mickster

Add to water ingress around speakers if aftermarkets fitted - need to be sealed in really! This can leak even if the membrane behind the rest of the door card is untouched. heated wing mirrors on GTI are often replaced with non heated glass or the heating stops working - has been the case on both my GTIs I know you’ve got electric window motors but even if the motors are fine the guides are only plastic and often snap meaning when the glass invariably slips out of the guide you have to help the glass up by holding it in place else it refuses and automatically winds the window the whole way down. Not really rust but the GTI (and maybe other?) spoilers have a paint issue where they bubble underneath high level/third brake light often not working, *very* common issue on the GTI and more often than not the whole thing has been bodged before as the spoiler is originally bonded on and held by I think 2 bolts under a small plastic panel my old sunroof model had the classic sticky mechanism issue where it would sometimes refuse to close, perhaps true of all aging sunroof vehicles though! May just have been unlucky but I have had 2/2 alternators fail at around 90,000 miles one non air con one air con model 2002 GTI

Not my forte but years ago when I was considering buying a Sport it seemed like the gearboxes break with alarming consistency around the 70k+ mark. Therefore might be worth having a specialist look at it, replace the oil etc! In the end I opted to go straight for a GTI but do really like the stance of the Sport particularly in taffeta green...

Didn’t sound like the gearbox was very happy either!

This just appeared in my suggested videos on YouTube, not one I've come across before:

Damn, should really remember to check the classifieds on here once a day, I'd have had this!

Seems to be quite common unfortunately, I've lost 2 or 3 over the years, although one was thanks to a kamakazi/suicidal pheasant! I bought spares from these guys on eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131529652996?hash=item1e9fc73b04:g:lUkAAOSwm8VUxlj- . I think that is the wrong side for you but might be worth messaging them to see if they can get the other side, I only bought a pair from them a couple months ago. Obviously not ideal as you need to paint them but it's very rare to see them up for sale used in my experience.

No need to take the boot carpet out and really easy to remove/reinstall, must have done it half a dozen times at least no bother. The Fox on the other hand...

Needs probably the same again spent to get it restored I'd imagine?

Are you going to de-tango the lights? Bit of a faff but so worth it!

Did you see the photos? It was quite shabby particularly inside, low mileage and a rare colour but needed work to bring it up to scratch. I've been around here long enough and you undoubtably have too to know the general consensus is bodywork over mechanics as the latter is often easier and cheaper to fix/DIY. I was mainly thinking about that raven for £6k last year, and a black one with a custom leather interior that I almost bought for a little under £5k from an independant on eBay in January, a couple photos here but he sent me a video and it was in great shape with a recent cambelt change. There was also an absolutely mint black one with probably a grand and a half worth of spare parts that was up for £10,000 or there abouts on Autotrader last year but vanished, it then came back at a reduced price of £8k this year and dissapeared pretty sharpish. No doubt the market is only going one way with the GTI and How Many Left estimates only 514 are still on the road, gone are the days of having a bit of choice at £3.5k for a six speed with mileage in the 80s/90s. I keep an eye out as if a minter comes along at the right price with the right spec I'd swap my current GTI for it, particularly as it no longer has to function as my daily so could be kept mint.

Did these sell?

I enquired about this and the seller said it was his own car of 15 years, yet his latest review was from someone saying that he had bought their Lupo GTI from them for a fair price in part exchange! It isn't listed anymore so someone must have bought it, but given there have been a few minters for far less recently I can't imagine it went for more than £5 or £6,000...

Call me old fashioned but I just don't get the same excitement from the Up! GTI, there isn't the feedback through the steering wheel like you get on the Lupo. Absolutely crap if you live somewhere hilly too being a 1L, I prefer my sister's 1.4L Fox in Brighton! It is good fun though - I've probably covered circa 1000 miles in my Mum's since she bought it in late '18 including a British holiday around Dorset last year.

I'm still a Fox fan - boot is cavernus with the seats down and still highly usable with them up on the Urban model with sliding back seats. Have just moved and the Fox was invaluable! If it wasn't my sister's and therefore fitted with a black box, I'd probably drive it all the time.

I learnt to drive a bit late and have had a GTI ever since ~ 8 years, albeit I'm on the second one as the first was taken out by a bus. It was MOT day today and just needed a CV joint boot, generally they've both been trouble free driving although I've had to replace 2/2 alternators! Now on a smidge over 102,000 miles meaning I did barely 2000 since the last MOT and to be honest I'm quite happy to keep the mileage down. I intend to always have one and it puts a smile on my face every time I have a chance to put my foot down 😁