1986 Volkswagen Golf GTi 16v review from UK and Ireland
"She's fun and fast, but she'll take your money!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Engine overheating is allways a problem with GTI's, including this one. Allways leaks to be repaired, thermostat seems to open too late.
Heater matrix, another common fault.
Driver seat's are always worn.
Allways work to be done on these, a high maintenance car, I've replaced in the 15k I've driven this one... water pump, alternator, heater matrix, (electrics are always screwy too!) lights and buzzers allways going off on dashboard.
And all the expected stuff, bearings and cv joints etc.
General comments?
Although the car has its reliability issuses, (now its 18yrs old) it is a great fun car to drive, quick acceleration 130mph top end, a light car that can be thrown around corners at ease, great handling.
With a few engine mods there are plenty available (tsr conversion / bigger bottom end) it will out-perform the newer and heavier sporty hatches of today!
16 valvers are getting rarer too, now a collectors item.
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| Good, but not what they're cracked up to be |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1986 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 16v Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 110000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 128000 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan 200SX |
| Date of Entry | 7th October, 2005 |