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what to look for when buying a gti
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2003 11:46 am
by Tom
hi all i'm a new member and if you haven't already guessed my name's tom.
In the next few weeks i'm looking to buy a gti (preferably privtely as i haven't got enough money to buy from a dealer.) i just wondered if any of you could give me some advice on what faults or problems to look for when i'm test driving or going to look at them.
Cheers
tom
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2003 9:02 pm
by cyhliu
Welcome mate to the forum, you've come to the right place to get info and to meet some jolly nice chaps...
I think if you look around the forum you will get a general picture of what to look for when buying the GTi. It is a shame that you don't have enough cash to go to a dealer as this may be the safest option...needless to say I'm sure there are plenty of fine examples when buying privately.
Most of the things I'm going to list to look for have been handed down to me from other members when I was looking for mine...(you know who you are, thanks!).
With the GTi there seems to be a lot of problems with the gearbox and the clutch/pedal box. Reading some of the postings will give you a general idea so inquire about whether any work has been done to these parts, whether under warranty or not. You can check this when test driving the car, there shouldn't be any clanking noises and there should not be too much play/movement of the gearstick when in gear.
The standard alloys are BBS split rims which look the biz but are costly to replace (over £300 each!) and so check whether there are corrosion under the lacquer, I guess you will always have the inevitable scrapes and scatches but if there are few/none then it's a good sign the car's been looked after.
Have a jump up and down on the seats (yes, I did get strange looks from the salesperson...and it's always handy to know if you get lucky! wink wink!). There are some instances where the seat bases squeak and that can be annoying when trying to impress the ladies.
I cannot think of anything else right now, hope this helps, have a look on the forum and keep us posted on the outcome. Good luck!
thanks
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2003 5:07 pm
by Tom
just really got to say thanks for your help cyhliu.
tom