Found a GTI--buy or pass?

I'm seriously thinking of finding a way to get the necessary cash for this GTI. But, as the title asks, should I keep contemplating or forget it?

Good points: Right color, original CA car, seems to be in good order, has some mods installed already.

Bad points: On a non-op, appears to have some rust issues, not built in Germany as seller claims, kinda far away from me, not its first time on eBay.

Opinions?

whats "non-op" mean? Non operational? The guy says it runs fine. Rust no big deal, German built, common mistake, German engineered maybe is the marketing speak he meant to use. Have you asked why its been relisted if that is what you mean by not first time on ebay.

Non-Op=Planned Non-Operation. It means that you don't plan on driving it on public roads for a while, running or not. Seems to be specific to CA. The car looks to have last been registered in 2007, but there would be no fees because of the non-op.

Haven't yet asked about the re-list, but I'm assuming it's because no one bid earlier.

Cool car, but this is also the kind of car you want to look over before you buy. In other words, I wouldn't drive too far to look at what is probably going to be a disappointment.

a bit of surface rust around a window on a 20 year old car is "rust issues"?

I lived in Michigan, so maybe I am a little jaded, but that doesn't mean rust issues.

In reply to JohnW:

True. If only there was a decent sub-$2,000 GTI a little closer to me.

In reply to maroon92:

It looked a little bubbly to me. Keep in mind, I live in dry central California, and I'd never seen bad rust until I reported to boot camp in Great Lakes, IL. One of the civilians who worked in the galley owned a late-1980s/early-1990s full-sized Ford truck that had rusted so bad that the camper shell barely had any bed to sit on. I'm pretty spoiled living in the Land Of No Rust.

If there is rust around the windows, in california, forget it. There are nicer ones around. With how fast the vw people go though them though, now is the time to get one.

JetMech wrote: In reply to JohnW: True. If only there was a decent sub-$2,000 GTI a little closer to me. In reply to maroon92: It looked a little bubbly to me. Keep in mind, I live in dry central California, and I'd never seen bad rust until I reported to boot camp in Great Lakes, IL. One of the civilians who worked in the galley owned a late-1980s/early-1990s full-sized Ford truck that had rusted so bad that the camper shell barely had any bed to sit on. I'm pretty spoiled living in the Land Of No Rust.

haha, I've seen that truck there before. I have to go to Great Lakes quite often for my great aunt. Its one of the only VA hospitals in the area.

That little bit of rust around the window seems like a non-issue to me. The "non-op" business, however, sounds like a hassle.

Also, where were they built, if not Germany?

mexico, i think michigan, etc. Rust around the windshield means someone did a crappy job of replacing it, and if you intend on keeping the car it needs to come out and be fixed.

I'm picking up a Westmoreland built '87 GTI 16v with a rusty hatch for $850. Iowa rust belt. I cannot imagine paying $199x for a Mexican built 8v, which Iirc, may have rear drums?

You should be able to do much better for less in Kali.

Be patient.

m

For non-californians, Non-op is not an issue as long as fees have been paid each year. Non-operational means that it is not on the road that year. No licence stickers, no drive. However the CA DMV is aware of the car still ('in the system') and makes transfer quite easier than those cars not 'non-op'ed'

BTDT in CA with CA and non-CA cars, non-op, what-have-you; not too much hassle, just have to have the right papers and signatures.

Rust around windows (silly work blocks eBay, cant see right now) can be fixed with a simple door/hatch replacement. Did this with an expired-registration Supra with rusty hatch. $40, pick-n-pull, one truck for transportation = no rust. If the rust is in the windshield area, look elsewhere, it may be a coastal vehicle which can often disguise itself as a midwestern experiment in rust.

Good luck,

Eric G (Iowan moved to CA, me knows the rust!)

You can do much better than that. You want a 16v car. Better brakes, better suspension, better wheels (BBS) and better seats (Recaros).

Plenty of cars for sale here:

www.vwvortex.com

I will never again own a VW as my only car. I had a '91 8v GTI similar to this one. It was a very fun car when it was running right, but it always had some wierd problem.

I agree with 2002maniac.

See my other post about purchasing a Honda, Focus or Mazda3. My commuter right now is a 1990 Jetta GLI 16v. I love driving the car, but it's too old and finicky to operate as a daily driver.

In reply to twolittlebroncos:

I did see that post. However, I'm looking at potential $2010 Challenge cars.

Thanks to all for your opinions. After having read 7pilot's post, I ran the Blue Book value for that particular GTI, and the seller seems to be a little off. I'll pass on this particular car.

Next question: when did the 16V cars go into production?

In reply to JetMech:

1987 iirc

There were two versions, 1.8 and 2.0. The 1.8 revved higher and the 2.0 made more power/torque. Heads are interchangeable between the two, but not the same.

The Scirrocco 16v would be the fastest production VW 16v. The 2.0 16v was also used in Passats.

You'll probably have more luck finding a cheap Jetta GLI 16v than a GTI. The GTIs are in higher demand.