1992 Volkswagen GTI Reviews

You mean besides the front bumper being ripped off in a slide that was a little too deep?

Before I owned it, my friend and I were taking it through the AZ desert at about 120 mph, when bad gasoline bought at the border caused a valve to burn out. The rest of the head was perfect though.

Heater core blew, that was a recall issue, previous owner chose to ignore it.

Alternator went out at about 130K.

Set this car up well for a tight series of corners, and 350Zs will be left in your little tiny mirrors. Seriously.

Not outrageously fast up straights, (but fast for its time) corner entry is as fast as any car I have ever driven.

However, it is a VW.

So far, the only things that have happened to the car were completely cosmetic things basically except for a transmission problem which can be attributed to the previous owner not taking care of the car. The headlamp is broken (rock hit it on the freeway), the mirror glass shattered (me not paying attention when backing out), etc. Things of that nature. With the tranny the carrier bearings are out. Pretty common on these cars when they aren't well maintained.

I have had 7 Volkswagens, and I don't intend to buy anything else for awhile. They are magnificent little cars as long as you treat them responsibly. People who have issues with VW's are generally the same people who will never do preventative maintainance to the car and then complain when it dies. It's your fault, not the dubs. I have never had problems with my cars that I can say weren't my fault. You treat a VW well and it will repay you by running forever, always driving like a fun car should, and starting even in the coldest weather. (Minneapolis, MN! EEK!)

Other than the slight oil usage (about 1/2 a quart every 3000 miles) it has performed well.

Water pump was replaced, and timing belt, fuel pump and motor mounts, since it has a 270 degree cam.

It's a fun ride. Hardly any problems. Except, if you are going to buy parts and do it yourself, call several VW dealers and find the best price. My OG water pump was 73.00 and an aftermarket pump with larger fins was 32.00.

Handles great with Neuspeed bars, and get a short shift kit to really enjoy the ride.