truly get why they are so popular. It's just a nice platform, blends in with society, drives well, pretty reliable and they have a HUGE aftermarket if you are into that. Parts are affordable, second hand parts market is also very big etc. And it it's quite easy to work on. We used to have Peugeots around here for the past 15 years and they were a pain in the ass to wrench on.
Where we sent the pugs out for stuff like replacing the clutch or timing belt. I don't mind doing those things on a Golf.
However I do fancy a clean mk2 or a mk3 similar to what we have now, I don't think I could get myself to buy one. For the price of a really tidy one there are loads of other nice cars that would have my preference over a Golf.
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Paul Y
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,948
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Borrowed my fathers mk1 gti Cab back in the dim and distant past as my car was being serviced (xr4x4 company car before you ask why I didn't service it myself!) Brought it home on the back of a wrecker when application of the brake pedal failed to result in the expected retardation of forward momentum.... Never driven, or wanted to drive one since. P.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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GOLF's, I just don't get it!Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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a lot of you are comparing them to cars that arent comparable, which i find a little odd.
the two most obvious comparisions, neither of which have been mentioned, would be the mk1/2/3 fiesta and the nova. or, if you think they're more polo sized, the mk3/mk4 escort and the astra. these were their main market competition at the time. all of which have comparable sporty models which is what people get excited about, but much poorer build quality and are worse for rust.
i suppose the third equivelent would be the 205. again, comparible engine options, cheap french build quality.
everything else in that size/price range was a much worse car, both on paper and in the flesh, no matter what factors you compare. the reason we arent swamped with fiat stradas, talbot horisons,lada samaras, etc, is they were curse word to start with, so no one bought them.
yes golfs can be a bit bland (they're designed to be....), and the brakes arent really good enough for hard driving, but as noted they're above average in all other factors, which for the discerning car buyer, generally makes them the best choice, especially when you throw in factors like resale value.
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Last Edit: May 17, 2015 8:35:46 GMT by Dez
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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GOLF's, I just don't get it!luckyseven
@luckyseven
Club Retro Rides Member 45
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The VW Golf I owned (mk3) was... terrible. I'd still have another one because Golfs are cool. ^This^ I owned a Golf. But if someone offered me a nice Mk1, Mk2 or original Caddy? Yup, I'd bite their arm off to swipe the keys. Lol. Not this. I owned a MkI but I had the misfortune to own it way back before Golfs were (apparently) cool. It was terrible in every regard and I hated it and its unreliability so much the next car I bought was a bike and I stayed on two wheels for ten years. I'd never own another Golf. They make me angry. The only thing that saves it from being the most unreliable vehicle it's been my misfortune to be associated with was the fact that the wife owned a Polo coupe that couldn't even make it up a hill without eating its head gasket. Between those two cars they did a damned fine job of exploding the VW myth of reliability for us. Never again. they only exist to prove that contrary to popular opinion, the Germans really do have an excellent sense of humour However, I love this thread because it proves that RR can provide a stimulating and interesting discussion without it being ruined by the positivity Nazis, and that simply expressing differing opinions need not be a negative thing. errrr.... except in my case . But I'm really not exaggerating. My next car after the Golf was a paragon of reliability and dependability in comparison. It was a Marina..... I was trying to find a pic of the Golf by way of apology but it appears it was so awful that not a single photo of it has survived
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May 17, 2015 10:30:04 GMT
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Golfs if GTi's i get but the one i cant is the O.A.P. shopper the volvo 300 series yes i could see the 480 being loved but not the 300
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Last Edit: May 17, 2015 10:31:30 GMT by shagracer
Please don't throw litter, take it home.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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GOLF's, I just don't get it!Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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May 17, 2015 10:36:38 GMT
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Golfs if GTi's i get but the one i cant is the O.A.P. shopper the volvo 300 series yes i could see the 480 being loved but not the 300 correct wheel drive, light, good handling, better weight distribution due to rear transmission and de-dion axle, various cheap bolt-in 150-200+ hp engine conversions from the renault stable. if you want more power and have more to spend pick a 360 with the volvo derived drivetrains, and the only limit to horsepower is your wallet. a fraction of the price of pretty much any other RWD motor. only really let down by the weak propshaft setup, but if you throw a bit of money getting that sorted properly, they're very capable cars.
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May 17, 2015 11:03:38 GMT
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I was far more impressed with the 205gti 1.9 I drove. Golf just seemed a bit boring (mk2), nice build for a small hatch, but rather clinical.
Hell I even liked my XR2 more...
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'98 e36 316i lux '97 mx5 harvard '87 Saab 900 T16s
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I get the appeal of an early mk1. The chrome bumpered ones look pretty and italianate . What I don't get is the love for the Mk2 at least from a looks perspective. It looks bland and frumpy. It's still passably good looking but its as if all the details that made the mk1 attractive have been toned down to the point where it's almost Japanese in its blandness.
I'm sure as an ownership prospect the Mk 2 would have had a lot to offer when new. But they're very old now so any residual reliability is long gone so whats left? Other cars are more fun to drive and others are better looking or both.
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Golfs if GTi's i get but the one i cant is the O.A.P. shopper the volvo 300 series Hahaha I have mk2 and mk3 golfs and a 360GLT
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Jun 10, 2015 19:43:56 GMT
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I live in ZA 11years ago the wife decided she wanted a Golf 1 so I bought a 2001 Citi Golf Shuttle 1.3 4 speed. I never knew I could hate a car so much. It was constantly blowing out the oil pressure sensor. The glove box lid would fall off if driven on a road with the slightest rough surface. Door handles would break if you looked at them. The distributior self destructed and melted. The rubber mountings for the carb kept tearing. After the wife got the car she began to hate it as well the boot was to small and if the car was parked in the sun you had to leave the bonnet open or it wouldn't start. It passionately became known as our Vee Trouble you shi#i golf. This car was a nightmare especially for a car with only 40 000kms on the clock. The perfomance you ask well show the car a slight gradient and you're in first gear revving the guts out of it with heavy duty trucks hooting at you and overtaking. After 4 months of ownership the wife begged me to sell it and buy another kadett. She didt need to ask twice and a couple of days later was the proud of a Opel Kadett GSE. Ask my wife if she would ever own a VW again and her answer is Hell No...... so do I get owning a Golf Hell No.........
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No my car is not modified its just had an update!!!!!!!
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,328
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Jun 10, 2015 20:00:48 GMT
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a lot of you are comparing them to cars that arent comparable, which i find a little odd. the two most obvious comparisions, neither of which have been mentioned, would be the mk1/2/3 fiesta and the nova. or, if you think they're more polo sized, the mk3/mk4 escort and the astra. these were their main market competition at the time. all of which have comparable sporty models which is what people get excited about, but much poorer build quality and are worse for rust. i suppose the third equivelent would be the 205. again, comparible engine options, cheap french build quality. everything else in that size/price range was a much worse car, both on paper and in the flesh, no matter what factors you compare. the reason we arent swamped with fiat stradas, talbot horisons,lada samaras, etc, is they were curse word to start with, so no one bought them. yes golfs can be a bit bland (they're designed to be....), and the brakes arent really good enough for hard driving, but as noted they're above average in all other factors, which for the discerning car buyer, generally makes them the best choice, especially when you throw in factors like resale value. Dez hits the nail on the head once again. The Golf was the market leader for a long time in terms of build quality and reliability, and this is evident in the fact that so many still remain to this day. Are they as exciting to drive as a Renault 5 turbo? Of course not, but there's every chance they won't dissolve the second it rains, or blow up when given a thrashing. I get the impression that some people reject Golfs instantaneously, purely because they are so popular. Drive one which has been breathed on a bit, then form an opinion.
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I get it, having owned a mk1 1.3, mk2 1.6, jetta mk2 1.8, mk2 1.3 and my current mk2 1.8 20vt, so get this, I've never owned a coveted 16v one and I still like them. People may say they're bland, but for me, I think there is something great about the design, in that you can see the progression, whenever you look at a golf its always familiar, you always feel you've seen one before. In that... you always go back to places you like and feel comfortable right? which is why VW don't change it up too much.
I like the fact the new ones have a golf ball gearstick like the mk1's, I like the red trim, I like the chequered seats, don't forget chequered shirts are in fashion at the moment. If the current Citroen DS was anything like the old one in terms of style, damn. When I was younger I was almost shaped by watching car shows on the TV, some of them were early episodes of American Hotrod and later Overhaulin', Chip Foose in other words, now realistically I should have been fixated on American Muscle, but as they are near unobtainium for a young english driver that was out of the question, then I learned this:
I listened to the advise of top gear, read articles in classic mags and my dad because he had them when he was younger, I'd seen the Peugeot 306 gti's and gtd's, the fiestas, mini's and novas he'd had, all of them went one way. To the scrapper, I even had a nova myself, stepped into a golf of the same age and was blown away by the difference in quality, from that moment on I'll never go back to "the competition" not to mention the fact that loads of people I know now have mk2's so we can all level on that.
Reliability is dependant on each different car, some are good some are bad - Depends entirely on the owners and servicing.
I'd say, the advertising has worked a treat on me. For us younger guys, it's that old VW's are seen as cool, symbols of freedom, literally and in expression, surfing's cool.. surfers have VW's surfing relates to skating, skating relates to BMXing pulling in yet more people, hippies and artists draw in the female variety. And then there is the exploration factor in that where ever you go in the world you will see a VW bus, what middle class kid doesn't want to go travelling? This is where VW is king. Owning a VW gives you a slice of that pie.
Oh and yes I have owned other cars that I can say almost as much about =)
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Jun 13, 2015 12:17:31 GMT
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MK2VR6 showing little snippets of your golf made me want to go have a look at your other posts in the hope that i might see what it looks like as a whole, and i must say that i kinda like how your golf looks to my un-initiated eyes, the less is more look, and very clean, I really like your headlights, what are they? Here's a few photos of a Golf i found on the internet that i thought was pretty darn cool... So then, it would appear that the Golf lovers, atleast in this post outnumber the haters by about two to one, which is to be expected really. As a non owner i must admit i've browsed ebay a couple of times on the lookout for a golf to try myself but what gets me is that they demand such high prices, and being rather tight fisted i don't believe that they're worth the money. I really fancy an early Caddy, i don't know how much they would resemble the Golf driving experience, but i figure that they're on the Golf running gear, and they look like a golf, so it pretty much going to be the same isn't it? Please correct me if i'm worng. But, if a regular Golf turns up cheaply enough, then maybe i'll jump on it and give it a go. The funny thing is i have a couple of cousins. One of them has a wife who loves golfs. Her first car was a golf, and it was terrible, it broke down all the time, then eventually failed the MOT in spectacular fashion. She followed this up with another golf, which was hoorendous and seemed to end up on the back of a recovery lorry after every journey. So she sold that, and bought another Golf, which failed the MOT every year on more and more things and became more and more unreliable. SO that got scrapped and she bought a newer golf, it was no better, breaking down every time she drove it for more than about an hour. This went on and on until she's now on her seventh or eighth golf. None of her Golfs have ever been any good, all have constantly broken down, and all have cost her more than the original purchase price to keep them alive during how ownership of them. Personally, and i've said this to my cousin, i believe that it MUST be the way that my cousins wife drives her car. No one has this amount of trouble with every single car she has, no one! I will accept that one or two might have been lemons, but not every one, seven or eight golfs in a row and not a good reliable one in their, not possible! Anyway, she's just scrapped her latest Mk4 Golf due to it being a bit rusty, failing the MOT, and using more oil than it would if it was a two stroke! What is she going to replace it with? Yep, another Golf, and this is because, as she told me, Golfs are cool! I dunno, with the run of bad luck she had with them, i reckon i'd try something else, see how long a non-golf would last! My feeling is that it wouldn't last any longer in her hands, but atleast it would look more conclusive that the problem is the squishy bit that sits behind the wheel with the lead lined shoes! Now, by contrast one of my other cousins is a sales girl who works in a big fancy Volkswagen/Audi dealership. She never has any trouble from her car, and drives thousands of miles a year in it. So what does she drive? A ten year old Mondeo! I asked her once why she drives a Mondeo when she works in a Volkswagen/Audi dealership, and she told me that it was quite simple, Volkwagens and Audis are overpriced rubbish! I told her that i thought she was being a bit hypocritical wasn't she. And she told me that although she thought the cars were rubbish, the company pays well lol... Can't argue with that i guess!
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8tee8
Part of things
Posts: 288
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Jun 14, 2015 21:14:33 GMT
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I've had two, a mk2 GTD and a mk1 caddy: They were easily the two least reliable cars I've ever owned. Of course reliability has as much to do with previous owners as original quality when we're talking about older cars, but personally I don't subscribe to the view that they're vastly superior to their contemporaries. They were and are built down to a price just like Fords, Vauxhalls etc, but have managed to maintain a shroud of reputation invincibility among the general public. That said, if you like a car people notice and react to positively, nothing comes close to a golf, except perhaps an aircooled VW...
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