Tell Me About a 1997 Golf VR6!

Logsi

Logsi

Logsi

Soldato
Joined
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Kernow
While not actively looking for a car there was a 1997 Golf VR6 at the side of the road for sale.

It was priced up at £995 and to me that seems a pretty good if not cheap price. Maybe it isn't good at all but that's why i have come here to ask about them. It's got 123K on the clock and the body work is in great condition, no rust or stone chips. Looks like it's really well looked after. 5 months MoT and Tax left on it.

I wouldn't mind something a bit nippier and on the cheap as a bit of fun at the weekends. Also, my old man had one of these back in the nineties and i loved it back then!

What are the main problems with these cars?

The only bad thing from just looking at it at the side of the road is the high mileage...
 
that mileage is nothing

get someone to check over the car to make sure its running at full health. theyre more efficient and quicker that way.

it will most likely have shagged bushes and dampers
 
Matt82 said:
they can take untold abuse, i bet you barely scratched it :P
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The engine was replaced before it was 3 years old :p

It had an easy time tbh, mostly motorway stuff so prob not my doing

it also leaked oil since near new ( prob a lot to do with engine failure )

it misfired every time it rained and rattled over every minor bump
 
oh dear

a guy i know from club gti is putting a big turbo (maybe gt40 ish) on a vr6 thats well beyond 200k miles

normally they love the abuse. yours sounds like it was half french
 
So the mileage isn't something to worry about? If i was to buy it i'd only really use it as a bit of fun! Nice change from a 1.4...

A mate had a newer version golf and the gearbox went. What's the weakest link on these?
 
The mileage isn't a concern as long as it's been looked after, check the service book to see if anything has been happeneing.

Timing chains would probably be the biggest common problem.
 
Logsi said:
So the mileage isn't something to worry about? If i was to buy it i'd only really use it as a bit of fun! Nice change from a 1.4...

A mate had a newer version golf and the gearbox went. What's the weakest link on these?
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gearbox is practically bomb proof. they use the original clutch and gearbox upto 400bhp ish.

mechanically they last, apart from those cam chain guides, but there are a lot of myths surrounding those

clutch should last anything between 120k-160k in my experience but those bushes and dampers, if theyve not been changed, will be completely shagged
 
I love the way you seem so bothered about the mileage (which is pretty low) yet don't seen at all bothered about the fact its 13 years old!
 
Check the electric sunroof works - tilt and fully open. They had a weak link that was always failing and the repair kit was £60 iirc. I had 2 go on my same shape GTI 16v.
 
[TW]Fox;16981219 said:
I love the way you seem so bothered about the mileage (which is pretty low) yet don't seen at all bothered about the fact its 13 years old!
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But on a car like vr6 wouldn't you generally assume that age and mileage are pretty relative?
I mean i'm a honda fanboy and i know they can do stupid miles but with those miles comes the age of the car so you know what problems comes with them.

£995 seem like a pretty decent price for a vr6 but i'm not sure about prices for things such as bushes as all as mentioned about but i didn't think the were as reliable as people are making out! I know a guy I used to work with had one and it lasted him about 2 months but then he didn't just abuse his cars, he tortured them every time he got behind the wheel! :D
 
Matt82 said:
oh dear

a guy i know from club gti is putting a big turbo (maybe gt40 ish) on a vr6 thats well beyond 200k miles

normally they love the abuse. yours sounds like it was half french
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I think a lot of my troubles were down to an utterly useless AD, later on I changed service place and things got lots better
 
I would say that its a £500 car with 100% scene tax on top that could end up costing a fortune. (if my experience with classic golfs is anything to go by)
 
tbh theres not a lot that expensive on them at all. bit of a pain to work in that engine bay but not impossible... i can see those chain guides being a pig though
 
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