Yay!

  • Thread starter Thread starter MKthreeGTi
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Niiiiiiiice dude. VR6 is so badass. Nice power and awesome sound that cant be compared to anything else. 1998 is MK3, I prefer MK2 but MK3 sounds nice too if its lightly modified on the exterior part :)

Hope you'll take care of this baby, and get some pictures of this if you can :)
 
Yeah but the MK4 shape is soooooooooooo freaking nice. Some big wheels and a drop, its insane. But I tried the MK4's VR6 and to compare against the old VR6's generations, its not the same at all.
 
Congrats, these are fun cars. Wish you the best of luck for reliability though. :p

Is that the one in your avatar? Post some pics once you have it.
 
Don't have the car yet, but that's the one I want to look like...Pretty nice, eh? :lol: And reliability isn't an issue for me. Every car needs maintenance, it's just that this car needs a bit more than others ;) So what I'm going to do is strip it all down including the motor, try and get it sand blasted, then painted a nice stock Black, then I'm going to replace the motor and build it up before that. Lots of plans, lots and lots of plans :D
 
If I had one, along with enough cash to spare, replacing the motor for a 1.8T, well tuned, could be great... or that new 2.0 FSI. :)
 
Nice. I was looking at a '97 Jetta GLX VR6 last year, but after finding out how much my insurance would go up, I decieded to go with the '96 Wolfsburg instead.

And I totally agree about the weight problem. That is one of the things that has kept me away from searching for an MKIV, but a 2002 Wolfsburg 1.8T may be the next ride later this year.
 
i've never read a favorable review of the vehicle. most auto journalists consider that the low point in the gti range. i tend to agree. handling wasn't stellar and neither was straightline and yes, overpriced is a term i'd use, considering in '98 it was $21000, not counting the repair costs sure to doom the vehicle.
 
Why in a couple months, why not now?
Is someone giving you one in a couple months, or do you plan on buying one then?
 
M5Power
i've never read a favorable review of the vehicle. most auto journalists consider that the low point in the gti range. i tend to agree. handling wasn't stellar and neither was straightline and yes, overpriced is a term i'd use, considering in '98 it was $21000, not counting the repair costs sure to doom the vehicle.
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Besides reliability issues and complaints about the suspension being softened for North America, I don't recall seeing reviews that bad. I owned a base Golf MkIII for 5 years, the handling was quite good, the car felt solid, predictable with a precise steering. The interior was also on the upscale side compared with a Civic. (although they had some built quality issues especially on their first Mexican-production years.) And the VR6 wasn't a bad engine at all for a car of that size, especially in 1994.
 
M5Power
ah the mk3 gti. i cannot think of another car that promised so much and delivered so little. anyone?
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Duh, the A4 GTI.

Now that VW has switched to the A5 chassis, though, they've managed to find their testicles again. The A5 GTI is great.

Anyway, MKthreeGTi, congrats on the car! VR6's are awesome -- I've always found it interesting that the VR6 is pretty much just a crooked straight-6. :)
 
The pre-97 MKIII Jettas and Golfs were a bit more reliable than their 97+ cousins because production had not completely shifted to Mexico. My '96 (thankfully) was not part of the Mexico move, and Ive never had a mechanical problem with it in the time that I have had it. The guy who had it before me bought it in Denver Colorado when it was brand new, serviced it at all the correct intervals, and once I got ahold of it, the only problem was a missing trim piece and some scratched paint. Rust was minimal, limited to one bubble on the drivers side door, one on the pasenger side, and a small Tylenol-sized bubble on the front of the hood.

If there was ever anything to complain about, it would be having "only" 115HP in a fairly heavy car... But when I'm averaging between 27-30MPG on a regular baisis, I cant complain too much...
 
There's nothing wrong with the cars being made in Mexico and supposedly some of the Mexican cars are actually better quality than the German-built Jettas or Golfs. The only thing different about the Mexican cars is the people's (usually American) opinion that Mexicans can't build anything as well as other nations' people.
 
iceburns288
There's nothing wrong with the cars being made in Mexico and supposedly some of the Mexican cars are actually better quality than the German-built Jettas or Golfs. The only thing different about the Mexican cars is the people's (usually American) opinion that Mexicans can't build anything as well as other nations' people.
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I'm not saying this as a critic towards mexico, but the first years of transitions to building Golf in Mexico have been anything but easy. While the interior design and materials used were good, the fit and finish were far from great, and there was several reliabilty issues, that bad reputation didn't came out of nowhere...

And from my personal experience as an owner, along with every article I've seen about the topic, the year I bought mine, there was quite a difference in quality from the Cabrio still built in Germany and the rest of the lineup built in Mexico at the time.

I'm not saying things haven't changed, but back then, it was like that.
 
Remember that the Jetta and Golf used to be built in the US for quite some time. When production moved to Mexico the car didnt necessiarily change, but the build quality suffered and has continued to do so up until a few years ago.

Thankfully the Jettas and Golfs I care about are still made back in Wolfsburg.
 
Carl.
And the VR6 wasn't a bad engine at all for a car of that size, especially in 1994.
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Dont know where you are from but in North America the VR6 wasnt offered in the MKIII until 1995. Also, the 1995 was the final running of the OBD-I VR6 engines.

------

My GTI was assembled in Mexico. Apart from being the second owner, I have not run across any reliability issues. Right now, however, I do need to replace a few things. The clutch is going out, never been replaced in 118,xxx. I need a new steering rack boot for the passenger-front rod. Also, a big thing for VR's, the timing chain tensioner acts up if the car isnt allowed to warm up for a bit before driving.

Other than that I have only had to replace a few Vacuum hoses, and a lower radiator hose (B!TCH to get to..).

Other than that, because yours will be OBD-II your CEL will probably come on for the littlest things. Mine only turns on to remind me that the EGR valve is sticking but thats not something im worried about.

------

I know people have their opinions on cars but when looking at other hatches provided in the United States at the time, the VR6 GTI ranks among the highest (In price and performance). I wouldnt knock it just yet either. Have the people who don't like the GTI ever driven one? Yes, the 2.0 may be underpowered and the VR6 on the heavy side but its not really until you own one when you start to really love the car.

Oh yeah, be prepared for non-car enthusiasts to refer to all MKIII's as "Jettas". Also, your car is "cute" in the mind of the female population. You are also lucky you have a glove box, seeing as they didnt start putting those in the MKIII until 1996....

When you tune it please tune it right. The geometry of the VR6 does NOT allow for it to be dropped and still handle well. You can really only lower it MAYBE 2 inches below stock but that is even pushing it. If too low, the center of gravity wil be sub-terranian and that is something that reall affects the understeer and cornering of the VR6 (weight distribution is the key!)

If you wantto concentrate on suspension I would suggest a rear sway bar (the front is a good size stock), and upper tie bars and a lower front tie bar. Also, a nice Cup kit or coilovers (adjustable if you really want something awesome to fool around with) will help thehandling dramatically.

While im not really into too much internal engine modification, I know that there are some nice (while expensive) exhaust systems out there. There are also many options for a good intake set-up (IM me is you wan to know mine). As for cams, lifters and all that internal jazz, I would recommend searching on the vortex.

Whew! Sorry so long winded but there is still something I probably forgot.
 
MugenVTEC
The question that kills...

PAPAPAAAAAAAM

Do you ever drove one ???
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non - je ne l'ai jamais conduit, et vraiment, je ne veux pas conduire la voiture non plus. le moteur est merde et toujours a été. la fiabilité est mauvaise aussi. il n'est pas une bonne voiture.

iceburns288
There's nothing wrong with the cars being made in Mexico
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that's just comical. the only thing worse than a volkswagen built in mexico is one built in brazil. volkswagen has had so many reliability problems with the 99-05 jetta that it would almost be cheaper to move production back to germany where the workers actually know what they're doing. have you ever been behind a 99-05 jetta which had three operating brake lights? neither have i.

i won't comment on the reliability of the mk3 gti, because i think that generation's jetta and golf were actually okay (save the ones made in brazil whose vins begin with 9bw), but the more recent models have gone to hell because of mexico. the cabrio, too. and the corrado is among the least reliable vehicles ever created, though i don't blame location for that one - just **** engineering. and remember the 90-94 passat? those things were hyped up like mad and then people bought them and they started breaking down about as much as they were hyped.

volkswagen has had some issues - let's not lie.
 

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