Any Tips on Buying a Scirocco?

[MikeVR6 0]

A mate of mine has seen a nice 1990 Scirocco at a local 2nd hand dealers.

It's black with VW steel rims on it.

Dealer is looking £1000 but will probably take less.

 

I know very little about these cars other than they're based on a Mk1 and seem to be well thought of in VW circles.

 

Really looking for a little buyers guide.

What are they worth?

What engines did they come with? (I'm guessing something similar to Mk2 Golfs?)

What are the common problems with them?

Which particular bits fall prey to tin worm?

Are parts readily available from the likes of ECP and GSF?

 

Going with him to look at it tonight.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

[Supercharged 2]

Not really, have you thought about dumping that mate and trying to find another with a better taste in cars?? :lol:

[Neil VR6 0]

My mates got one actually. If it's got a factory fitted "body kit", make sure you have a very good like around it as rot is the biggest problem which the kit can hide. Sciroccos' mechanicals are simple and lots of engines were put in it. Fuel injected engines are best and much easier for cold starts. Also, the carb ones can be a bit unreliable. The 1.8i is the 8v from the Mk 2 Gti I think and is very torquey and goes quite nicely. Brakes are generally poor though and require a good heave. Still, the car is old and when it was released I'm sure its brakes were comparable to similar cars of its ilk. Oh, and reds fade like nobody's business!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

IIRC, engines were:-

 

GTX - 1600 and then 1800 carb

GL - 1600 carb

GTI - 1600 GTI

Scala - 1.8 GTI

GTII - 1800 carb I think

 

Tempest will know, he's the rocco guru.

[Supercharged 2]

Yep the MK2 Scirocco's are based on the mk1 Golf and the later ones got the mk2 engines... pierburg carbs etc...

[Neil VR6 0]

My mates one is a GTXII with a 1.8i?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

You're probably right... I know VW where always chopping and changing specs with the Scirocco.

[Musicman 0]

A mate of mine has seen a nice 1990 Scirocco at a local 2nd hand dealers.

It's black with VW steel rims on it.

Dealer is looking £1000 but will probably take less.

 

 

> What are they worth?

 

For £1000 I'd be looking for a good example with low mileage (although this is from a dealer). Keep your eyes peeled and you can pick up a reasonable Scala or GTX for nearly half that.

 

> What engines did they come with? (I'm guessing something similar to Mk2 Golfs?)

 

As mentioned above. If it's a 1990 Rocco then it's either a GTII (EX 90HP 8v carb) or a Scala (DX 112HP 8v injection). Scalas also had a lower anti-roll bar fitted as standard, so they're a bit more fun to drive all round.

 

That's not to put down the GTII as I've had one of each and love(d) them both.

 

GTIIs have a 4+E gearbox (long 5th).

Scalas sit 10mm lower out of the factory.

Scalas have green-tinted 'thermo' glass, GTIIs have plain (thought it's a little blue).

 

 

A couple of other pointers to help you find out which is which, if you don't know your way round the engine bay:

 

- Badges on the 'B' pillar are the easiest give-away (some were delivered from dealers without at the request of the original owner)

 

- Injection engine models have an MFA display with an A/B switch on the indicator stalk. GTIIs just have a clock.

 

> What are the common problems with them?

 

See

http://www.sciroccoregister.co.uk/as/as_lookfor.htm

http://www.sciroccoregister.co.uk/as/as_mark2.htm

http://www.sciroccoregister.co.uk/as/as_tips.htm

 

Their forum is also a useful reference.

 

Pierburg carbs on the GTII can be a pain to sort out if they start to malfunction.

 

Listen out for worn engine mounts (squeaks while pulling away).

If you can get under the car, check the condition of the brake lines.

 

> Which particular bits fall prey to tin worm?

 

Fuel filler pipe rusting is very common (symptoms: car stalls after a few miles driving, particularly on a low tank).

 

Also worth checking out the bulkhead where the clutch cable comes through as the stress often induces weakness and rusting. A reinforcement plate is available from VW/GSF for a few pounds that helps sort this out.

 

> Are parts readily available from the likes of ECP and GSF?

 

Yep, for the most part. Mechanicals are easy. Some body parts are getting a little tricky (bump strips in particular if you want new stock). Most Mk 2 glass is out of production, but there's quite a lot of stock left, AFAIK.

 

Hope this helps :)

[Campaign 0]

IIRC, engines were:-

 

GTX - 1600 and then 1800 carb

GL - 1600 carb

GTI - 1600 GTI

Scala - 1.8 GTI

GTII - 1800 carb I think

 

Tempest will know, he's the rocco guru.

 

Not far out... But...

 

GT - 1500 originally, then 1600 carb

GTi - 1600 inj

GL - 1600 carb

GTL - 1600, latterly 1800 carb

GTS - 1800 carb

Storm - 1800 inj

GTX - 1800 inj

Scala - 1800 carb, then 1800 inj

GTII - 1800 carb

 

Best one to go for is Storm (obviously), as they tend to be the best "looked after" ones. GTX's can be quite good too. GL's are a comfy version, and can be quite economical with their 4+E gearbox.

 

TBH whether a 1990 GTII (which that one sounds like) is worth £1000 depends on it's mileage and general condition. There isn't really a lot to go wrong on them, so if it's clean and the interior is good then it might be worth it.

 

One thing to bear in mind though is that only buy it if he intends to keep it for a while, as they're worth diddly squat on the second hand market unless you've got a real mint one.

 

Finally, if it's a second car then insurance can be quite cheap on these. My insurance on the Storm for example is £128 this year. FC with agreed value of £4000. :)

[tonytiger 0]

I had 2 'roccos before the VR, both 1.8 carbs.

 

First was an '85 GT'S' which I ran for 5+ years (I only bought it as a put-me-on for 6 months while trying to find a decent MR2). Had 100,000 miles on when I bought it and 205,000 when I scrapped it (needed far too much doing to keep it). In that time it suffered a cracked head (replaced with a cheap second hand one), a hole in the gearbox casing (replaced with a second hand gearbox) and a leaking fuel tank (repaired fairly cheaply) plus the usual stuff from wear and tear.

 

Then I bought a '90 GTII in red (or pink depending how long it was since I'd T-Cut it). That had few problems - all cheap to fix - but I think twice it left me stranded and had to be recovered. As with the first, this had a problem with auto-choke on the pierburg carb (pulldown unit I think) but was fixed by the trader when I bought it. I'd done 60,000 in it by the time I sold it. Still in good condition when I sold it, with a few bits of rust developing - one on a door from a chip, usual bonnet stuff, around the side repeaters (wasn't visible with the unit in place) and just above the rear bumper.

 

Loved them both and was really unsure about switching to a Corrado (18 months on and I'm still unsure). If I'd had space for 2 cars I'd not have sold.

 

They're certainly pretty cheap to maintain mechanically (in my experience) and generally reliable. A lot the carb models end up with a manual choke weber carb to solve the auto-choke problems but there's no need for this. The injection ones are obviously more desirable but I can't comment on how reliable - but should be same as a golf gti.

 

Body parts are obviously more of a problem, but there were so many made that second hard parts should be easy to come by.

 

The end of the line carb models got electric windows, pas, etc - unsure what the injection models had as standard.

 

A grand sounds quite dear to me unless it's mint with low mileage and history - most people want a golf gti not a scirocco. With steel wheels, this one sounds like a carb model - either GT or GTII. The GTII got colour coded trim - but I guess you'd not notice that on a black one.

[tonytiger 0]

One thing to bear in mind though is that only buy it if he intends to keep it for a while, as they're worth diddly squat on the second hand market unless you've got a real mint one.

 

I can vouch for that - I struggled to sell my GTII, with wads of receipts, refurbished Scala alloys, mint interior and good mechanical condition - in the end it went for just £275. :(

[Tempest 0]

Busy at work, so I'm a bit late, but everything's already been said ;-)

 

£1000 sounds like a lot given current rock-bottom prices for Mk2s (tend to more and more be abused as daily drivers, get Golfs for that, folks, cherish a Rocco!).

 

I'd always recommend the injected engines, but a 1990s Rocco is most likely going to be the carb'ed GT2, still not bad, but can cause probs in winter time, and generally if the carb suddenly starts to misbehave.

 

You can still get hold of aftermarket tuning parts as well :-) if you know the right people :-), e.g. smoked or clear indicators, grille spoilers, and more general stuff like coil-overs (same as for Mk1 Golfs).

 

Back to work I go ...

Tempest

[Campaign 0]

You'd be lucky to find PAS on a Scirocco unless it's aftermarket. Some people used the late Mk1 Golf Cabrio for parts I think...

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I can vouch for that - I struggled to sell my GTII, with wads of receipts, refurbished Scala alloys, mint interior and good mechanical condition - in the end it went for just £275. :(

 

The same fate awaits the Corrado too.....

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

I think a rusty filler neck and bad bulk head where the clutch cable goes through are the main scirocco specific problems to look out for.

 

Filler neck as far a I know where discontiued a long time ago, that right?

 

It cost me quite a lot to get the bulk head repared on my Storm. The inlet manifold had to be removed to get at the split. Was nasty looking! It had even had a plate fitted to try prevent the problem, but that went in the end.

 

I think £1000 is way to much. Sicroccos go for penuts these days. My mate couldnt give his G plate GT11 away. It did have a dodgy bottom end but the rest was sound. It ended up costing him money to get a scrapy to have it.

 

oh yeah, Sirocco brakes are pants! ;-)

[storm81 0]

afaik the filler neck is available but only from vw at about £190!

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

Ah, you can get um then! :-)

 

Also the fuel tank was metal on mine. Durring the last petrol crisis thing. I filled it right up and it leaked, probably due to the presure of a full tank and its age.

 

Think the tanks corode were the rubber pipe that joins it with the filler neck is. So check that for signs of a leak.

[Tempest 0]

the tanks corode were the rubber pipe that joins it with the filler neck is.

 

They mainly tend to rust where the 2 tank halves are joint, hence the phenomenon observed by quite a few Rocco folk, that the tank leaks until it's about 1/4 empty again, that's roughly when the fuel level has dropped to just below the seam :lol:

 

Othet than that Roccos are great little cars, I love my 2, still think the Mk1 was just sheer heaven on earth :-) The car industry never managed to make something like that again, especially not nowadays with all those non-descript CAD-designed rustbuckets (well, OK, they may not all rust anymore, although I'd wish that quite a few did, to get those eye-sores out of the way :lol:).

 

Tempest

 

Tempest

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

Shows how little petrol I could afford when I had my Storm. lol

[Storm 0]

oh yeah, Sirocco brakes are pants! ;-)

 

Thats the only real downfall, they handle a dream are exceptionally chuckable and cost sod all to run. I always thought they were a great car and very underrated. :-P If only VW had given the car decent brakes and a lower price.

 

Prices reflect how desperate the seller is to get shot of the car.

 

 

Enjoy.......

[MikeVR6 0]

Thanks for the advice so far. 8)

 

My mate's just been to look at it.

I couldn't get home from work in time to go with him :(

 

It's a 1989 not 1990.

Badged as a GT.

Black with non-colour coded trim.

1.8 Carb with Weber carb fitted.

Has VW teardrop style alloys.

114k miles.

All old MOT's

FVWSH

Sunroof

No electric gadgets

Just had oil/filter change.

 

Bodywork in very good condition for year, some slight bubbling around bottom of driver's door. The passenger door has been repaired and painted but not very well where somone's stuck a screwdriver through it to get in.

 

The trader will not take any less than £800 for it.

 

What do you reckon??

[stevemac 0]

Too expensive & carb versions are way underpowered - dissappointing to drive.

 

Hold-out for a 1.8i - accelleration is great with instant throttle response. My old one used to pull all the way to the red line - even in 5th gear. Only car I've ever owned that would pull to the red line in 5th.

 

Should be able to get a 1.8i Scala with colour coded bodykit for around £500

[MikeVR6 0]

Here's some pics of it from Autotrader

 

http://tinyurl.com/5glbq

[stevemac 0]

Looks good but price is ridiculous

[MikeVR6 0]

price is ridiculous

 

Gotta agree Steve.

Especially after doing a nationwide Autrader search.

An '84 Storm with leather etc in need of a tidy can be had for £450.

 

Trader will not budge on price unfortunatley.

Oh well, it would have gone to a good home. :cry: