Buying Volkswagen GTI 1.8t
 

Hey guys, im looking on buying a 2001 1.8t Golf. This is the first Volkswagen that im going to buy and i just need some pointers on what to look for. Like any typical body rust for the mk4? Any engine noises, driving sensations, anything that could help me pick a good one out. Thanks alot, Arthur :).

There is no rust on the mk4's. Never do rust proofing because there is a 12 year warranty for it enles you rust proof, then its voided. Make sure and I cant stress this enough, MAKE SURE that the timing belt has been done. The 20v is a low independance head, meaning if the timing belt goes, you need a new head.

Check for anything you would on any car. Check brakes, check out the motor, pop the hood and take a look at it, and make sure nothing is f'd. Make sure everything works.


1.8T's rule :D I drive one and I cant get enough of it.

Stock it runs bout 150HP @ 8-9psi. With chip your looking at roughly 20-23psi.

If I get another Golf after my current one, that's the one it'll be. They're awesome cars

Like anything else, these cars live long with regular maintainance.

Ive got 220xxxKM on my 1.8T with every service record and synthetic everything. My buddy has 90xxxKM and previous owner didnt use synthetic and now the motor ticks and it feels slower then mine(Even though his is a 03 GTI and mine is a 2000 Jetta, and his car makes 30HP more then mine)

Alright sick guys :D thanks alot i love the golf, i tihnk its the nicest car in its class...is there any way i can check if the timing belt was done, cause the owner could lie and stuff..ill probably re-do it anyways when i get it..and what minor mods can i do do get some decent power oout of it :) thanks alot guys helps alot

Well if they dont have the service records to show its been done, I just checked the belt and made sure it was in good shape. I'm not exactly a mechanic, but its fairly easy to tell if its in good condition. Although changing it right away might be a good idea, its a cheap part and that way you know for sure

To be honest with you, a timing belt may appear to look good but it could have high mileage on it. For your safety, I'd change it because its cheaper to do the timing belt then to replace the head.

As for mods, depending on the motor you get;

01's had a AWD and a AWW motor code either way you get 150HP/crank.

Mod wise heres a list of things you can do;

- ECU Chip(APR, GIAC, REVO, Tech9, Unitronic, Upsolute, etc) will give you bout 50HP/45TQ - 500$
- Cat back exhaust(Magnaflow, Borla, AWE, etc) 10-20HP - 350-800$
- 3" Downpipe - 6-10HP - 250-500$


Dont do intake. Intake is a waste of time. It doesnt give you any horsepower and you blow your Mass Air Flow Senson(MAF)

As for BOV's. Dont do those either. VW uses a recirculating system, therefore you need a diverter valve(DV). There are several companies that carry them(Turbosmart, Forge, Baileys, etc) They go anywhere from 120-400$ or you can buy them used.

Once you chip you have to upgrade the DV otherwise you'll leak boost. Another DV which might be cheaper if you want OEM you could use the stock Audi TT 225HP DV.

Also, heres a few forums for Audi/VW.

forums.GenerationDub.com
VWvortex.com

If you go on generationdub reffer me, VWJettaMK2.

Gendub is a Ontario based forum while Vortex is world wide..

^^wow man you know your , thanks alot ive never had a VW bt i love them..when you start going into the higher boosts with the chip, do you need a FMIC or can you run without it? and can you send me alink or explain how the 12 year rust warranty works?

Basically the 12 year warranty works like this, if your car isnt rust proofed and you start to have rust thats gone through then they replace the area otherwise you dont get ish.

When you go into higher boost, you DONT need a FMIC but alot of people do the FMIC kit which is roughly 900$(Including all the pipes, couplers, and the core). The stock side mount intercooler works well for anything other then big turbo.

VW's are awesome cars and reliable as . As long as you do synthetic oil, and oil changes every 5K, you will be fine. Theres alot of us dubbers around, some nice, some assholes, but hell we all have love for dubs :D

Haha I dont think there's too much I can add now, other than yes, VW's are killer. Mine's an absolute beast in the snow, it just loves. I put it into a snowbank deep enough that it covered the passenger door, and I just backed right out. And mine's got like 300k, and it still runs just fine

ANYTIME you buy a VW replace the timing belt. Unless it's an 8v, they are all interference motors, and if that $30 belt breaks, you are out more than $30. I've seen one 16v make it through a belt brake with only 2 bent valves. Belt broke at idle. :smilie_d0

ooooo thats brutall..i went to check out a 2001 Gti 1.8t today, its black, tinted windows, has 168,xxxkms, timing belt was just replaced, and its going for 8g's cert and etested, im taking it for a test drive tomorrow but it seems really clean, no rus, chips, mint interior looks like a great car...im so exciting for getting a VDUB babbby haha :P

Once you go dub, you never go back...Its a world of difference between Euro and Japanesse cars. With dubs, stupid muffler's are the suck. Clean exhaust systems are hawt..LOL..

Like I told you on gendub, maintainence goes along way.

BTW: Thanks for the referral..

Once you go OLD Dub, you never go back. I'll never buy another VW newer than 1984, unless I can talk someone into importing a MK1 City Golf. Stupid ****in MK3's, and MK4's are nothing but issues, from what I've seen, and the MK5 is just a Corolla look alike. Can't wait til summer, Rabbit time again.

I owned a 1987 VW Jetta 16v Turbo and I had no problems..My mk4 has a few problems but its ware-&-tare items