Overview of the VW Mk2 Golf

A half decent Mk2 can still be yours for a little over £1000, but you need to be selective. Here’s our expert guide on how to sort the diamonds from the duffers.

There’s no doubt the Mk2 is a great modern classic for daily duties or weekend fun and with MoT’d examples with plenty of life left in them selling for as little as a grand, buying one won’t stretch your resources too far.

If you’re getting behind the wheel of a Mk2 for the first time, you’ll be instantly impressed by the chunkiness of the controls, the firm seating and precise gearchange – but what you may not be prepared for is the heavy steering as many of the early Mk2s were devoid of power assistance. If you do a lot of town driving, this could narrow your choices.

Incidentally, if you’re after a GTi – you’ll no doubt be pondering whether to opt for the 8v or more pokey 16v version. The extra 27bhp is useful high in the rev range but the 8v offers better low down grunt and a more relaxed drive. Again, the choice is yours…

Of course one of the best bits about buying a Mk2 is excellent parts availability which means you can bring a tired car up to scratch very easily. Moreover, it’s very DIY friendly, so you can do most of the routine servicing yourself and keep a car in fine fettle on a very low budget.

Where To Buy?

That well known internet auction site is a good place to start looking for Mk2s, although it’s worth trying the excellent Mk2 Owners Club, Club GTi, Pistonheads and Edition38.com as well. Whether you pick an already modified car or part finished project is up to you – potentially there’s money to be saved going down this route, but you do need to be a bit picky about the quality of workmanship and parts used.

Something that’s been cobbled together by a total novice could prove more of a headache than it’s really worth. On the flipside, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t profit from buying a well-executed 2.0 16v, VR6 or 1.8T uprated Mk2 for a fraction of what the previous owner spent and then put your own stamp on it with different wheels, paint or interior.

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What to look for

Engines

Whether it’s the 1.1, 1.3, 1.6 or 1.8 – all Mk2 engines should prove long lasting as long as the oil and filter changes have been carried out on a regular basis. However, clouds of blue smoke on start up is a bad sign – it points to worn valve guides or valve stem oil seal failure. A cylinder head rebuild will be required which won’t be cheap, although at least it can be done in situ on the 8v lumps. If you notice any misfires or erratic idle while out on a test drive, suspect duff HT leads or problems with the notorious factory fit Pierburg carb. You can retrofit a progressive Weber 32/34 item with a manual choke, but in any case haggle to try and cover your costs (the carb kit alone is around £300).

Other running issues (on the GTi 8v up to ’88, 16v up to ‘92) could be down to the K-jet injection box which are tricky to get hold of new, or a leak from one of the vacuum hoses which is a lot easier to fix. While on the K-jet, if the car feels sluggish, it could be that the metering head or air flap inside the airbox has become stuck but the whole affair can be cleaned out later. Again, use all this as a handy negotiating tool. If you’re lucky enough to be looking at the supercharged 1781cc G60 Mk2 be mindful of the fact that the G-Lader supercharger can be fragile so check through receipts to confirm it’s had an overhaul with new apex seals relatively recently (10-20k).

Diesel Mk2s are robust, frugal and generally totally reliable – a good bet is the 70bhp turbo. The non-turbo 54bhp version is pretty slow and maybe best avoided. Better still is the increasingly sought after GTD which pumps out a useful 80bhp thanks to the addition of an intercooler. The five-speed rod change 020 gearboxes are generally good, but watch for loss of synchro in second and diff pins exiting the side of the ‘box when you least expect it.

Running Gear

As you would expect, Mk2 running gear is strong and long lasting – but cars that come with a wad of receipts proving that things such as exhausts, clutches and brakes have been replaced in the previous few years is always a plus point. Original looking, generally unmolested cars are usually best – so always eye with caution a Mk2 that’s been ‘upgraded’ by the fitment of cheap coilovers, loud exhausts and various other tuning goodies. That said, if the car’s solid underneath – you could always strip the unwanted bits off and flog them off to fund more tasteful, better quality alternatives.

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Bodywork

Despite the fact that they were so much better than the Mk1 at fending off the dreaded tin worm, with the youngest Mk2s being 27 years old, don’t make the mistake of ignoring the prospect of rust. Hotspots include the sills, wheelarches, door bottoms, rear valance, the seam where the floor panel meets the sill and the metal around sunroofs. The lower bulkhead and front suspension subframe are also known troublespots, so take time with a torch to carry out a proper inspection.

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History of the Mk2 Golf

1984– ten years after the original Mk1 broke cover, VW decide to introduce its replacement – although plans for the Mk1’s successor date back to as early as 1979. Unlike the original, which was designed by Giugiaro, the Mk2 blueprint was penned in-house. Linking the two cars, visually, is the broad C-panel between the rear doors and tailgate on the more curvy Mk2, albeit at the expense of repeating the biggest point of criticism on the original Golf, it’s rear three-quarter blindspot.

1986– the 16v version of the GTi becomes available with and extra 27bhp. 1987– the Mk2 receives its first makeover with grille slats being reduced from seven to five and the mechanical K-jet fuel injection system being replaced with a fully-electronic Digifant system on the 8v GTi.

1989– bigger bumpers replace the skinny versions and the rubber bump strips along the side are made smaller for the 90 spec GTi models, the small bumpers remained for the non GTi models. VW also unveil two new models; the motorsport derived four-wheel drive LHD-only supercharged Rallye (of which just 5000 were built) and the limited edition supercharged G60.

1991– Mk2 production comes to a close – to be replaced by the heavier, and bulkier Mk3. Although some Mk2s exist on 1992 and 1993 registrations.

Technical Specifications

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Values

Beetle values have been on the up over the last couple of years, mainly due to the rocketing price of VW vans and people are choosing the Beetle to get into the air-cooled scene.

The least sought after models are the curved screen 1303s and the late ‘70s cars, which start at around £1500 for an MoT’d example, but values for late ‘50s and early ‘60s cars are still high and people are still searching for sound, original cars and importing rust free ones from all over the world, including the States, Sweden and Norway. A solid early car needing restoration could be worth as much as £3,000.

The best candidates for long-term ownership are cars that haven’t been played around with, and certainly don’t rule out buying a left-hooker – or a 1200 because they tend to be the most reliable.

Good, sorted Beetles will always hold value. As a guide, an early sloping headlamp ‘60s car could be worth as much as £7,500, while a sound late upright headlamp car will still fetch £2,500-£3,000. Convertibles usually command at least a £1,000 premium over their tin-top counterparts.

Mexican Beetles don’t hold quite the same kudos as genuine German Bugs, and this is usually reflected in lower values.

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Summary

The Beetle makes an excellent everyday classic and if properly sorted, it’s surprisingly nice to drive, cheap to run and still incredibly reliable. Moreover, even the 1200 will make a good fist of keeping up with modern day traffic. The best cars to buy are those that have remained unmolested, or else ones that have undergone a proper restoration as opposed to being bodged.

Take your time, buy the best and you really won’t go wrong. The fact that you can buy just about everything to bring a project car back to good health, including trim and panels, means you can easily do all the work yourself. Once it’s in fine fettle, service items and parts to make a Beetle run and look even better are also in plentiful supply, so the love affair is likely to be long lasting.