15th Jul 2010, 19:08
I owned a 1984 GTI about 25 years ago, and that thing was an unreliable POS. I swore off VWs after that experience. From rough idles, to electrical issues, to stuck door handles in the winter, to a mirror falling off the visor (which is made out of cardboard), to a glovebox light which stayed on even when the door was closed!
The fit and finish was terrible, with warped plastic exterior lines everywhere. Maybe the ones made in Germany were a little better, but I know that for years, they never fixed the door handle issue. Do Germans not live in cold climates?
The VW was fast; mostly due to the short gearing, and cornered well; mostly due to springs that were very hard.
I will never buy another VW again.
20th Feb 2011, 12:04
I bought my 1984 GTI in 1992 with 109,000 miles on it. It now has over 250,000 miles. It was in Florida for 12 years and Texas for 10 years, so there are no rotted out panels.
I converted it to power steering, which is much nicer, with the small Momo steering wheel, twin outlet manifold with Eurosport exhaust and Neuspeed softsport springs, but other than that, the motor is standard. I still get 31mpg when I commute 34 miles to work in the summer months. Don't buy these cars if you are not a good mechanic - there are always jobs to do on a 27 year old car.
12th Mar 2010, 20:59
I am a 16 year old kid and a proud owner of a 1983 VW GTI (130k miles). She's an all weather beauty from Omaha, Nebraska. I bought it for 1300 in January of 2009 with Xmas money and a few 40 hour weeks at my job. My grandpa owned an upholstery shop in West Omaha/Elkhorn, and restored my interior in return for my dad making them a website. http://www.neseatcover.com/
So after I restored my interior, I managed to finish the rust work (just a little bit on the back under light), and got a set of euro bumpers, large duck bill spoiler, new blacked out taillights, along with a 1 12 inch Eclipse sub with a 750 watt Alpine amp. Needless to say, broke my rear window for vibrations.
Shortly after that, I tinted my windows, threw on a Sparco steering wheel along with Sparco pedals, seats, and harnesses and a pair of 13" BBS rims.
Then my harmonic balance went out. My parents paid for my engine to be rebuilt since I put close to a grand in repairs already.
Last but certainly not least, painted it gloss silver. My friend has a 2007 Subaru WRX stage 2 turbo (spoiled S.O.B) and we decided to race. He didn't try at all at the start; he said his boost was only at 6 (maxes at 19 PSI). He said my friend's face was priceless after he saw me take off. I had him until shifting into 3rd gear and about 3 seconds into 3rd gear, he cooked me... bad.
As far as my friend's Mustang GT goes, haven't raced yet, but the day will come. I don't care what people say about VW GTIs, they will cook ALMOST any VTEC (I've raced 5, only lost to one and it was an SI), but never underestimate a Rabbit.
If you guys need any help or answers, let me know, I am always there to help. I have seen a ton of problems with my car. Feel free to send me an email. kpadkisson@gmail.com