worth 11 grand?

[sethlondon]

hey guys, i am interested in buying this car from a guy who lives nearby, do you think its a good deal? if not, why, and how much should i try and get it for

http://www.customobsessions.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=16480

[Mr_Diesel]

That car has a very desirable swap... the 1.8T. A local friend did this exact swap in a Montana green 92 GTI and he sold it for $14,000. If everything runs and drives well, I would say it's worth at least 11k... If you can afford it, go for it. That would be a very fast and fun car. The only problem with that car is you would need classic car or some kind of special insurance that will insure the full 11k... because as far as the insurance companies are concerned thats a golf worth $1,500 bucks.

[sethlondon]

i got in contact with him, he is concerned that this car may be too much for me considering im only 17. He said the standalone system ( replaces the ecu) is pretty complicated stuff. What do you think, i mean, i want that car really bad, but do i have to be car geek in order to be able to maintain it?

[Mr_Diesel]

If the car has good tuning you shouldn't need to mess with the ecu unless you decide to make drastic changes. Standalone fuel systems require a lot of tuning experience. The point of a stand alone fuel system is that you can make changes to the fuel maps and other such key points with a laptop. Any good tuning is usually done on the dyno at a tuning shop by mechanics with lots of experience and access to special tools/equipment.

People who have poured a lot of time, blood and sweat into projects have hard times selling their cars to other people who may or may not appreciate and respect the car. They won't sell them to teenagers because teens usually beat on the cars and don't know a whole lot about maintenance and care of a 1 of a kind car. (back in the day, myself included)

I am not directing this at you, but this is probably the reason he is hesitant. You just have to show him that you have the self control not to street race the car ( and possibly total it ) and that you know how to take care of it! Give it the maintenance it needs, keep it in a garage or carport and drive it around like it's gold.

There are only a handful of Mark 2 1.8T's in the world and it's worth having if you can handle it.

My $0.02

[sethlondon]

yeah i know what you mean.

ill be building a carport with my dad, but that comes to this issue: Is that a car i shouldnt be driving around in winter? i mean, of course id get winter rims and such, but would that be too hard onthe already-aged frame?

I already plan to grind off the rust thats around the gas tank lid and smooth it up with fibreglass ( al already did that to a trailer this summer, made it look brand new!), so that will take care of tthose rust bubbles.

he said he takes it out to the dyno track put on by JD racing and gets it tuned, so i guess i shouldnt have to do much then like you said.

Would it be my best interest to ALSO buy a thousand dollar beater vw just for the winter, and sell it to a new driver once spring hits and i can get the new one out?

thanks again for your help

[Mr_Diesel]

Definitely get a beater... Get a car of the same model and year and you can learn to work on VW's (and make the mistakes) on your beater instead. Granted the engine/transmission won't be the same but at least you can learn about the other things that occasionally pester Mark II Volkswagen owners.

I would get a beater for miles, not necessarily for winter. I think cars are meant to be driven and not garaged 6 out of 12 months. Just use common sense... Don't take the nice car out when there is ice or snow on the roads or days following a storm to avoid salt. Keep the car out of situations that could "end" the cars life. Leave that to your beater. Just be sensitive to the fact that there will be salt and extra potholes in the winter time. Wash the car frequently and drive accordingly.

In the winter time I take my cars through the automatic wash so that it will get the under carriage.