Project Dave does a stupid thing and buys another bleeding golf.

[DaveDorson]

...

 

So I've mentioned before now a few times that I've got waaay too many cars, most of which are broken.

The sensible thing to do is just sack off what I have and buy something sensible.. more on that between now and the new year, because Mondeo.

 

However, this isn't about this is it.

 

Remember that 320k mile golf I bought and replaced all the brakes on?, well I gave that away because I got offered another one.

 

This one is a TDi 90, veg friendly.  Less MOT, oh and it's got a broken engine mount which has lunched the cam belt.  Not a full snap, but it's taken the edge off it so wants replacing. 

I bought this one to save it from frag.

 

Here's the view from the boot!

IMG_20181215_100636037 by davedorson, on Flickr

 

  The P/O has started to strip this down to fix the engine mount, found a broken tab on the block, and decided it's just too much work.  I've got a bracket to repair that on the shelf (came with an engine I sold to a van owner who wanted it, and wouldn't need the mount, so took it off!) 

 

I've also got a compliment of stud extractors, helicoils, taps etc.  So it shouldn't* prove too much work to remove the sheared stuff and make it as it's meant to be..

 

 

Here's the damage.:

IMG_20181215_100604868 by davedorson, on Flickr

 

So I've got the bolts I need for the engine mount on the shelf too, because they're one time use on these, TTY.  Stupid idea, but that's what happens when you insist on using massive bulky alloy mounts to hold engines in place, when a bloody subframe and steel mount is FAR more sensible.

 

 

Body wise it's alright.  India Red (lovely colour) and unmarked aside from the usual spot on a wing:

IMG_20181215_100547946 by davedorson, on Flickr

 

Wheels are sans trim as they're in the boot, however they're nicely painted, someone really loved this car:

IMG_20181215_100535522 by davedorson, on Flickr

 

Side shot:

IMG_20181215_100514228 by davedorson, on Flickr

 

Pictured next to the far superior MK2 Golf on my mates driveway:

IMG_20181215_100525741_HDR by davedorson, on Flickr

 

Lovely new tow bar fitted, meaning it'll be a useful tool:

IMG_20181215_100505445 by davedorson, on Flickr

 

So there we have it.  The latest addition to my "slimming it down, honest Sarah"  fleet.

 

Hopefully I'll get on the spanners with this over Christmas.

 

Of course I've got a cam belt kit and water pump with all the stuff in the boot to go with it.

 

Adding up the value of all the bits that are there, it's about £360.00 (Cost of a belt, the car, the recover, the bolts)

 

I do need the upper timing belt cover, as the mount pushing onto it, has properly killed it.  If anyone has one, or see's one in a yard and wants to post it on to me, let me know your expenses and I'll sort you out.

 

 

 

 

 

[sierraman]

I quite like those shape Golfs, they got a lot of stick when new for being slow or whatever but they look a solid car.

[320touring]

Interesting:)

 

Right engine, but sounds like a trial to get it running again.

 

The rank taxi (MK1 90bhp ALH Octavia) I had was great fun on veg with my own personal remap.

 

Boost for days and 60mpg

[DaveDorson]

Interesting:)

 

Right engine, but sounds like a trial to get it running again.

 

The rank taxi (MK1 90bhp ALH Octavia) I had was great fun on veg with my own personal remap.

 

Boost for days and 60mpg

 

it does run, but obviously while it's mullered the edge of the belt I'm not going to just patch it up and let it go!

 

Best to do a proper job on it.

 

Car's been well looked after, as the MOT history would suggest, and as the general condition of the car would too.

I quite like the Mk4, platform when it's good.  It's all the silly common faults that piss me off.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Gotta be honest I'm not sure which I'd choose out of being given this free of charge, or paying £100 to be given a 'habanero chili & lime' enema by Michael Gove live on TV

[somewhatfoolish]

That's horrid; well bought!

[DaveDorson]

Gotta be honest I'm not sure which I'd choose out of being given this free of charge, or paying £100 to be given a 'habanero chili & lime' enema by Michael Gove live on TV

It's Automotive porridge I know.

 

These are still fairly wanted though, especially with a tow bar and a diesel.

[DaveDorson]

That's horrid; well bought!

I've had worse!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I quite like those shape Golfs, they got a lot of stick when new for being slow or whatever but they look a solid car.

Don't know about that. I know they're universally mocked by the anti VW brigade on here, but they sold by the MASSES. They were the late 90's the equivalent of the mk2 Cav back in 1985 - roads were rammed with them and for good reason. Derv lumps were all 50+ MPG and generally bulletproof, apart from the 150.

Yes, they were lardier than previous incarnations, but the same design issue has happened to every other car. Handling was always mediocre om the mkiv, but the positives massively outweighed the negatives. They're available for peanuts now, and they still don't really break.

We were actually disappointed when our old one was written off by a giffer driving a Tranny loaded with eggs.

Hopefully you can get it back and running cheaply - it certainly looks like a really good starting point.

[DaveDorson]

Don't know about that. I know they're universally mocked by the anti VW brigade on here, but they sold by the MASSES. They were the late 90's the equivalent of the mk2 Cav back in 1985 - roads were rammed with them and for good reason. Derv lumps were all 50+ MPG and generally bulletproof, apart from the 150.

Yes, they were lardier than previous incarnations, but the same design issue has happened to every other car. Handling was always mediocre om the mkiv, but the positives massively outweighed the negatives. They're available for peanuts now, and they still don't really break.

We were actually disappointed when our old one was written off by a giffer driving a Tranny loaded with eggs.

Hopefully you can get it back and running cheaply - it certainly looks like a really good starting point.

 

The MK3 was the one that was bloody awful.  The GTI models were slower than the MK2 counterparts.  Of course the Mk3 is a bit older now, and as such commands a premium and people love them.

 

Me?, I think the Mk3 is utter dog cock and would rather get either a newer, better designed (but with some stupid annoying bits) Mk4 platform, or buy a Focus.

 

These are NOT as good as the Focus of the same age in terms of driving them.  However, they are really easy to work on, they've got massive after market support and cheap cheap parts, and the paint for the most is excellent and hard wearing on these, as such they don't really tend to rot quite as much as other stuff of the same age.

 

stuff like brake light switches, engine mount bolts being re-used failing, water pump impellers falling off when someone's left the original one in forever and not used the right anti-freeze (it's a plastic impeller, it will break before it strips the cam belt) and cheap clips and trim failing mean a lot of people get very annoyed with them though.

 

I can fully understate the hate!  However at the same time, there's other stuff of the same era that's just as bad.

 

What they are, is indeed a solid and well thought out thing.  However, they're also DRAB inside, lardy to drive and full of annoying stuff that just isn't the "premium" quality that VW trades from.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The only trouble with the Mark 4, is that the Mark 5 (also worth fuck all) was a lot nicer to drive. I do like mine.

 

When the worst of the winter is over (May 2019) I may look at a damaged repairable Mark 6 TDi. 

[DaveDorson]

The only trouble with the Mark 4, is that the Mark 5 (also worth fuck all) was a lot nicer to drive. I do like mine.

 

When the worst of the winter is over (May 2019) I may look at a damaged repairable Mark 6 TDi. 

 

The Mk5's are getting into bangernomics territory too.

 

I'd quite fancy a GTI one.  But I'm not paying GTI premiums for one.

[Lacquer Peel]

It looks good, the estate is much better looking than the hatch.

They aren't bad cars, I liked my Bora 90 TDI especially after it was remapped at home.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Mk3 commanding a premium? Not from what I've seen.

I've owned several of each mark from 1 to 4, before I left the club upon discovering early Bangle BMW.

The fun* mk3's were the 2.8 VR6's - great engine in a solid shell. Mine had mulberry leather as well, which felt like luxury that the mk2 could only dream of.

The mkiv GT TDI 130s were the best all-rounders by far though.

[jon.k]

I had a mk4 tdi a few years ago which was a great motorway cruiser, although dogged by a few expensive bills.

 

Then this year I got offered a mk3 tdi which was going to be scrapped. I knew that, as mentioned above, it has a rep for being a real dog of a car with lardy handling and so on. I came from an e39 bmw, a 306 gti and an mx5, cars which are praised by the Pistonheads brigade as being the best handling things ever in the same breath that they denigrate the mk3... and it really isn’t that bad! They’re just golfs!

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I think we might have the only two MKIV estates on here.  Nice buy!  Mine isn't as veg-friendly as your's (130 PD as opposed to VE) but let me know how you get on with the cambelt.  Mine's probably due...!

 

Nice buy.  I like mine a lot.

[320touring]

I think we might have the only two MKIV estates on here. Nice buy! Mine isn't as veg-friendly as your's (130 PD as opposed to VE) but let me know how you get on with the cambelt. Mine's probably due...!

 

Nice buy. I like mine a lot.

There are a few folk on veg oil forums running PDs on Veg - may be worth a swatch?

[Lacquer Peel]

The MOT test is valid until March 31st 2019 by the way, that's one less thing to worry about.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

There are a few folk on veg oil forums running PDs on Veg - may be worth a swatch?

 

 

I'm aware of it but I'm really not sure I want to give it a go until the issues they're having iron out.  I'm considering running it on a limited mix though to see what happens...

[320touring]

I'm aware of it but I'm really not sure I want to give it a go until the issues they're having iron out. I'm considering running it on a limited mix though to see what happens...

In for a penny, in for a pound:)

[DaveDorson]

The MOT test is valid until March 31st 2019 by the way, that's one less thing to worry about.

Yeah, the high miles petrol green one I gave away had MOT till end of September. (Hence the less MOT part)

 

And I put new discs, calipers and pads on that at the back.

 

But this one is red. And it's got an oil burner in and half the miles.

[Shirley Knott]

Despite the hate for them I've had a couple of MK4's and bar the usual stuff (Window regs, relays, central locking niggles) they've always done me a good turn. IMO they represent the sweet spot of the Golf timeline, galvanized, better quality steel than the later generations and still simple enough to spanner on at home with well proven derv engines. ALH lumps are the stuff of legend and will likely be remembered as one of the most durable and economic engines ever made in years to come I reckon.

 

Great to see you taking this one on, they may not be hugely exciting but they do make good reliable daily cars and are well worth saving!

[dollywobbler]

I like the colour. Why aren't more cars an actual colour?

[purplebargeken]

Golfs is good.

[Shirley Knott]

I like the colour. Why aren't more cars an actual colour?

 

It looks like VW's 'Tornado' red to me, it's one of the VW reds used that didn't really go pink.

 

Their 'Flash' red isn't bad for that either, here it is modelled by the wife's NA diesel Lupo, at 18 years old and circa 140k the original paint is still quite presentable...

 

[DaveDorson]

I think it's India red on this one.

 

it's a metallic, and it's really quite nice.

[alcyonecorporation]

[DaveDorson]

I think this is actually Colorado Red, not India Red as I said before.

 

I'll check on the sticker in the boot when I'm with the car next.

[DaveDorson]

 

I...

 

What?

[bangernomics]

Be interested in this when the time comes (jan 2 would be good!)