My old 405 was miles better overall for me than the MK2 GTI I drove and the MK1 GTI I have at the minute. It suited the way I liked a car to handle and stop and go, really enjoyed the car. I got the Golf as I had a poster of one on my wall for years and thought it looked and still does look great. They all have good and bad tpoints but like every 1 make forum the opinions on here will be incredibly biased, whether it be from unlucky personal experience or any other reason. Each to there own but there isdefinitely more to life than VW's. Dave!
Aye, I wouldn't bother with a VW next time. It'd have to be an Audi, at least. I might buy a Jap-crap wagon next time. Most of 'em drive like shite, but at least I wouldn't have to drunkenly clamber all over the engine, on a freezing winter's night, whilst drunk, trying to get it running...
Either another old Ford or a Triumph Dolly Sprint for me Unless of course, I find a Mk1 GTI thats not moon rocket money. So another old Ford or a Triumph Dolly Sprint then ... Edited by: superden
Well in the name of science (and the fact that I was bored) I made a note of what I saw on my walk into town this morning. 2x Mk1 Golfs (both of which were Cabs). 3x Mk2 Golfs (2 GTI models and a Driver). 1x Mk3 Escort (pov spec). 6x Mk4 Escorts (various models). So your assumption that VW`s are more prevalent is (in my experience) utter crap. I saw more old Fords (I didnt count Vauxhalls) than VW`s. And the best condition was being sported by ... none other than a Mk4 XR3i. In addition to that, I saw more than double the number of 80`s Jap cars as Ford/VW combined. Which says to me that 80`s Jap build quality is (statistically) far superior to that of VW as well. So really, VW didnt build anything better at all (again, in MY experience). So we come back to my original point. Its not the car, its the life its had. And due to VW ownership in the early 90`s being so expensive, the Ford/Vauxhall equivalents took the brunt of the punishment. Had the XR3i led (in general) the same life there would be as many of them as there are VW`s. Although, as my observation suggests, the nation isnt `crawling` with them either. Edited by: superden
just wont let it lie will you. interesting that, but i bet you didnt see any pre 90 vauxhaulls no actually i did the same thing today. and yes i saw a few old fords about, i guess i just dont notice them anymore. 1 was an f reg fiesta 1.1 pop plus. pretty clean with an old women driving it. and i saw an old granada and a couple of escorts. i stand truly corrected. [:^(] so how much is it for a nice dolomite sprint these days? now theres a car you really dont see, i remember as a kid there used to be loads on my street. donut machines.
Theres loads of those, usually because they are owned by little old ladies ! Well, I`ve been `browsing` the market for a little while now. Prices vary wildly depending on area/condition etc but they are still relatively cheap and (IMO) damn good value. Its much the same as the Mk1 Golf market. Decent ones appear for under 1k. Some are more expensive (as you would expect) though they they arent into silly money territory like the Mk1. I remember when the Dolly/Toledo was a regular sight on British roads too. Edited by: superden
and what about parts for them? where do you go when you need a part, what sort of money are things compared to an old vw?
Some parts are more expensive than the VW equivalent, others less so as you would expect. The first place I`d stop if I was sourcing a part would be the Dolomite Owners Club. There are plenty of other places to get spares as well if necessary including new parts.
i was thinking about panels really as you dont even see them in scrappies anymore, can you still get hold of them? ive found that with really old cars, well my oldest was a 76 polo, and other peoples old 70's cars, they tend to be fairly reliable if the ignition systems are in good condition as theres not alot to break. but you really have to keep ontop of the rustproofing and cleaning or they kinda dissapear. so if i was gona get a classic car, which i think i will, i'd wanna know if panels were available.
check it out, unrestored sprint. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRIUMPH-DOLOMITE-SPRINT_W0QQitemZ45852 05172QQcategoryZ29760QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
ive always loved these, dont know anything about them but they look great. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1969-Opel-GT-Great-Condition-NR_W0QQit emZ4584987588QQcategoryZ2192QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The Sprint is sweet, I`ve been keeping an eye on that one Those Opel GT`s are an unusual sight as well.
Rimmer bros, and they're probably one of the more expensive. Most mechanical stuff is available one way or another, body panels are pretty scarce though. Pretty similar in many ways to a mk1 GTI
VW - good build quality, but awful engines. The thing is though, we are talking about 15yr old cars here, and after that amount of time, build quality counts for a fair bit less than the way the car has been looked after. Vauxhalls though, do rust like you wouldn't believe. When I had my MK1 Astra I was talking to a bloke at the dealership when getting some parts, and he said he had a MK1 GTE from new, and that the floor was rotted out in 5 years. FIVE. No typo! I went to a Post 1970 Ford and Vauxhall show a few weeks back, and the wasn't a single MK1 Astra on display. I think that says a lot.
