A Do Up Or Already Done VR6?

[ardandy 0]

Looking into buying a VR6 pretty soon. Going to sell my GTI-6 and finally get the car from the posters!

 

My question is (and you seem to know what your talking about :) )

 

Would you buy a VR6 that has proven reciepts etc for a lot of work, eg Engine rebuild/clutch etc, or go for a car that is a lot cheaper (say £2k-£3k as opposed to £4k-£5k) but needs work doing.

 

My budget will be about £3500k cash so if I bought one for £2500 I'd be able to spend £1k straight off. Or I could get a small load and buy one for say £5k.

 

I was thinking of doing the latter, over the next year or two I'm wanting to re-do the interior and give it a respray (want a minty mcmint VR6 eventually).

 

It's the mechanicals I can't decide on. Sorry if this make no sense! :roll:

[gradeAfailure 0]

I'd personally spend the extra and get one that's already had the oily bits sorted - you'll not just be saving a bit of money in the long run, but time, headaches, and hassle!

 

my 2p...

[Lippy 0]

guess you gotta think of your mechanical skills or availability of, 1k isn't too much but you could spend that on engine repair (worst cas) then have no money left for rims, suspension etc.

 

There is a minty mcmmint looking vr in the for sale section at the moment wanting just over 4k, not sure on miles tho but has been looked after from the description

 

good luck and welcome to the forum :D

 

Lippy

[sciroccotune 0]

i would save a bit of cash and do an engine rebuild my self. but i like to get messy and do it DIY style. a grand would probs get you the engine rebuilt if it needed it, it the labour that costs so if you dont want to do it spend more. Having said which i have driven some good VR's for thr 3k mark (please not i have also driven some dogs in the same price range!!!)

[ardandy 0]

I'd spend money in the coming months/years on interior and body etc.

 

The thing thats put me off buying one to do up is that my mates just got a VR6 and he's got that 1500rpm idling rattle which after looking on here is going to cost a fortune or he'll get a new engine!

 

My thoughts were, get a high miler, then an engine rebuild so I know things should be fine. Clutch and other stuff too eventually.

 

From other cars I expected rebuild to be around £800-£1000, from what he tells me its nearer £1700!!!

 

Does it depend on what needs replacing?

 

Oh, and it would all be garage/specialist stuff, I'm crap a mechanical stuff so DIY isn't an option unless its basic servicing etc.

[ardandy 0]

Also, any VW specialists around Keighley? (Leeds bradford area)

[golfg60 0]

Unless you are planning to do the repairs yourself i'd definately buy a decent one to start with. Repairs (especially engine repairs) on a VR6 can be well costly. Buy a good one and sort the styling to taste!

[vwdubs 0]

I personally would pay more and get an engine rebuilt VR or at least one that has had ££££'s spent as most people at that stage are just selling up because they have come to the end of their tether (or the Mrs has beaten their Percy purple), one thing to bare in mind with cars that have low mileage is that they may well be low but it could also mean that nothing has ever been changed and with deterioration it might not be long till the ££££'s are required.

[biggerbigneil 0]

If you have got the time/tools/knowledge I would say just to buy as low mileage VR6 as possible for the money you have and slowly do up the body work, chassis and engine when it needs it and get leather when you can afford it. This way you should be increasing the value of the car.

[H8RRA 0]

down to the individual preference and skill - personally i buy cheap and then put my own mark on - theres no way on earth i would pay others to do what i've done to mine - even if i would, it would have cost an absolute fortune and i couldnt have afforded it

[Ronan 0]

Buy a cheapo. Theres nothing to say a cheap VR will have a wrecked engine. I totally agree with H88RA, put your own mark on it. If you buy it done up, it's not your car. Yeah it will look nice - "Nice car mate!", "Thanks, I bought it like it" isnt quite the same as "Nice car mate!", "thanks, yeah, it cost me some money but I did it all myself and I'm well proud of it." is it?

[H8RRA 0]

example - i originally had a red charged vr that i paid many £1000's for. Liked it but sold it after a while

 

I now have the black'un that cost me buttons and has had all the work done in my garage - i know everything about it and what on it , under it, in it etc and love it far more than any of the 5 vr's i've had...... i think thats a big factor as well cos i could never feel the same about a car that i bought completed as one i've done myself

[Ronan 0]

example - i originally had a red charged vr that i paid many £1000's for. Liked it but sold it after a while

 

I now have the black'un that cost me buttons and has had all the work done in my garage - i know everything about it and what on it , under it, in it etc and love it far more than any of the 5 vr's i've had...... i think thats a big factor as well cos i could never feel the same about a car that i bought completed as one i've done myself

 

Nice car mate! ;) lol

[H8RRA 0]

nice livestock mate :)

[ardandy 0]

I suppose at the end of the day either way its gunna cost. Nowt to say one thats £5000 wont need an engine rebuild after 6 months!

 

I would like to keep mine totally standard bar probably the interior, which I'd like in tan leather, but thats down the line. If I get the engine rebuilt, at least I know its being done and shouldn't need doing again.

 

Whats the rough estimate for a rebuild? Or is it totally dependant on how bad it is and what needs replacing?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The beauty of doing an engine is you can put more back in than you took out :-)

 

Plenty of choices......R32 engine, 2.8 4Motion engine or even just a 2.9 rebuild (a true 2.9 though using 82.5mm pistons - 2897cc). All options are more than you're grand's budget though...a LOT more.

 

I'd say spend more and get one with it all done if you're working to a budget. Who cares what people think if you've done the work or not, it's still a corrado at the end of the day. If the work was done to a high standard, there's no wires hanging out everywhere, it's tidy and been obviously well looked after....that's precisely where my money would go.

[ardandy 0]

So an engine rebuild is over a grand! Or is it too vague to say?

 

I wouldn't want the hassle of another engine TBH. Don't you have to change your V5 and ins docs and all that?

 

I am sort of to a budget, but my immediate expenditure will be £3500 minus whatever the car costs. The rest I'll have to save up.

 

If anyone knows of a garage that would do it well around leeds/bradofrd area that would be good too.

[Ronan 0]

The beauty of doing an engine is you can put more back in than you took out :-)

 

Plenty of choices......R32 engine, 2.8 4Motion engine or even just a 2.9 rebuild (a true 2.9 though using 82.5mm pistons - 2897cc). All options are more than you're grand's budget though...a LOT more.

 

I'd say spend more and get one with it all done if you're working to a budget. Who cares what people think if you've done the work or not, it's still a corrado at the end of the day. If the work was done to a high standard, there's no wires hanging out everywhere, it's tidy and been obviously well looked after....that's precisely where my money would go.

 

So true about engine work. It's not just about what people think about whether youve done the work or not, it's just more satisfying when the car is yours.

[ardandy 0]

Wish I had the knowhow, and the space and time to do it.

[Ronan 0]

Wish I had the knowhow, and the space and time to do it.

 

Motion seconded. AS for an engine rebuild its hard to say. You have the extra labour for two extra cylinders on a VR. A total overhaul and an overbore to a 1.9 for my G60 was quoted at 1200. I think timing chains is normally around a 600 quid job on its own?

[HiAsAKite 0]

So an engine rebuild is over a grand! Or is it too vague to say?

 

I wouldn't want the hassle of another engine TBH. Don't you have to change your V5 and ins docs and all that?

 

I am sort of to a budget, but my immediate expenditure will be £3500 minus whatever the car costs. The rest I'll have to save up.

 

If anyone knows of a garage that would do it well around leeds/bradofrd area that would be good too.

 

If you're just rebuilding the engine (ie not modifying it- just renewing it) then this has no insurance impact.

 

If you put a recon (but same spec engine in) then you need to get the V5 updated for the new engine serial number- but this has no insurance impact.

 

I've done this on my Mk2 GTI

[ardandy 0]

Is it financially more viable to rebuild an engine, seen as you know whats being done, as opposed to buying a new one that could have any history with it? I'm thinking long term here.

[Rpmayne 0]

I would definitely hold out for a pretty sound example. Don't worry about making your mark on it, you'll have plenty of things to make you bankrupt go wrong with it. I'd get a well looked after semi-standard car then fix/upgrade when things arise

 

I bought mine, complete engine rebuild/rebore(82.5mm pistons), suspension, brakes, bushes...... After all that I've got a car which isn't much better than it should have been to start with (most of its new though), and it still needs finishing touches which I can't fund. I could have bought an absolutely mint storm (there was one for 10k which I wish I had bought now) and have money left over.

 

£1000 will go nowhere btw.

[Trig 0]

I bought my VR 6 months ago for £3800, totally standard. Started modding it, new exhaust (old one knackered), alarm (old one knackered), custom mats, personal touches etc. soon to have KoniTA's/H&R springs.

 

All this modding will have cost me well over £1000 but now i'm seeing VR's for sale with all the mods I plan on doing for the same price I paid for mine 6 months ago! Is it just me or have prices REALLY dropped in the last few months? I've seen VR's (standard) for sale for less than £3000 with sensible miles on them & sometimes leather!

 

If you ask me it really isn't worth selling such a great car for so little money, even if you are hard up. y car is definately worth more to me than anyone would pay for it.

 

And while we're on the subject does anyone reckon the prices will start going back up? Good examples are becoming rarer and there is a lot of talk of 'future classic'...?

[TomB 0]

ardandy, can't recommend you any VW specific garages in the area, but 24v Renshaw (on the forum) may be able to help you out with mechanicals, (do a search for a thread called 'Offering My Services') and he's based in York IIRC.

There was a tatty looking but seemingly sound VR for sale a little while back on Tong Road in Leeds which the guy just couldn't shift. If it's still for sale (was on Autotrader), I reckon you could have it for about £1500.

Good luck mate,

Tom