donniep

Hi,

has any one got or driven a golf gti mk3? I'm thinking about getting one but haven't driven one yet.

Is there anything I should look out for?

Cheers

Turbo2

They were the worst ones that ruined the GTi reputation weren't they? All lardy and slow.

Anyway if you must have one, then read this:

Volkswagen Golf GTI MK3 (1992 - 1997) : THE GTi OF THE BEHOLDER - Yahoo! Cars UK

hodgy0_2

i had one -- very like that photo (Red 5 Dr 16v) after 10 years of a MK2 16v

my observations -- for what they are worth are

look better in 5 dr guise (unlike MK2)
much better (grown up) interior
rides very well (bit wollowey in the corners)
comfortable on the mway
sweet engine, pretty good mph
not the lariest car in the world -- but I enjoyed mine

The Chief

The 8 valves are crap but although i've not drove one the 16v are 150bhp and are actually not meant to be that bad - you just need to sort the suspension out.

SVVG

iTrader: (1)

My Mum has one of the last mark 3 8 valves which were shipped over before the Mark IV - and we've had it from new. Drive wise, it is slow (torquey low down - but that's it), heavy and wallowy. A 306 XSI from teh same vintage (let alone a GTi6) is far superior in every way save for build quality which is very good as it feels very solid a safe although rolls a lot).

Usual stuff on these tends to go - i.e. alarms and electric windows. Windows are usually about £60 for a regulator form a breakers - but if the plastic guides on the runners snap (which hold the window) you can swap these over with a manual window holder by clipping it onto the mechanism (if you get me....) and the manual mechanisms cost about £25 or so from a breakers. Other things like trim reflectors and th elike whcih seem to get pinced can be picked up from GSF pretty cheap.

Good build quality, safe and reliable - but not a great drive in my view.

Get one with aircon and maybe check out the 16 valvers.

chris singleton

Got a Mk 3 8valve as my dailer beater. I wanted a mk2 but couldn't find a decent one that hadn't been to the moon and back.

It is lardy and slow, but very torquey low down, can pootle around at 30mph in 5th. Handling isn't great but can still have fun on roundabouts as it doesn't have enough power to get you in trouble!

As above, window regs are a pain in the ****, I've had to change my drivers side 3 times.

Had a few problems with the fan on mine getting stuck on and it cooked the head gasket once also. That aside, it's been cheap motoring, got mine insured fully comp for £190.00 and servicing once a year is cheap as chips from an independent.

Had it about year and a half, ideally want to change for something like a 182 clio or civic type r but can't justify spending another £3k or so for something I use to do a 15 mile round trip each day.

If you can find a decent one, get a 16v but they are harder to come by.

Timwinner

iTrader: (3)

I have had a four in my time, As above if its a daily car then you cant fault them. The best part about them in my experience was no matter what happened you can fix it over a weekend with off the shelf pattern parts.
The only bad fault I had was an 8v one I had kept cutting out at traffic lights, It would take about 30 seconds to restart.
The other two in total gave me about 4 years trouble free motoring.

As with anything go for service history, look out for modded ones as a lot of people "tune" them on the cheap.
Knocking suspension and clicking CV joints are fairly common.
They are not massively oily cars by nature so the engine bay should be clean and there should be no smoke on start up.

hodgy0_2

a good little trick is to pull the sparkplugs leads off the plugs (on the 16v) if they are oily it means the rocker cover gasket is leaking -- cheap fix but looks horrible and to an uneducated seller looks really bad so you could negotiate a deal

TelBoy

Scarily similar to what i'd have written, right down to the Mk2 16v ownership beforehand. Spooky!

In my opinion the Mk3 got a bad press. Yes it was heavy compared to the Mk2 and especially the Mk1, but in 16v guise, with decent petrol, it was a faster car than either of its predecessors, the interior was in a different league, and the soft suspension, if that's not what you wanted, could easily be changed. I'd definitely recommend them if you can still find a good one. I can't remember any specific problems to look out for either.

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

It´s no Mk2

My Mk3 Gti I had a while back.
Nice build and still a nice old school feel compared to a modern car. But not a patch on the MK2s I have had. Agree with others coments on here. Gearboxes are the weak point...check it carefully. The 2.0l lump is pretty built proof if looked after OK. Parts from breakers are dirt cheap...thats a plus. Window regs - again tend to go..

Steve

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I nearly bought one a few years back, total pile of rusting turd, noticeably slower than the MK2, wobbly, ugly, total dissapointment but it was a poor example, try and find a sixteen valve if you really must. We had a normal 1.8 from new, that was even worse but it didnt cause any expectation with its badge.

Ash burton

My workmate has a 8v gti special edition (20 yr aniversary i think it has better interiour and 5stud wheels baisicly a vr6 running gear) sat on coilovers and its a great car, no impreza but still great for what it is
It was the mk4 that killed the gti with a n/a 2.0 untill the 150bhp 1.8t came out

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Nah, havign had 8 Golf's, the mk3 killed the GTIbrand for ages, the MK4 kept it dead, even the turbo (that wasnt much quiker than a mk2 8 valve and a whole lot less fun), it was only the MK5 when things started improving,