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hiya,
i'm new to the site and kind of a Noob to cars in general, when i decided that i needed my first car (to get to my mechanics apprenticeship) i knew that it had to be a modern classic and at best a mk2 polo breadvan. i was wondering if it would be possible for people to please give me things to look for when buying one?
thanks.
I've owned many over the last 25 years and they are great cars and cheap and easy to maintain.
The petrol tank filler neck rusts as its located in the rear wheel arch and mud gets trapped and it rusts out. The tell tale sign is when the tank is filled up it leaks out and the smell of petrol. Sometimes you can get away with replacement by only half filling the tank but to be safe a tank replacement is the only option. It’s fairly easy to do just a pig to get the filler neck past the suspension arm, it will go in but it’s a bit fiddly.
Heater fan motors go and are tricky to replace.
Rust is not much of a problem, I might have been lucky but I have owned 5 and they’ve all fared well.
The best ones are the German built ones from 1988, 1989 and 1990 after that they moved manufacture to Spain and the mk3s are poor in comparison
1300 Ranger is a very good model to have, roof rails and tinted windows.
Coupe S is a classic now and prices are rising fast
Definitely get the later 1300 engine with 3 stud fixing on the rocker cover. It has hydraulic tappets and is a much better engine long term
There are quite a few left and easy to get a low mileage one (less than 60k)
Steer clear of customised ones from the boy racers.
My son currently owns a 1990 1300CL with 45k miles on the clock. This was bought for £650 from the original owner. It’s a bit tatty round the edges but goes well and its very reliable.