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Topic: Buying my first mk2 (Read 685 times) previous topic - next topic

Buying my first mk2

So I'm looking to buy my first mk2 golf. This will be my first classic car and second car overall. I'm really just looking for price recommendations. The one I'm looking at at the minute is £2200 and I've looked at it and given it a test drive. Seller told me the lowest they'd go is £1900 but it's got a few issues:
-Three doors (front and back drivers side and front passengers side) are a bit janky, either having to be jiggled or opened from inside
-Surface rust in boot and around the battery
-Seals will need replaced
-Clutch is rather heavy
-Choke panel pulls out with the choke

I've been looking at buyers guides online and have seen mostly £1200-£1800. It has 117,000 miles on the clock. Any recommendations or advice?

Thanks

Re: Buying my first mk2

Reply #1 –
Hi are you looking at a non GTI or GTI, 8/16v?
National Meet - 18-20 July 2025 @ Curborough Sprint Course

Re: Buying my first mk2

Reply #2 –
Hey, it's a non GTI thanks

Re: Buying my first mk2

Reply #3 –
I will throw in my 2pennysworth. when looking at any car always check the condition of the bodywork. IE floor pans, front chassis rails ,wheel tub's. taking extra car around drive train mounting points the problem you have is the mk2 is at its earliest is 34 years old so corrosion is a major issue.rhere are still decent mk2 golfs out there but there are plenty that a rotten and bodged up try to find one with as fewer owners as possible.bodywork is very expensive to repair to a decent standard so that would be my number one concern.Good luck

Re: Buying my first mk2

Reply #4 –
it is a bit like the estate agent's mantra - location, location, location only in this case it is bodywork, bodywork, bodywork!!!

It's 'easy' to fix mechanicals but not so easy to fix bodywork. Don't get me wrong you can fix bodywork but it tends to be a bit of a 'money pit'.

Re: Buying my first mk2

Reply #5 –
Before i purchased one, late last year. Had been watching the market within a 100 mile radius to me for quite sometime, i felt if you had £5000 your options were reasonable, £2000 you had slim pickings. My honest opinion was, i didnt want to be 5k deep in a piece of rubbish, alot of them pull you in with the shiny body work, expensive looking wheels, Vr6 engines, bam, or even LOW MILES, but when you look closer at these 5k cars, they all had the same common thing, going to make enemery of myself here, but its what i call a dubbers car. Owned by people that think they know best an carry out the work to a very poor standard, many parts missing, or just not working. an very well hidden things, becuase our eyes turn into the common magpie's eyes. When you then compare them to unpolished 2k cars you start to question. Least i did, is it worth buying a halfway car, by which i mean. 10k cars are all in a league of there own, in my school of thoughts, an the imposters stand out at that price range.

thats not to say all 5k cars should be branded this way, as i never personally viewed them all, let alone found more then one, that i should of ripped the sellers arm of at the time "do i still regret that, i think i do" but a 2k car i feel offers more then the 5k, becuase its more honest, the scars are all clear, you expect faults, your kinda ok with the dubber doing what they done to it, becuase a well selected 2k car is a better base to work from, you have 3k in your pocket to install the any parts you really want and correctly, not dubbed.

you say you seen golfs much cheaper @£1200 plus, the market for them where you are, could well be that much lower, how ever from what i seen there all non mot cars, where at least at 2k, your going to be or most likely buying a mot'd car which is rolling project, and sorry to who it offends "honestly not saying it to upset anyone or debate it, just my thoughts", but 5k cars all seem to be expensive project cars to me

so as above has already said, but id like to add, you really need to be looking for as a little rust as possible, rather then rot becuase thats got to be a stright no. Becuase thats a headache. rust on the surface is not brillant, but your chasing paint at that point not chasing metal. then i would chase complete orignal, rather then someones project they didn't finish. How ever this is just my school of thought when i was appraoching buying a gti, which turned into a diesel version, a few days later that gti turned up on my door step, so i brought that an all lol. Just sorting out a few gremlins, before i sell at a loss the 1st one i expect, but i'd like to think ive put right a few things the dubber did wrong, an im happy with that

Re: Buying my first mk2

Reply #6 –
I bought my son a 1991 Driver in October 22 for £3200.  It was a two owner car and had been dry stored for 20 years.  It came with an MOT.  It was a very solid car with minimal rust, low miles (77k), and in reasonable shape mechanically.  But as it was going to be my sons first car I went through it mechanically from front to back to make sure it was reliable.  I've probably spent £1500 on it, give or take, but it was a very good base to work on so I considered it worth it.  The most important thing is rust, ie buy the least rusty car you can find.  Avoid a car with any rust around the rear axle mounts, rear filler flap, rear arches and sills.  You can spend a fortune fixing these areas and it will cost you more to fix them than buying a decent one in the first place.  All mechanical issues can usually be fixed for reasonable money, if you can do it yourself, as most parts are readily available.  And dont be put off buy how far away it is.  I trailered ours from Peterborough all the way back to Edinburgh.  It was worth the hassle to get a rot free car.