E30 Zone

been offered one for my bike. what are they like, this one seems ok. any big exspensive things to go wrong? wouldnt mind a little change while my beemer is layed up!

any help much apreciated

cheers

Parts cost buttons for them mate and plenty of them in scrapyards.

So long as it isn't hanging with rust they still look presentable. No ball of fire but probably quicker than a 318i.

They do not really deserve the GTI badge to be fair, They are slow, dull and drive no better than a 1.6 GL. Having said that, They do make a half decent, cheap run around. I bought one for my wife for next to nothing with head gasket issues, After swapping the engine it has been a good solid family car for over 3 years now without any major dramas.

I really hate them! Even the vr6 is sh1te but really quick!

with coilovers and some nice wheels i think they are pretty nice. worth a punt ay!

rust.. if it has either side skirts & wheel arch trim's they rot badly behind them, check round all foot well floor grommets, inner & outer cill's, complete floor.. especially the harder to see areas ie: above fuel tank etc they if not fixed yet they leak water in to the back of the dash in to the footwell's via bad fitting seal's in the bulkhead, rear hatchback door can rot quite a bit, cheap for part's, strong running gear

i had a VR6 with a few shriek goodies & topped out at 155/158 & got there fairly quick

audi TT wheels, coilovers, whiteline droplink's, shriek cam & inlet remapped bigger fuel pump & bigger injectors were some of what i added

I had an 8v 94 M GTI and it was the biggest pile of dogs shit I've ever owned. And I love my Golfs as well!

These sad council turds make an E36 seem like a really good idea. Unless it is known, properly maintained and really cheap , avoid.

Can be bought for buttons and theres loads of them out there so no excuse for buying a hound.

They're not quick by any means - they just go OK.

30+ MPG

Gearboxes are a weak spot - the can let go with no warning whatsoever or they can be a bit crunchy - if the box shows any sign of crunchiness though walk away and find a better one.

Engines are strong and reliable if a little gutless.
MAF sensors play up but can be cleaned if you're careful.

Distributors can fail and arent cheap to replace

I had one of the run-out models ( dec '97 R Plate ) it was well specced up even with aircon but in truth it was pretty worn out - No actual rot but a few cosmetic scabs on the doors and the tailgates are notorious for rotting.

Think I paid about £900 for mine, spent another £300 or so on it in consumable items ( 2 x tyres, full service kit, MOT etc ) but only got about £750 for it when I sold it about 8 months later.

If you need a new radiator the whole front end of the car has to come off - lights, grille, bumper, crossmembers etc - this was the straw that broke the camels back with me - I stuck some radweld in it and served it on
It felt tired to drive and I didn't miss it when I sold it - the mondeo TDCi I replaced it with is faster, much more economical, more comfortable and generally more capable in every respect.
Mine

cheers for the advice guys

VAGs are very seldom expensive to run if you are talking about the old stuff...
On a Mk3 Golf, they have often rust issues on tailgate, doors, bonnet etc - so they are not rust free. The old Volkswagen engines can have problem with oil leak from the head. But in general a very soiid car - who is easy and good to drive.

I think it also got the award for European Car of the Year when it got launched in 1992

78dude wrote: I think it also got the award for European Car of the Year when it got launched in 1992

So did the Chrysler Horizon in 1979 and look at what a heap of shite that turned out to be!

Right, these gays with 'gutless' 8 valvers are a load of divvies putting up with the run of the mill. 8vs are quicker accelerating than a 16 valver and certainly good fun if you know what to tweak! I've raced a 325ise and been eating its rear bumper to get past it down the a50 up towards Stoke and when he finally pulled in my 8v hit near on 140 and started to creep past the m20b25. Mines a flamethrowing thing (not by choice but by sheer quantity of fuel flowing through it!) It runs like its on fast road cams being lumpy and horrible on idle, but open the throttle and let off the clutch and it shifted pretty well! I've even owned a 2.0 avantgarde mk3 cab (crap slow horrid thing) and a vr6 which was entertaining and sounded beautiful with a milltek (had that up to 145mph but the mrs told me to let off so i never got to see its final result ) but that was 192bhp on a rolling road and drank fuel like

Anyway - some are galvanised at the 96 onwards so less rust issues (if the tailgate has no rust anywhere then it should be a galv edition).
- rear calipers handbrake release seem to always seize (check for play in handbrake as you lift) usually results in a £90 caliper from ecp!
-gearboxes dont like heavy thrash and turning from pull off (they go boom).
-indicator storks gather dust behind the cowling where the ignition barrel is resulting in a fire!!!
-my head gasket developed a weep yet still pulled well (then i had it done and mucked about with it)

Mine became surprisingly quick for a 'gutless' 115bhp lump. Never had it rolling roaded but it goes well enough to keep up with the likes of bmw 325's and clio williams and even did well against my vr6 i thought. Maybe they are all wrong about mk3 gti 8vs - or maybe i got lucky?! mpgs were 18 - 20 at best though!

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=200306

Thats mine - mk3s arent worth much either. Not a classic and not in good condition anymore. Just existing for now

bassboy now had this after selling his e30


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not the fastes but still it goes wich is better than his e30

Had plenty and they were all brilliant and i will be buying another before crimbo

I loved my one, had an 8 and 16v enjoyed both tbh but as said gearboxes known to crunch and the 8v's aren't all that quick

My old 8v