just a few (lots) of questions...

[eltonking]

So basically I've been looking around for a while and have got my heart set on a mk1... This is, in essence, going to be my 'first' car as well as my daily driver... (bearing in mind i also have my mum's '96 accord station wagon which we currently share) question is - would this car (mk1 golf) be alright as a daily? especially being my first car and what not? i see threads such as 'what did you fix on your mk1 today?' and it is slightly disconcerting...
next up, are my queries regarding restoration/project car... i was hoping on picking one up for ~$1000 then am willing to spend that much again on it to get it all happening... am i dreaming? My old man is a cabinet maker/carpenter and has all sanding gear, bog etc and spraying gear available for me to sand down the car, treat any rust and respray it etc... what exactly does this involve? i am able to use 2 pak paint (if that is alright) as well as acrylic or enamel (have a spray booth available) but aren't confident in stripping the car back to its bare shell (don't know much regarding motor/box/electronics etc) but would be able to take off door trims/all interior no stress...
also, what would REALLY need to be done.. i've imagine just a respray, set of coilovers, new set of wheels/tyres and have liked the idea of extractors/new exhaust as well as replacing the brakes - what usually goes wrong with such cars? what do i need to look out for?
and finally, what is a realistic estimation of the time this is going to take? i don't start uni until march next year and would (ideally) like the car to be finished by then.. i have 3 jobs at the moment but would easily be able to make room for some project time (always love having something on)

any input/insight would be greatly appreciated and hopefully i can get another mk1 back on the road!

also, this is what i've been looking at recently

1978 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GLS Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au

would want to lose the clipper kit, get some small bumpers and love the idea of the old vw moon hubcaps.
also tossing up between a black or creamy white respray...

thanks guys!

[ryana89]

You've gone through the MK1 threads and are aware of what's needed to keep/restore these cars?

That MK1 would have more than a few problems for $1400, I can gaurantee it will have rust in sneaky places. To properly fix rust your going to need access to a welder too.

I paid $5000 for my MK2 and I've spent virtually every weekend working on some part/component of it $1000 just seems a wee bit optomistic (correct me if I'm wrong)

But, where there's a will, there's a way!

[dom123]

hey bud i picked mine up for $1200 so there is hope on getting one around that much.

although i ended up doing an engine swap cause the head gasket was going, mind you i could have probably just redone the head for around $500 or less.

If your wanting to learn a few things and are willing to do a bit of work yourself and spash a bit of cash here n there go for it. but i guess what ryan is saying is that they are circa 30 years old its inevitable that you will have to replace something. Look at the 2 door swallowtail in qld i think that would be a steal and engine looks pretty tidy.

[Jace]

You need to be able to 'tinker' with these cars to keep them going a lot of the time.

All of your questions could be answered with a search.

a) Buy the best car you can afford
b) You're better off paying more for a 'good car' than buying a piece of crap for cheap and throwing money at it.
c) MK1's might be 'cute', but they aren't equipped with chick-magnets.

Edit: hold off on buying your own car, save money and drive your mums car until it dies, THEN buy your own car.

[dom123]

You need to be able to 'tinker' with these cars to keep them going a lot of the time.

All your questions could be answered with a search.

a) Buy the best car you can afford
b) You're better off paying more for a 'good car' than buying a piece of crap for cheap and throwing money at it.
c) MK1's might be 'cute', but they aren't equipped with chick-magnets.

eeehhhhhmmmm where is this...chick magnet?

[ryana89]

but i guess what ryan is saying is that they are circa 30 years old its inevitable that you will have to replace something

Thats worded much better, and is what I should have said.

I was very much like Eltonking when I first got into VW's, I had my heart set on a 70's VW Beetle and I spent a good year or more researching into Beetles and leaning as much as I could.....but in the end I faced reality and got the next best thing, a 90's MK2 GTI Golf!

I must admit though, if Eltonking has 3 jobs then hopefully he/she should be raking in the money and would be able to pay/take care of a MK1.

[mikinoz]

Yeah, it seems good advice guys - I bought my fist MK1 unregistered for $1200. It cost me $500 to get it warrantable and then rego costs. Over the next 12 months I probably spent another $400 on ongoing repairs, which I think was about ok.

It all depends on the buy you get, I would personally look for a better example than the one shown. They come up you just need to be patient.

[Jace]

I purposely haven't added up how much I've thrown into my car. Probably in the vicinity of $4000

[JoshFair]

hey mate,

I have only ever owned Mk1 golf's (hahaha only had 2 cars ) and i have learnt a lot about what is realistic and whats not..

firstly my first one was a "project/daily" and i bought it for $500.. it came with enough parts to get me going, but also enough rust to make me sell it

i had the car for about 8 months and i spend about 2.5k on parts and getting it roadworthy and registered.. and i was on the EPIC cheep, and ran into some real good deals.

once i realised it was a lost cause (as i know nothing about engines etc..) to try and build it up into my dream car, i sold it and along with the cash form the wifes old carolla, i bought the one i've got now.

My advice is, if you want to buy one for 1000 ish.. be prepared for a bit of hard work and at least 3 or 4 grand to get it looking like you want it..

or you can save up and buy something that has had the ground work done for you!

[killingwithasmile]

i was in the OP's shoes no less than 3 months ago.. waited it out and avoided the basket cases that were very cheaply tempting me, spent lets say $2000 inc car, to have a golf on the road that i drive daily and have since spent less than $500 to have the car where I want it to be.. if you are pretty mechanically minded its not rocket surgery to keep these things going..