Any help appreciated ,i'm looking to buy a mk1/2 golf covertible and need to know if theres anything to look out for.
I appreciate its going to be a 15- 20 year old car so,i understand there could be a few problems just need to know if theres anything serious to look out for.
Thanks Iain
go look at http://www.vwgolfmk1.org.uk
rear brake calipers and heater seemed to be the common problemwhen I had mine
Never produced a mk 2 cab.
Most mk1s will have a fair bit of rust, especially the sought after early models with the small rear light clusters. Some parts are becming difficult to source. Your best bet is to have a look on the vw forums. Are you looking for originality or modded?
Rust in the filler neck from the fuel cap is a car killer - beware! You want 100% solid panels too - obsolete is a word you hear with Mk 1 panels.
Be prepared to "quite scared" by the brakes!
Not one of the best implementations of a RHD 
True about the brakes, the servo is on the left and the pedal on the right, linked by pushrod and bell crank, I put Tarox discs on my Scirooco, that helped. Also watch the clutch, again pedal on the right, lever on the left, check where the cable goes through the bulkhead, it can tear through the metal, check if it's been reinforced by a previous owner, it is an easy job to do though.
Despite this if it handles like an original Scirroco it'll be great fun, you just get used to the idiosincracies.
^ Yep, from memory (I had a Mk1 GTI about 12 years ago) that seems to sum it up. Brakes are very interesting but you'll get used to them [not quite being there]. I broke a couple of clutch cables but you can change them in 5 mins - the bulkehead reinforcement I did one mine was a simple stick on panel that seemed to work well.
IIRC mine was suffering from a slightly stiff gearchange from first to second when the gearbox was cold and had to be done carefully - I can't imagine it was going to get better after I sold the car.
Overall, great cars though.
I remember the gearbox change problem, it was related to the pushod from the gearbox clutch lever to the clutch. It was a relatively easy fix to strip out the pushrod, get an appropriate size ball bearing welded on the end if it, and shove it back in, adjusting the cable to compensate for the restored length.
......... oh yeah - I remember taking the gearchange rods off to clean and lube them, changed some plastic bit at the bottom of the gearlever as well to tighten up the shift.
Get a MK3 convertible much more user-able IMO.
Brakes.
The rear callipers on 1980s vintage Golfs are prone to seizing, plus the Mk1 based Cabrio has a rather convoluted brake conversion for RHD cars.
Rust as previously mentioned is an issue with any car that age, I'm sure there is also a problem with clutch cables cutting through the scuttle which may require welding.
Rust in the filler neck from the fuel cap is a car killer - beware!
+1 on the rusty filler neck. Check it's not rotten and if you have any slight running problems walk away as that could be the cause and the only way to 100% cure it is to replace everything fuel related from the fuel tank to the engine
...but the Mk111 is pug ugly. There are problems with any old motors,but the old Golf isn't too bad. My nephew has one,a lovely,flawed motor.
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