Old VW Bora 2.0 115PS - Reliable? Things to look out for?

Akagi

Akagi

Akagi

Caporegime
Joined
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In acme's chair.
Hi all, as some of you may know, I drive a 2002 Polo 9N 1.2E. It is a 54HP, 17 second car, with no optional extras to speak of. (wind up windows, no A/C, 2 speakers, no LCD readout, cloth and plastic everywhere) it is my first car.

There really isn't anything wrong with it for what it is, it does everything just as well as it ever would have done, but I'm not happy with it. It is too slow, it is unbearable to drive in hot weather, it is revs high and is therefore loud on the motorway and I'm not happy when I walk up to it in the morning.

As it stands, it is probably worth somewhere in the region of £1000 to £1200.

I am considering selling it, and then buying an old (2000 - 2002) VW Bora 2.0 SE/Sport for around £800. This seems to be the going rate for them as they are a fairly old and undesirable car at this point, but taking into consideration the following factors:

- Initial cost
- Insurance cost
- 'Modified' insurance cost
- Cost of parts & repair
- Included features (A/C, electric windows, 8 speakers, Electronic Assists, LCD readout, some have parking sensors, rain sensors, etc)
- VW community
- "Throw-away" value
- Appearance (Okay, you might not see why, but I love how these cars look... Yeah... Moving on :p)

It makes sense to me. Of course there are tonnes of alternatives I could consider, however I am fairly settled on a Bora unless someone knows something I don't. I will probably keep it a couple of years at a guess, if it costs me a few hundred quid to fix after purchase, it will be a pain, but matter little because the whole car still won't have broken the bank.

I will make some subtle modifications to this car, please don't judge my character too much following that statement, but the "Appearance" point above, it dependant on the modifications. (I'm only talking about a Koni suspension kit, US spec tail-lights and some different alloys to get rid of some arch gap etc) and revert when I come to sell if it is worth doing so.

So yeah, does anyone have any thoughts on this? Awful idea? Am I stupid? Any known faults I should be made aware of? Bushes and other consumables that will probably have been overlooked and need replacing? Things like that.

I could possibly be buying in a couple of months.

I know myself well enough to predict that I will probably change my mind before then, so there may be more threads like this one, but I have put some thought into it and am not/will not be, posting willy-nilly. For example I may re-consider and try and find a V5 170PS, but I was concerned about fuel consumption and cost of repair. I have also considered things like E46 6-pots and V6 4motions and so on but potential repair costs as well as insurance costs have put me off, at least for now.

Regards :)
 
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You'll be going from one pile of junk, to another pile of junk, for no discernable reason. Then throwing money at the pile of junk to make it look less like a pile of junk. If the engine in your Polo exploded, I could understand needing a car quick. But you seem to be wanting to drive something else, simply so you're not driving the Polo.

Save your money for something nice.
 
The reason is because I'd be happier driving the Bora than I am driving the Polo. I don't have much other reason. And when we are talking about cars this cheap, what other reason do I need really. :p

What of the V5 engine then? 1200 to 1500 would get a decent 2.3 V5 10V or a slightly dog-eared 20V.

As for spending money on junk to make it look less like junk, I had AP Coilovers and custom BBS RXII's on the Polo, which I am now in the process of selling. :p
 
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Great car. Terrible engine. Averaged 38ish mpg on a 60 mile round commute down the a3 for a couple of months. That's driving like a granny as well.

Edit. Should say I'm talking about my old 2.0 Bora SE
 
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cravin penut said:
Great car. Terrible engine. Averaged 38ish mpg on a 60 mile round commute down the a3 for a couple of months. That's driving like a granny as well.
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Thats a bit disappointing to say the least...

Gah, back to the drawing board again. I'll make a spec me a car thread tomorrow or later this evening with some needs and wants in it. That will be easier. :rolleyes:
 
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Not interested in a focus, sorry.

They might be reliable and solid and cheap to fix, but I hate how they look inside and out so much so that I'd almost rather keep the Polo.

I will forewarn people of my fussiness in the upcoming thread. How the car looks matters to me, perhaps a-lot more than it should.

I'm almost certainly after something German.

I can tell this is going to annoy and confuse a-lot of people, but there's no point in having a car I don't want.

re; the fuel economy though, I only do 8K to 10K annually, and I only get 35MPG mixed out of the Polo anyway.
 
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38 mpg doesn't sound too bad to me for a 2.0 to be fair.

But I do agree, pointless engine.

V5 is not an engine for me either. Yes, it does sound good (great in fact), but it's not particularly quick, and certainly not economical. And there is little point in trying to make it any quicker. Same as the 4 motion. Not particularly quick, or economical. At least it does have 4wd, and the noise is pretty nice. Not R32 nice, but nice none the less.

The 1.8T is okay. A bit more frugal than the others mentioned, probably about as powerful as the 4motion if you remap it (which makes the 1.8T worthwhile, it's how the engine should have been from the factory). But being 2wd will make it feel faster than the 4mo.

I am a Bora fan though. Always fancied one. Had a number of mk4 Golfs, but never made it to the Bora. And as much as I disliked my Golf 4mo, I would love to own a Bora 4mo. Particularly one with the R32 engine installed. Then supercharge it, lol. But alas, I'll probably settle for the 1.9 TDI as that is a great engine, and suits the car perfectly.

Personally, in your shoes, 1.8T or 1.9 TDI is where my money would go. But then again, unless you can easily afford it, and anything that might potentially go wrong, there is little point in changing at all.

That said, that is almost exactly what I am doing just now. Putting my Passat up for sale as I fancy an estate. Nothing wrong with the Passat, just fancy a change. But then I can afford it with ease, whereas you sound like you would struggle if something came up on the new car (which it inevitably will as that is generally the reason people sell older cars).
 
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I could get a TDI but I don't really want a diesel. My reasoning for not wanting a diesel isn't very good though. It is literally just because... I don't want to drive a diesel.
 
acme15 said:
I could get a TDI but I don't really want a diesel. My reasoning for not wanting a diesel isn't very good though. It is literally just because... I don't want to drive a diesel.
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Thats a good reason, as a diesel of that age is going to be annoying, slow and diesely.
 
[TW]Fox;26414529 said:
Thats a good reason, as a diesel of that age is going to be annoying, slow and diesely.
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Dad drives a 2001 A6 Avant 1.9TDI 115PS, so the same engine that would be in a diesel Bora of the era. The car is smooth and reasonably quiet, it isn't horrendously slow (or doesnt seem so to me, 11 second 0 - 60 would seem slower to you than to me) but I don't think I want a diesel.

I suppose a test drive is in order before I make that decision final though. I know that insurance on the TDI is more expensive, but the performance is pretty much the same, and it is a-lot better on fuel.
 
Moot point I know but the 1.9 130ps is pretty good and quick though isnt it?
Same as the Ibiza FR/Fabia VRS/Golf GT TDI etc etc.


edit- doubt you'd get a 1.9/130 for less than a grand anyway!
 
It doesn't necessarily have to be less than a grand, that was just the cost of the old Bora. There was a point where I was considering spending £4K+ and was looking at 325i's, 330i's, V6 4Mo's, Polo GTI's, other misc VAG 1.8T's, A3's etc. But I'm not sure now is the time.

The Bora idea was, as some of you have said, a change for the sake of a change. To make my daily drive a less depressing task.

I freely admit that when it comes to cars, I'm a strange one. I very nearly bought a 1986 BMW 316 as my first car, and in some ways I still wish I had done so. It would have been more of an experience as a car lover, having an old car with a carbed engine. It was Luxorbeige metallic, 5dr chromie, as common as they came, but it had a good shell which is a rarity, and a nice number too. It got broken up in the end. :(
 
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The 130 PD engine would probably be the most common diesel engine in a Bora, and by all accounts, it's a good one. Reasonable lick of power, and a decent wedge of torque. It's certainly not slow, and would feel a fair bit quicker in a Bora than it would in an A6 (especially the 115 A6).

But, I get your point. If you don't want a diesel, you don't want a diesel. I didn't when I was young, but then diesels when I was young were terrible and slow. Still worth a test drive, as I now much prefer the drive of a diesel over a petrol (of similar standing, i.e. 330i against 330d, or 320i against 320d, but then I'm a fan of boost).

I know what you mean though. I moved onto the Passat after a stint with a Polo. I was getting fed up of the Polo on the motorways as it was too small and rattley. Something my Passat isn't (which is the 130 BHP PD engine, and for around £1250, so that engine can be had for close to your original budget, not suggesting mine, but if Passats are that price, Boras must be too).

[TW]Fox;26414655 said:
It's quick compared to walking, I guess.
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It's not slow. Maybe not 1.8T / V5 / V6 quick, but after a remap it will be similar. My 2.0 TDI A3 (140) post remap was as quick, in a straight line, as my V6 4Motion was. But then that had the 4wd weighing it down, and half the fuel economy.
 
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[TW]Fox;26414655 said:
It's quick compared to walking, I guess.
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10 second 0 - 60 is better than 17 seconds, so it will seem quick to me. :p

A huge chunk of me still wants to get a V6 or L6 for the sound and experience :( But insurance/repairs/fuel etc...
 
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The 1.6 16v is better than the 2.0 because at least it doesn't drink as much fuel. I'd still look for a 1.8T if you want a petrol as they are really solid engines and there's loads of parts around if they do go wrong.

I'd still suggest looking at a 1.9tdi 130. I had the 100bhp version in a polo 9n and it was a brilliant engine. The power delivery made it feel much faster than it was meaning I could have fun in it without going too fast. It also did over 60mpg on a run which was handy.
 
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