1978 VW Golf MKI

[GTA3Freak-2001]

My 17 year old brother has come accross a job that requires him to have his own car and he needs it within the month to secure the job. We've had a look and atm he's(well more like we, we being the rest of the family since he's not paying for it) looking at a 1984 ET Pulsar for 3k in the trading post website.

 

I would link to the actual page its on but the trading post doesn't allow linking to pages for some reason, the guy has it listed as a Nissan Pulsar GTiR which isn't right since I am pretty sure 84' ET's didn't come in GTiR form so I put it down to the guy naming it a GTiR due to the slight tuning he's done to the car. Its also listed as a urgent sell so that could be a worry, but hey who knows.

 

He's the listing for it:

1984 Nissan ET Pulsar Hatchback, pearl white paint, worked internals, T25 Turbo, body kit, white and blue leather interior, 15" mags, full exhaust, turbo timer, and 3 months reg left.

 

 

Its a private seller so this is no definite thing, we are going to look at it tomorrow. Anyone got any comments on if its a good car, what to look for, price, anyone owned one?

[Dup]

Anyone selling under fals badges/name I would stay clear from, but that's a personal view.

 

The spec however seems promising. It seems to be well tuned and the body looks well looked after for an '84 car. Such car running a T25 Garrett Turbo will also need some good regular maintenance and has the potential to be lethally quick too.

 

He can always drop the boost down on the turbo timer or have it limited on the ECU untill he's more capable. It depends on how you and your family see him as a driver and whether you feel he can handle it and sensibly.

 

As for the price I cannot comment not being from Aus. If your bother is in to cars then it'll be a great invesment as a project as well as a work horse. If not, something a little more sedate would be better in my opinion.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

The job he's getting is a mechanical based job in a caryard, he's also doing a traineeship type thing in mechanical engineering so yes he's wanting to get into that sort of area but still he isn't what you'd call a car maniac. He likes cars, but isn't really someone who wants to keep modifying the car for performance and race the damm thing although at that age its possible it will lead to that once he gets a taste of driving.

 

About the false badge thing, if the guy didn't actually list the ET as the model as well as the GTiR then I would be probably telling my family and brother to look elswhere. I mean to me that tells me he isn't intentionally trying to fool people.

 

 

[Dup]

If this is the case I can see it as being a decent investment. You might want to ask here about the car, what to look for and prices etc.

 

Have you any alternatives you're looking into?

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Well this may sound silly but this is the first one my brother has shown us, so to tell you the truth I think he's seen it and only seen the good things such as it being a non-stock modified vehicle for his first car.

 

The only reason we are looking at a car for him is that apprantly the guy offering him the job has said that he won't hire him if he doesn't own a car. Firstly the guy said my brother needs his license which is fair enough given he will be needing to move cars around but to say that a car is needed seems a bit strange when many students in Australia don't own cars and manage alright. Thing is we don't know if the guy actually said this and its possible my brother is telling porkies just to get a car. We really can't afford to buy him a car you see but we also want him to get a job so its a really tough decision. Factor in that my father has no involvement with the family so my mother is doing this on her own and I am the cloest thing to support for her means this is tougher then the norm.

 

So an investment isn't really what we are looking for its a car that gets him a job, gets him from A to B costing the least amount of money at the same time. Being that the car has a turbo and worked internals, how much will that effect the fuel economy compared to a stock ET? We really don't know, having never dealt with modified cars how it effects things besides making it go faster.

[Cran.]

Well, obviosuly the turbo is going to suck fuel, but by how much..

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Yeah the guy said it really should be run on Premium because of the Turbo so yeah it will be a bit more. So yeah we checked it out and apart from a few normal problems for a car of 22 years old its great. A friend did however tell me that the ET never came in a 5 door so its a fake ET but then I can't work out what model it is then as the GL is the next one up and it looks nothing like this one.

[Dup]

On my search I have seen dozens of aussie 5 door ET Turbos! Maybe only the non-turbo dosen't comes in 3 door.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Ok scrap the Pulsar, interior was shocking and the guy said its probably not legal as far as its modifications go, that and the fact that my brother does not need a hotted up hatch yet but rather a vehicle that will get him a job and get him to and from said job. What we have found is a 1978 VW Golf MKI which would make it a Series II for 1200 bucks, the guy who owns it is part of a VW Golf Club and so he's looked after it. Only needs new back tyres and to be registered.

 

I personnaly like Golfs and from what I've read they are great cars but are they really that great?

[Cran.]

Should be a bucket load of fun, and should be in decent condition as you said. Although, being a german car, parts could be expensive/hard to find.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

 

Should be a bucket load of fun, and should be in decent condition as you said. Although, being a german car, parts could be expensive/hard to find.

I guess the trade-off with it having more expensive parts when things go wrong is that it will be more reliable right(compared to a Japanese car)? Apprantly the guy is the only owner its ever had so that's a plus. He said its got a tiny bit of rust but you'd expect that in a 1978 vehicle. Only needs two new rear tyres and from what I've seen most Golfs of that age are around 3 grand so $1200 is great.

[NismoBNR32]

Should be a bucket load of fun, and should be in decent condition as you said. Although, being a german car, parts could be expensive/hard to find.

I guess the trade-off with it having more expensive parts when things go wrong is that it will be more reliable right(compared to a Japanese car)? Apprantly the guy is the only owner its ever had so that's a plus. He said its got a tiny bit of rust but you'd expect that in a 1978 vehicle. Only needs two new rear tyres and from what I've seen most Golfs of that age are around 3 grand so $1200 is great.

You probably should take this as advise, since I hate Golfs, but I cannot think that a Golf is more reliable than a Japanese car, sure, probably it's more reliable than a turbo tuned car, if I would be in your place, I would be looking for an 80's Corolla most likely, since it has the title of being the most reliable car (the Corollas in general) .

Oh and the reason I hate Golfs is that in Croatia they are literary everywhere! For example, I can bet that atleast 50 % of all cars in my town are Golfs, mostly the MK3's, and I know for dozens of them that had either transimissons replaced or rebuilt, my godfather's MK3 had an engine rebuilt after it was just like 8 years old, and that is kinda not expected since Golfs in Croatia are known for their "quality and reliability", IMO it's just a mith, since in days the Croatia was a member of Yugoslavia, the Golf was the most affordable foreign car, since they had some kind of rules that cars that aren't built in Yugoslavia were very hard and expensive to import, and since Golfs were also made in Sarajevo, city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which in that time was also part of the Yugoslavia, Golfs were considered as the "Yugoslavian" cars of some sort... Since in that time most people were driving Zastava cars like Zastava 101, Zastava 128 or Zastava 650, (also there were the 750 and 850 versions) the qualitiy of the Golf was alot higher than the one of those Zastava cars, so that the myth about the "quality and reliable" Golf was made

 

This above about the myth of Golf is how I see it from my point of view

[Retroactive]

Woah they have volkswagen golfs in Australia?

They are good cars, but they are like mushrooms here in Holland.

Every street has a volkswagen golf.

 

 

[Jay]

Woah woah woah hold the phone. Last time I checked your bro was a pathetic emo tryhard, has he picked himself up or something? Given some direction, some desire?

 

Sheesh.

 

Anyways, its one thing to pick up one of those cars for 3k (which isnt bad, yo) but the insurance and petrol costs long term would rape you hardcore, it was a good decision to pass, even if it was legal and had good interior.

 

Still, your brother is a douche. I just know

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Yeah he's still all those things and the only reason we are even looking at a car is because a job he's gotten requires him to have a car which I think is a load of crap. Yes he needs a license for the job but to own a car is a bit crazy, thing is he seems to be a good driver form the lessons he's been doing but still he's got problems.......major problems. Half the trouble is that any car that is a good price and decent condition we find he says no I don't want that, its a gay/girly/non-modified pos car. He's not keen on the Golf only because he's seen a 73 Celica that he'd prefer. He does not need a modified car, its that simple.

 

So again I'll run another car by you guys, as I said its a 1973 Toyota Celica TA22 LT I think. Apprantly has a new engine in it, what "new" means I am not sure, suspension isn't stock its been worked on and it has a yellow paintjob that is not standard. Its $3,500 which imo is alot for a 73 car so it tells me we would be paying for the modifications which are not exactly needed. The interior from what I hear is in bad shape so to me its a bad buy. Then again could $1,200 be too cheap for a Golf, meaning there's something wrong with it?

 

EDIT: We got the Golf, finally convinced my brother that he needs a basic car and that's exactly what it is. The guy said he's removed the sound system to put in his new car so we've bought a new sound system which funnily enough cost more then the car we are talking amp, sub, speakers, the whole thing.

[Jay]

Freakypants, in SA you'd never get insurance on that sorta thing. And if you did, the yearly rate (for anything decent, say conprehensive) would be a massive percentage of the actual value of the car.

 

I was looking at a 90' Celica last year for my first, it was crazy cool and for 3.5k it was amazing, but the insurance for me would be another 3.5k on top o that every year. Sure, a lot of people put it under their parents names and drive it, but if you crash or ding it, you get assraped hardcore for the rest of your life. To categorise a car as "sports" all they need is any modification (not even on the engine) or a spoiler of any kind, so to get around that is tough as.

 

You did the right thing, just give your bro a slap in the back of the head for being such a douchebag.

[Cran.]

Actually, with people just putting their car under their parents names, it can work that way. My brother is an un-disclosed driver, so if he crashes, my dad's premium just goes up and that's it. Although, wouldn't be bad if he did get ass-raped on his insurance for life though!

 

He would have been crazy to take the Celica over the Golf though. $3.5k is crazy for a 33 year old car, especially just a silly ricer celica. What other cars did you look at? I'd be interested to see what he called gay/girly/non-modified pos

[Duders]

Ahhh a Mk1 Golf Gti/ They're one of the finest Golfs out there (even better than the mkv imo). That wasnt bad after all sseeing old VWs are quite reliable.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Yes regarding insurance, Just Car Insurance have quoted about $1600 for a car that's worth $1200 but I guess first time young drivers get raped with insurance. And that doesn't includ the sound system

 

@Cran - Yeah about the cars my bro considered girly, Hyundai Excel, Mitsibishi Mirage, Holden Barina, Mazda 121, Daewoo Lanos, Ford Laser etc. Granted most of those are crappy and/or chick cars so he had a point.

 

Pics when we get it, we've bought it but for the moment the seller has agreed to keep it in their garage until we register and do all that stuff.

[Cran.]

Ouch. $1600 bucks. That's bad when you think about it, with Shannons it would cost $2100 to insure my brother and his 944, and that's an expensive german car which wont be cheap to fix. I'd be searching around with insurance, $1600 doesn't seem right.

 

Personally, i'd find a Barina, Mirage, 121 or Laser (rest are teh rubbish) to be prefectly fine cars, it's a first car, you dont need something to pose in, you need something practical and reliable. Your brother is such a stupid emo kid

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Ouch. $1600 bucks. That's bad when you think about it, with Shannons it would cost $2100 to insure my brother and his 944, and that's an expensive german car which wont be cheap to fix. I'd be searching around with insurance, $1600 doesn't seem right.

 

Personally, i'd find a Barina, Mirage, 121 or Laser (rest are teh rubbish) to be prefectly fine cars, it's a first car, you dont need something to pose in, you need something practical and reliable. Your brother is such a stupid emo kid

Yeahh I mean for a FREE first car there's nothing wrong with a Mazda 121 or Excel just as long as it ain't bright pink with purple colour coded trim for the purpose of dignity. We said to him that once he gets the job and earns money he can ditch it and buy his own car of choice.

[Cran.]

I guess all the ricer d00ds get along fine with their Excels, so he could rice the sh*t out of it and look cool!

[Mega]

Who changed the title ????!!!!!!!!!!

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Finally snapped some shots of it, that is after we had all the non-existent mechanical problems fixed which the owner failed to mention. CV Joints were shot, choke was shot, brakes were faulty, clutch had it. So after about 2k's worth of work its finally road worthy and running well. The brown stuff is not rust btw, its a bit of mud after a session in a field.

 

 

Down the track my brother wants to turn it into a GTi replica

[Cran.]

2 grand worth of work? Would have been cheaper to buy a Mk1 GTi!

 

I'll be looking out for UHH - 646

[GTA3Freak-2001]

Well we did pay $1200 for it so all in all its cost nearly 3k whereas from what I can see most GTi's of that year are about 4k+.

 

And yeah if you see that number plate you should probably head in another direction, actually he's not a bad driver YET

[Cran.]

Mk2 GTIs go for about 4-5grand though.

 

 

James memorises numberplate

 

If he sees VNX-001, he should expect to be in for a long, long, slow ride

[fuckindumass]

Heh, his first car. Check his oil weekly. When it gets 1 quart (or liter) low, kick him in the ass and tell him 'even f*ckindumass checks the oil'

[Jay]

I'll be looking out for UHH - 646

Heck man get with the times, I know where they live.

 

Yes, insurance is always a whore. My mate who drives that 13k Beemer had it under his parents policy, so when he crashes it (when, not if) he'll f*ck up their no claim bonus and have to pay the overhead. You cant win.

 

My aunt works for RAA and she saw my car and instantly told me it was uninsurable with my sound system. Good thing my dad has connections within the insurance firm otherwise I'd have no coverage at all.

 

In this state, it is cheaper to insure a BA GT Falcon than a 1990's Swift that has been modded. wtf?

 

Your brother is still and always will be a douchebag Freakeh.

[Cran.]

I'll be looking out for UHH - 646

Heck man get with the times, I know where they live.

 

Yes, insurance is always a whore. My mate who drives that 13k Beemer had it under his parents policy, so when he crashes it (when, not if) he'll f*ck up their no claim bonus and have to pay the overhead. You cant win.

 

My aunt works for RAA and she saw my car and instantly told me it was uninsurable with my sound system. Good thing my dad has connections within the insurance firm otherwise I'd have no coverage at all.

 

In this state, it is cheaper to insure a BA GT Falcon than a 1990's Swift that has been modded. wtf?

 

Your brother is still and always will be a douchebag Freakeh.

I'm not one to stalk

 

That's just f*cking retarted.. A BA GT costing less to insure than a modifed swift? No point in having a stupidly expensive/fast car when you're young. You can't drive it fast, and if you get caught you'll pay through the nose and you'll be put on that restricted P if you do something bad enough I believe.. Can't get it insured since your unexperienced, etc.

 

Only point I can see in having a fast car is if you go to track days alot. But alas, you have to buy track insurance if you want to be insured for that.