Scirocco Register

I've had many conversations about 80's dubs in terms of what is most important. It always comes down to the body shell. The mechanics are so interchangeable across various mk's "just like Mechano" as someone quoted. The beauty of this car is there is no body kit. You might have noticed the horrors that were hidden under my GT's body kit

So I would give it a good inspection under the car especially round the jacking points, there are always times where cars are poorly jacked and my car has been damaged by incompetence with this. Also as mentioned checking round the rear beam mounts should indicate it's health. Also the filler neck and it's bracket that can rust through the inner arch.

I would just cut the seal of the windscreen to ensure it doesn't crack unless your are fully confident with it's removal. Then I suspect some minor welding would be required on that paint bubbling, maybe not if you are lucky.

If it was in my neighbourhood I'd be all over it

Hi Ben

You should give this a go provided the underside is free of rust in the obvious areas like suspension points and sills, etc. The car looks good and the mileage if accurate is good for a car that age. As for the elements get yourself a cheapish car cover from Halfords or equivalent stockist and you should be okay for storing it.

Good luck

Mikeki

I think I'll see if I can go and look at it again. I'll take a goot pump to inflate tyres so I can see the underside a little better. Will also check the head lining. Other than what has been mentioned so far, anything else?

Would standard unleaded be ok? Or would it need 4 star additive?

ben wrote:Would standard unleaded be ok? Or would it need 4 star additive?

Ben, as far as I'm aware (famous last words) all Mk2 models will run fine on unleaded. In fact, the inside filler cap on my 1987 GT specifically shows standard unleaded as being the preferred minimum ...



Sainsbury's finest for me everytime (as its the cheapest in town) and no problems in the near two years I've been running her.

Think that the only thing to watch out for is that it's normal unleaded, and not the E10 stuff when it comes out.

All of the 1.8s and all fuel-injected cars ought to be run on 98 RON. I suspect the 1.6 carb Sciroccos are the only exception - I've never owned one (surprisingly) so I can't be certain.

Ok thank. I'm a fuel tanker driver and I can tell you that as far as I'm aware, all unleaded now contains the ethanol content.

Now. I'm going to view this car again tomorrow, Thursday 12th April. I have a foot pump to inflate the tyres so I can push it (provided the brakes release) to open the boot and so I can see underneath.

Now, I'm no mechanic and don't have a haynes manual yet, so I'm going on basics, the jacking points at jut behind the front wheels and just infront of the rears. I won't be jacking it up.

Is the fuel info pictured above, inside the filler cover?
I will check the boot floor inside under the carpet and in the spare wheel well.
I will do my best to see under the carpet of the drivers footwell.
Will check rear axle mounts as mentioned earlier in this thread provided I can correctly identify them.
Will also see if I can see the fuel filler neck. Is this easily accessible i.e. not behind wheel arch liner.

What is the best way to test the sills? Lightly tap them with a hammer?

I will be taking many photos and will post all on here for you all to give your views.

Is there any else not yet mentioned that I should check?
Does anyone have any photos of the things I need to look out for by way of a comparison of condition?

Many thanks.

Ben

Also, insurance is something else I need to factor in to my costs. Idealy is have a classic insurance limited miles 3rd party fire and theft whilst its being readied for mot and tax. What are the ball park figures for insurance on these? And can anyone recommend a company for classics.

To move it, I have a local trailer hire center which come with winches and I fitted a towbar to my Audi so I don't have to borrow dads touareg. I like to plan in advance even if I don't end up buying it.

ben wrote: Is the fuel info pictured above, inside the filler cover?
I will check the boot floor inside under the carpet and in the spare wheel well.
I will do my best to see under the carpet of the drivers footwell.
Will check rear axle mounts as mentioned earlier in this thread provided I can correctly identify them.
Will also see if I can see the fuel filler neck. Is this easily accessible i.e. not behind wheel arch liner.

What is the best way to test the sills? Lightly tap them with a hammer?

Is there any else not yet mentioned that I should check?
Does anyone have any photos of the things I need to look out for by way of a comparison of condition?

Yes, there should be a sticker inside the fuel filler flap that tells you what octane rating VW expect you to use. Normal unleaded will be fine, but if your car's meant to use 98 RON, you might find that you need to adjust the timing for 95 RON.

While you're in the boot, check the driver's side arch - there will quite likely be rust at two points where the filler neck bracket holds moisture on the other side (see Delraj and eefy's threads in the Projects section for good examples - in fact Delraj's Storm thread has a good breakdown of the worst you can expect in the likely areas).

The fuel filler neck is easy to feel behind the driver's side rear wheel - easier still if you can take the wheel off. If the wheel stays on, you will only really be able to feel it, and if it's not smooth (under the inevitable coating of mud/dirt) it's rusty and will need replacing - replacing the filler neck isn't tricky, but cleaning out the fuel system to make sure none of the particles of rust that will have fallen into the tank get as far as the carb/engine is the harder part.

Have a look at the bulkhead inside the engine bay where the clutch cable comes through - it might already have had a strengthening plate fitted, or it might be torn (or looking like it's about to split). If the clutch cable feels very stiff, this might be the culprit.

You should be able to assess the sills just by looking at them, unless the car's been repaired or repainted in the past. Make sure you venture underneath to see the inner edge of the sill where it meets the floorpan.

Wing edges and front and rear valances commonly go frilly with rust. The bases of the A-pillar at the corner of the windscreen and the lower edges of the rear side windows commonly develop rust holes too.


Basically, it's an old car - look for rust everywhere. Stored cars are probably more likely to rot in unusual places.


Insurance depends on how old you are, where you keep the car and where you live. Classic insurance is generally only available to over 25s. If you can keep the car in a garage and specify mileage 3000/yr or less, I would hope you could insure it on a classic policy for between £100-£300.

I've had a good look at delraj's thread and I can safely say that its not that bad. I now also know what I'm looking for regarding axle mounts and the rust spots from the fuel filler mounting bracket. I think I could see the clutch cable in his engine bay with the silver coloured strengthening plate, but I could be wrong on that bit.

I know I'd be taking a risk, but I also know my money would be safe as I void easily resell the car.

Excited for tomorrow.

Will keep you all fully informed.

Also, I'm 34 so insurane is no problem, I don't have a garage but it will be secure in my back garden away from prying eyes.

Ordinary unleaded will be fine for this car. In the 1980s (West) Germany went over to unleaded fuel before we did, so their cars were already engineered to cope with it.

Own a 1.6 GT with a carburettor and had no problems with unleaded. I've started to use super unleaded because it's the only fuel that doesn't contain any ethanol content, which can degrade seals etc. in older cars. 97 Octane is closer to the old 4 star anyway that these cars would have been running on for the first couple of years of their lives.

I'm currently uploading 6 photos to photobucket and 15 videos to YouTube.

All links shall be posted for your consumption and opinion.

here are the 6 photos













there is every tax disc and mot certificate that it has ever had. the SORN expires feb 2003 and its not been on the road since. It also has a full VW service history.

It will need a new filler neck. I'd buy it, as long as the price was right.