Realistic Budget?

[dereks 0]

Hi guys just joined enjoying rummaging around the forum.

 

Looking for a 1.9 gti to relive my youth, been looking around for something that needs a little tlc ideally little bodywork mainly something that needs a bit cosmetic and maybe a little mechanical appreciate these cars are 20 years + now.

 

Set my budget at around 1.5k is this a decent amount? Only been to see one already they seem a bit scarse up here in Scotland at the mo but it was a bit rough so left it.

 

Derek

[Richie 32]

I'd say decent 1.9 gti's are getting harder to find for £1500, but they're out there mate.

[mowflow 67]

Short answer.

You will struggle to find a 1.9 or even a 1.6 that needs little work at that price especially if you are restricting your search to Scotland. How often do you see them up here? There are hardly any.

 

Long answer.

I've recently purchased mine. I was looking for either a 1.6 or 1.9 with hopes of finding something that needed a little cosmetic and mechanical care for around the same budget as yourself. I also live in Scotland so fully understand how scarce they are up here.

 

You will be very very lucky to get anything close to you unless you are willing to accept anything in terms of condition. I ran wanted adds for a few months and only got offered half finished incomplete projects, dogs and right dodgy frankenstein mobiles (I also got offered 3 CTi's all of which were green 1.9's and every seller said they were very rare. Odd). On one occasion I stuck a note on a nice wee 1.6 that regularly parks near my office. The guy text back but wasn't selling and also informed me that the car was heavily modified which wasn't what I wanted.

 

I had one instance where I agreed a purchase of a 1.9 with a guy in Aberdeen for £1200. It needed a bit of rust sorting around B pillars etc and was generally a bit scabby on the cosmetic side. The day before i went to collect he text me (didn't even have the courtesy to phone) to say he'd sold it to someone else for closer to £2k. I viewed so many cars within a 150 mile radius that were either heaps, mismatched model/engine that the owner could tell me nothing about, dodgy conversions, half hearted track slags or in one case a CAT C that the owner denied any knowledge of (car was as bent as a paper clip).

 

Unfortunately i'm not a patient person. So things came to their natural conclusion and I bought a 1.6 needing way more body work than I initially wanted (fools rush in and all that). The upside is it was a good bit less than my budget. i did have to travel 300 miles to get the car. Plus side is it got me home no bother.

[notamondayfan 44]

I think if you have patience then £1500 should get you a gti. You can still get bargains, especially non runners, and often 205s will appear in ads in local papers.

 

Ebay is also a good spot to look, but don't go bidding, just turn up with cash and get it bought, as buyers won't want some d*ck on ebay bidding and then not showing up.

[dereks 0]

_{thanks for the advice guys...}

 

_{well today out the blue i was pointed in the direction of one locally sitting on a drive with a for sale sign on it.}

 

_{its a 88 1.9 in black first inpressions it was a little tatty but no to bad here's what i found with quick look.}

 

_{its done 125000}

_{rust - back of the sills both sides coming through, inner wings on the surface,little bit bottom of the a pillar and tailgate bubbling under the screen couldnt get into the boot to check the floor lock not working.}

_{arch trims some held with screws,bumpers a bit cracked.}

_{needs a cluch but runs pretty good no smoke.}

_{thoght one of the back wheels looked a wrong no sign of rubbing guy said he had thought it had the axle changed}

 

 

_{few other odds and ends the rest of the paint was good no laquer peel the car has been lying unused for a while so has no mot its definately a project with only the bodywork my main concern.}

 

_{the price? £500 but there is movement}

 

_{going to sleep on it desisions eh!}

oops sorry about the text!

Edited June 7, 2013 by dereks

[mowflow 67]

It's unlikely that someone's neglected the body work and kept the mechanical maintenance up to scratch so it may be an idea to expect everything else to need a certain amount of attention.

 

I would say at 500 it's got to be worth a punt if you are prepared to do a bit of work.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Sounds about right for the money. Expect to have to replace, rear beam, wishbones, drop links, driveshafts, wheel bearings, steering rack, engine hoses, radiator.

After you have done that it should be OK....

[dereks 0]

It's had quite a bit done to it recently battery and alternator it is owned by an older couple who are fairly well off they have kept it for sentimental reason more than anything 3rd car but its been fairly idle for a couple of years. Going to try and get it for 300! If its to much for me to do wont be hard to flip it on.

[dereks 0]

To late it's gone !!'

[mowflow 67]

My experience was that shaby ones for sub 700-800 didn't hang about. It's in that zone where certain buyers can take a punt and not lose any sleep if it turns out to be nothing more than an over sized paper weight.

[dereks 0]

They sold it for 400 not fussed as it was a risk think it was the excitement of one so close, I'm prepared to travel if need be got my eye on 2 just now on the bay one can't be further away a Miami blue one in Ipswich and a white one in manchester if anyone is surfing please have a look thoughts appreciated!

[mowflow 67]

Think I saw the white one on scum tree. 1200, not much info in the ad and pics don't really show any of the problem areas. I am sure I can see a rusty sill and I could be mistaken but possibly rust on the inner wing to the left of the jack. Either that or its really dirty which I doubt.

 

Be sure to hpi anything. I wouldn't be to put off a car that had been crashed or stolen 10 years ago but I'd want to know and pay accordingly.

[dereks 0]

Think I saw the white one on scum tree. 1200, not much info in the ad and pics don't really show any of the problem areas. I am sure I can see a rusty sill and I could be mistaken but possibly rust on the inner wing to the left of the jack. Either that or its really dirty which I doubt.

Be sure to hpi anything. I wouldn't be to put off a car that had been crashed or stolen 10 years ago but I'd want to know and pay accordingly.

It's also on eBay with a lot more info,seems to have quite a lot done. Noticed the drivers sill looked rusty also so sent a message yesterday asking about it and any other common rust areas no reply yet though.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Perhaps it was fate.

 

Had you paid £400 for it yesterday, you would have easily thrown the other £1100 at it to sort the mechanicals and a little bit of bodywork - so no doubt there IS a car out there for you in equal or better condition to crack on with for £1500

 

They certainly are out there.

[dereks 0]

Perhaps it was fate.

Had you paid £400 for it yesterday, you would have easily thrown the other £1100 at it to sort the mechanicals and a little bit of bodywork - so no doubt there IS a car out there for you in equal or better condition to crack on with for £1500

They certainly are out there.

Think your right, with a budget of £1500 to buy one at £400 is really not buying what I'm looking for. The car is going to be a weekend toy /hobby I'm wanting a car I can improve over time but don't have the time/ability for a major restoration.

[kilauea 7]

I used to feel the same way about restoration being beyond my abilities, but I've surprised myself over the years. I'm still a bit green but having tackled brakes, head gasket and belts, electrics and various bits and pieces your confidence grows a bit with every job done.

 

I've got a bay window vw bus too, and in comparison, the 205 looks an easy and cheap resto. Not that there is anything hard about the bus and the engine dropping out makes life a lot easier, but there is so much more of it, parts are much harder to find, parts are expensive and storing the thing is a pain.

 

I can see the 205 becoming the mgb of the future. A (very) practical classis to restore and run. I'm heading down that route now rather than the track direction it was heading in. 8v, standard and tidy.

 

As for rust. I've not seen many terminaly rusty pugs but I've seen lots of unbelievably bad vw's which have still been brought back from the brink. I've got a few spots of rust to sort out on the pug, but nothing like what I've got to sort out on the bus. If I don't do the welding myself I'm looking at about £3-5k in bodywork alone. Imagine the 205 you'd buy with that!

[dereks 0]

I used to feel the same way about restoration being beyond my abilities, but I've surprised myself over the years. I'm still a bit green but having tackled brakes, head gasket and belts, electrics and various bits and pieces your confidence grows a bit with every job done.

 

I've got a bay window vw bus too, and in comparison, the 205 looks an easy and cheap resto. Not that there is anything hard about the bus and the engine dropping out makes life a lot easier, but there is so much more of it, parts are much harder to find, parts are expensive and storing the thing is a pain.

 

I can see the 205 becoming the mgb of the future. A (very) practical classis to restore and run. I'm heading down that route now rather than the track direction it was heading in. 8v, standard and tidy.

 

As for rust. I've not seen many terminaly rusty pugs but I've seen lots of unbelievably bad vw's which have still been brought back from the brink. I've got a few spots of rust to sort out on the pug, but nothing like what I've got to sort out on the bus. If I don't do the welding myself I'm looking at about £3-5k in bodywork alone. Imagine the 205 you'd buy with that!

Love the dub buses! I have never done a resto on a car so anything is a bit daunting. I have a basic mechanical skills from my 20 years in the trade so happy to have a bash at these things,it's really the bodywork I don't fancy I know some will probably have to get done but I wouldn't know where to start so will end up me paying someone to do it.

 

I'm also not in a rush to find one its a busy time for me business wise so hopefully the right one will come along at right time.

 

The 2 I mentioned above- white one gone,blue one not heard from the seller the good ones that are well priced don't hang around long!!

[mowflow 67]

Apart from the odd relatively simple mod and service I've never successfully managed to do anything on a car. I say successfully because I've had a few unsuccessful attempts at brakes, suspension etc.

 

My car was usable when I got it with a few known bodywork issues. Main one being a big hole in one inner wing. I was going to get someone to fix it but after reading all the info on here and a few other forums I've decided to do it myself. It's just as well because I've since discovered a hell of a lot more so it would have cost a bomb.

 

Had a first bash with a welder a few weeks back and it's not so bad. Hard to do well (my welds look like thrown porridge) but not impossible to do. Compared to modern cars these things are relatively easy to work on, parts are still available and they are reasonably priced in my opinion. The biggest problem I'm having is everything being rusted solid. A blow torch and a years supply of WD40 is helping with that.

 

I guess it's easy for an idiot like me to do the work if the car isn't a daily driver. It's no real hassle when you can take a week to take a bumper off. Car should be finished by 2020.

Edited June 10, 2013 by mowflow

[Ian205 3 1 Cars]

i would'nt go jumping at the first 1.9 i see for little momey,,i bought my 1.6 for 600 euro, i realise your talking different curruncies but you get the idea... needed a little TLC fair enough. i'm after putting a about 1k into it already easily and have worked out that theres atleast another 1k to get it on the road.

 

although parts may be be still functioning etc some may need rejuvenation such as new radiator and things as yov said there an old car now still running on original parts!

 

i'd wait and be patient..put a little more in the kitty and buy a descent one

[notamondayfan 44]

Love the dub buses! I have never done a resto on a car so anything is a bit daunting. I have a basic mechanical skills from my 20 years in the trade so happy to have a bash at these things,it's really the bodywork I don't fancy I know some will probably have to get done but I wouldn't know where to start so will end up me paying someone to do it.

 

I'm also not in a rush to find one its a busy time for me business wise so hopefully the right one will come along at right time.

 

The 2 I mentioned above- white one gone,blue one not heard from the seller the good ones that are well priced don't hang around long!!

 

If your in no rush, and want to avoid bodywork, you'll eventually come across a non-runner. I'm much like you, I'd prefer to get stuck into the mechanical side rather than bodywork.

[Ramigojag 19 1 Cars]

patience is the key there are ones out there just right probably forgotten about hidden in a garden, garage, shed, barn whatever i managed to pick up a pretty tidy one only in need of the engine being put back in and minor cosmetic work for £500

[notamondayfan 44]

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=149246 ?

 

I know it's a distance to travel, but it's drivable so get the train down and drive back?

[dereks 0]

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=149246 ?

 

I know it's a distance to travel, but it's drivable so get the train down and drive back?

 

cheers got pointed to this yesterday so have started some dialogue.