"Mortimer" <me@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:zOqdnTjDGKy8GhrVnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "N8N" <njnagel@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>
news:cdf788cd-24bd-4ca3-8ae8-510dd160f946@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Jul 23, 2:34 pm, E Meyer <epmeye...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> On 7/23/08 10:46 AM, in article
>> b3596bce-7a72-4a44-aa19-3516ca9d1...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"N8N"
>
> I've had quite a few 80's era watercooled VWs over the years and I can
> honestly say that only two were in any way finicky - my '89 GTI 16V,
> because it was a resurrected "barn car" (once I replaced pretty much
> any accessory with bearings, it was quite reliable - I eventually sold
> it to a friend who drove it daily until a year or two ago when she
> sold it) and SWMBO's '90 Corrado G60, because it's a Corrado and those
> aren't up to normal VW standards.
>
> My cars were not pampered - sat outside 24/7, expected to start on a
> moment's notice after sitting for a week or more, be able to drive up
> and down the east coast without any preparation, etc. and they never
> let me down.
>
>
> ====
>
>
> I had two VW Golfs (1.8 petrol - a 1988 Mark II and a 1993 Mark III). I
> was generally very pleased with them, though they were fairly expensive
to
> maintain because of the high cost of parts, even in the UK which is not
as
> far from Germany as, for example, the USA is.
>
> The first car (which had a carburettor) had a problem with its automatic
> choke which occasionally in hot weather made the engine race - very
> embarrassingly once when I got stuck in a traffic jam on the infamous
M25
> motorway ("London's orbital car-park"!) and I had to turn off the engine
> every time I came to a stand-still and then slip the clutch like mad to
> crawl forward a few feet. But that was fixed fairly quickly and under
> warranty.
>
> The second one developed an annoying problem where the engine kept
losing
> power or hesitating. It kept going back to the garage and they could
never
> find anything. Eventually they decided to keep it for a week and loan me
> another car in the meantime so they could give it a good test. On the
last
> day the mechanic rang up in a state of considerable elation and yelled
> "It's just gone wrong! I know what it is! I've fixed it!" - it was the
> throttle sensor which detects the position of the throttle pedal and
feeds
> the info to the engine management unit: this had developed a fault. The
> component cost a few quid but the labour was going to be several hundred
> pounds... until I was able to produce a garage receipt showing that the
> car was still within the mileage limit for the warranty when I first
> re****ted the fault, so VW head office eventually agreed to pay up.
>
> The first car was lovely - much more lively than the other one though
the
> power and torque were very similar. Only slight design flaw: the sill at
> the base of the windscreen had tiny drain holes into the wheel arches
and
> these easily got blocked. Once day after torrential rain overnight I got
> into the car and found I was paddling in six inches of water! Having got
> the majority of the water out with buckets and mopped up with towels, I
> then spent one weekend removing the seats and then the carpet so I could
> wash the carpets (which had started to smell - especially the underlay).
> It was weird driving around with bare metal floor and only my seat ;-)
>
> Fuel economy was not brilliant - about 30-35 mpg (UK) which is about
24-28
> mpg (US).
>
> I now have a Peugeot 306 diesel which has just done 129,000 miles and is
> still going strong after nine years. 50-55 mpg, bullet-proof, starts
first
> time every time whatever the weather. But it's getting to the age when
> expensive things are starting to need attention: new catalytic
converter,
> replacement cambelt (scheduled), two new fanbelts (unplanned - second
one
> was because garage that fitted first one didn't notice that a pulley was
> wobbly so it took out the belt after about a month - GRRRRR!).
>
> I'm not sure what I'd replace it with because I don't like the Peugeot
307
> or 308, and the VW Golf is very expensive for what it is and, like so
many
> modern cars, has one of these not-fit-for-purpose spacesaver spare
wheels.
> Also the rear seats don't remove so I wouldn't be able to carry my
bicycle
> as easily. The Honda Civic (new shape) and the Citroen C4 are gimmicky
> (digital instruments in the centre of the dashboard).
>
> Ford and Vauxhall - boring!
>
And Peugeot in the US... cannot be had. Too bad as they seem to perform
beautifully now days, but crashed and burned when they were in the states.
Willy
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