One of my friends is considering one of these and a car to have a bit of fun in, he wants reasonable poke/performance, good reliability and something which isnt going to depreciate like a stone.. as he's getting p/o'd with cars costing him lots of money in depreciation and running costs which is something I can relate to, although not to the same extent of recent.

I am aware that these cars are pretty soft as standard, but a lot of the ones around seem to already have that sorted out with a full suspension kit fitted as a replacement to standard stuff.

- Are there any areas that are 'known' to go in these cars that would need special checking on a viewing of a potential car??
- What are these like to live with day to day, reliable or a headache??
- Are there certain years or manufacture that are 'better' than others??
- What other alternatives are there out there??


Cheers,
Grant

 

Im not sure they fit the bill as a drivers car tbh. What is his budget?

 

Budget is around 2.5k give or take a few hundred quid depending on how keen he is on the car... I'd say absolute maximum is likely to be £3000.

I assumed that with a proper aftermarket suspension set-up the VR6 would give a pretty fun drive.. it isnt likely to ever be right up there with a big V6 up front though.


Cheers,
Grant

 

Spend more and get a Corrado VR6. About a gazillion times better than the Golf and, if in good condition and kept that way won't depreciate.

Either that or go for a MK2 16v. Also better than the golf VR6 and again, kept in good condition won't depreciate.

 

Very good advice! Nuff said!

 

It would be if they were'nt £5k for a decent one that does'nt have 100k+ miles on them. People are advertising them for stupid money and people seem to be buying them.

 

Maybe that proves how good they are then ?

 

For 2.5 grand Id buy a nissan 200sx S14a. Like the VW's reccomended above they are only going up in value

 

just be carefull with the earlier vr6's.they are know for having a porous head and will need head gasket and skimming work done.i had this problem on mine plus seen the same with a few others.cost me around 400 quid to sort 8 years ago.
saying that great cars! but go for the corrado,buy the right one and you'll never lose money on it plus it has better build quality

 

I never said they weren't but the original poster said he had £2.5k, so

 

That's why I suggested a MK2 16v Golf. Better than the MK3 VR6.

 

Fight fight fight

 

Have to disagree mate!!! I kno Mk2's have got bagz of character n all that, but id much rather a clean mk3 VR6. Had a bit in/with both (mates cars) & i prefer the VR. In the end tho, its all down to personal opinion.

 

I prefer the mk3 16v, which isn't far off the VR6 in a straight line, and better in the bends. better value too, and VR6 engines can get v. expensive to fix

 

The VR6s have a weak plastic pipe at the back of the engine within the cooling system. A common upgrade is to an aftermarket alloy one.

 

Owned all three of these
So ...The VR6 a good engine. Very quick off the mark. Too front heavy and as standard a very poor performance car as the rest of the set up - the brakes etc etc are not up to the job. If you can find one that has had money thrown at it in the right places - the suspension and brakes - then it might be worth it.
The Mk3 16v is the pick of bunch when it comes to the Mk3s.
But the good old Mk2 is the pick of the bunch. If you can find a really well looked after 8v. Then that is where the cheap, bullet proof fun is to be had.
A great drivers car. Better built than anything you will find on the road today. Classic status. And generaly cheap as chips to keep on the road.

So after owning and driving them all. The Mk2 gets my vote
Steve