How long will a 1985 Volkswagen diesel 1.6L Golf Mk2 last?

Question 1
How long will a 1985 Volkswagen diesel 1.6L Golf Mk2 last?...  I'm looking to buy a 1985 VW diesel Golf for $2,000 with about 250k miles on it. I know very little about VW diesels and I'm wondering how reliable this car will be and how many miles I can expect to get out of it. Are diesels normally pretty robust?
The owner claims to had changed these parts:

-new timing belt/re-timed
-rebuilt fuel pump
-new thermostat
-oil pan gasket
-Koni cup lowering shock kit
-Borbet 6 star alloy rims (need new rubber)
-Euro quad headlights
-new fuel injectors
-new glow plugs
-new heating core

Answers
1)   It's hard to say how long the car will last. A car that is that old and that many miles is a gamble. Yes diesel engines are usually more robust than their gasoline cousins. However, the rest of the car is identical to a gasoline car. You have to consider the wear on the transmission and suspension and all other parts. Defiantly have a qualified mechanic check the car over real good before you hand over your money for the car. - Shane A

2)   If you look after it well, it should still last quite a while. Yes, diesels are usually robust, especially the older generation European diesel engines.

As mentioned, just watch out for things other than the engine that need repairs, like the transmission and suspension system. - Chris

3)   I just sold my 92 golf 1.6 diesel with 150k miles on it for $500.. $2,000 is too much for that milage. The engines are unstoppable. With proper maintanence, theres no reason the motor wont last you to 400,000k miles. Things that went wrong with my golf were -rear brake lines rusted and burst, diesel pump leaks, theres a coolant flange thats common to fail. The transmissions are strong too as the car doesnt produce much power, its hard to do much damage to it. Get it checked out by a mechanic but dont pay that much for it. You should be able to find one with lower milage or for a lower price. They're also quite cheap to insure which is nice. It doesnt get you there very fast but it will get you there everyday and cheaply.. Its a very functional car without any bells and whistles. Only reason i sold mine was a newer tdi came in on trade for a great price - Clinton

4)   Others are saying price is too high.
I think not. With all the services and parts the owner has done, that makes the car a good deal in my book. Plus, it seems to me that the car is well maintained.
I'd buy it for that price. - fenton

5)   8 months, 6 days, 3 hours, and 54 seconds. - Ddawg Thawton


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Question 2
What percent of car accident injuries are due to a VW Bug without a front engine?...  My mom is completely persuaded its a death trap to not have an engine in the front of an old VW bug. Source of info is needed as well.
Oh and I told her the positive answers and she still thinks they were a miracle maybe I should bolt in a steel shield.

Answers
1)   No...they're death traps because of the way they handle. - Hank Scorpio

2)   No airbags+most likely no seat belts+rear engine = death trap - Landon

3)   all cars are death traps. its mostly about how you drive. if you dive like an @ss you have a better chance at driving. i drive a 1970 bug everyday and im never scared that im going to crash. when you drive a bug you need to drive much more defensively and keep your eyes on the road.

IMO they should stop making cars safer because that gives people the idea that "well i got air-bags all around me, so i might as well drive like a nut" and thats why there are accidents. if they made all cars unsafe people would HAVE to drive carefully or get killed in minor crashes

but anyway, yes bugs are not as safe as a new car but there are still over a million out there being driven daily - Air-Cooled (o\ ! /o)

4)   Here is a personal experience with an accident :
I was driving my 1972 VW Beetle home after working the nite-shift. I fell asleep at the wheel and rammed into a stopped car . I was going about 50MPH. Of course, it stopped the Beetle, but the car I slammed into was shoved across 3 lanes and over a cement curb , coming to rest 6 feet from a gasoline pump.
Fortunately, I had my seat belt on; my left elbow was bruised and my chest ached from the belt. Otherwise I was unhurt. The guy I hit was admitted to ER with a hurt neck.
Later, I was told that the car I hit was 'totaled' by his insurance company. My Beetle was repaired, and was driven for many more years.
So I can vouch from personal experience that the Beetle was a robust, solid car for me.
Remember, just because a car has its engine in front does not mean it is safe.Almost all cars built from the 1940's up to the 1980's had their engines up front. There were many instances of fatalities occuring when engines smashed thru into the interior, crushing the driver/passengers. Nowadays, all cars have 'crumple-zones' engineered to protect ppl from this type of accident.
So bottom line, my opinion is that driven alertly and with sense, the Beetle is just as safe as any car built during its era. However, if safety is a prime factor, you might consider a newer car. If you want the Beetle shape , I 'd recommend a New Beetle. It has all the safety features you can list and then some.
Our 1998 New Beetle was never in an accident, but we trusted its safe design. Great, reliable car.
Drive safely whatever you choose to drive.... - fenton


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Question 3
What would one normally called a Volkswagen?...  Bug? Beetle? Or Volkswagen? What is it normally called these days?

Answers
1)   id say volkswagon. or vw bug. lol - Alex

2)   "VW", "Volks", or "Volkswagen". A VW sedan is not a "bug", lol. I imagine that some people might use that term for the whole line, but bug is usually reserved for a specific design. - Todd

3)   New Beetle, in fact - Pat

4)   my dad used to say... when you own it you can call it whatever you like. - gooseboy78


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Question 4
Vw Karmann ghia Stalls and shuts off?...  so my karmann ghia is having problems, lately the car has been Driving good without any problems but one day on a red light it wanted to shut off so i give it gas to keeping it on and once i started moving on the green light it began to stall and it seemed it ddidn'twant to respond when i put it in first and second. i cleaned the gas filterbut that'snot the problem i messed with the carburetor throttle and managed to keep it with out shushuttingf but the car is to accelerated and sometimes it lags when i make it run, its not giving the power it used to im thinking the carburator is cloged but im not sure. what can i do or who can i take it to, to carburate it right and get my points to were they should be.? thanks

Answers
1)   Check your intake boots as they will leak on the bottom side
which is not visible, also the left side intake manifold will have
a vacuum port and often times these leak which will make the
carburetor seem as if it is malfunctioning. - Pat

2)   Hey sorry to hear that your Ghia is giving you trouble. My husband not only owns Volkswagens but loves to work on them we are located in Riverside by you and he said he will look at it for you. My email is vwzoey@yahoo.com Get in touch with us and he will fix your Ghia for you. - VW LuLu

3)   first thing i would check is the green wire going from the coil to dizzy. once mine was loose and i didnt know it, needless to say it fell off when i went over railroad tracks and the engine shut off. make sure you have a tight connection there. also check your point gap should be .016" or .4mm. next check for vacuum leaks (mostly from the advance on the dizzy to the carb), check timing, adjust valves (intake and exhaust to .006" for a 1600cc motor and .004" for a 1500cc) etc...give her a good tune up. - Air-Cooled (o\ ! /o)


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Question 5
Volkswagon Phaeton Buying Question?...  The more and more I look at this car, it makes me want to buy it.

It is used.

But it is an LS killer and gets close to the BMW and Mercedes top enders too.

At 2/3 the price!!

The more reviews I see about this car are that it has eh best seats, most comfortable all around, and great to drive around in.

Knowing Volkswagens, I searched around for reliability questions, but saw no reviewers say anything about reliability.

So, should I get it? It is an Audi A8 for 30k.

Answers
1)   Wow...you're really smart! People should be lining up for a used phaeton by your logic. With that 7.5 second 0-60 and 15 second 1/4 mile this car should be unstoppable at the mcdonalds drive thru.

Um...really. You're asking this question? Get a W12 phaeton (you mention the v8 weaksauce) then get your ass kicked by a mazdaspeed 3 and then go cry in the corner. - Hank Scorpio

2)   The Phaeton is a mixed bag; unless your dealership also services Audi's, you probably won't be a welcome sight for the service department staff. Although it shares the chassis with some other makes in the VW stable, its a very rare sight for the VW dealerships. Parts that are unique to the Phaeton will require that they be ordered and in most cases come from the National depot, not the local facing parts Depot.

The electrical system can be a nightmare; miles of wiring, various electronic controls and servos and relays control various functions on the auto. I have not had to work on one, but I know others who have and they hate it. The engines are a known quanity and that's good; the V8 model engine is reliable enough, but like the 12 cylinder isn't happy on low octane fuel and requires synthenic oil changes with oil meeting VW standard 504.00. Fuel economy isn't bad on the v8, the 12 gets poor milage even considering its performance. I've driven the 12 cylinder over a weekend and agree its a nice vehicle, but fuel economy is very poor, averaged only 13 mpg on a 50/50 city-highway split.

Since so few were sold, its little wonder that you won't hear much about it. I haven't seen one in 3 years and some dealerships still had one in stock (only specially appointed dealerships were allowed to sell them new) over a year after VW stopped importing it into the US. VW originally had special hot line support for both parts and service questions for dealership staff; VW dealership support was often nill and we were left to fend on our own.

Audi dealership service departments are probably better equipped to handle service on this vehicle; they've seen the 12 cylinder engine and the underpinings are similar to the Audi A8, as you point out. VW has no comparable model.

Depreciation is very heavy on these autos; that's why they are so cheap to buy used. I agree that they are a good driving car, but if you buy one, you'll need to keep until the wheels fall off... if you try to resell it you'll need to discount it heavily before you can sell it. You'll need to pray that the electrical accessories don't fail; parts are expensive and rarely in stock. Given the past history of VW electronics and electrical, I'd pass unless the price were extremely attractive. Set money aside for repairs and maintanance isn't cheap, especially for the 12 cylinder motor.

Hope this helps, a car nut. - a car nut

3)   You should also consider that such a car may be expensive to insure. Check your insurance rates before buying one, for example here - carinsurance.deep-ice.com - Ben


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