Possible trade, opinions wanted

I have a running 92 golf and my neighbour up the street wants to trade his

96 jetta for it. His car need pads , rotors and a starter from what I can see. Should I consider a 96 jetta or are these cars garbage? I have read that the a3's in some people eye's are inferior to the a2 design and quality.
Reply to
Mustangbrad
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BTW it's a gls with cloth interior and the car has approx 230,000 km's on it.

Reply to
Mustangbrad

I'm prejudiced but I'd keep the golf. I don't think a3's are inferior at all but I just like the a2's better. BTW, I got a slip of paper under my 91 gti wiper blade today asking if I was interested in selling - second time that's happened - maybe I should be paranoid now. It's straight and clean and and stock so it is beginning to be a little bit uncommon I guess. (mostly stock anyway - bilsteins/h&r lower it a little and the tt exhaust stands out for the types that notice such things).

Reply to
John Rutledge

I haven't driven a stickshift A3 2.0 but I've driven a automatic A3 2.0 and it was quite lethargic. A3s are let down by terrible plastic pieces inside and out (not the the A2s are great in that area, but I think they're definitely better than the A3s). I'd keep the A2.

Reply to
Matt B.

I too would keep the A2, for sure. He who initiates the trade wants it more.... If your car runs well, don't get into something you don't know anything about just because it's newer. The A2's are waaaaaaay cooler anyhow.

TOE

Reply to
TOE

I like A2s... go test drive a good used A3 so you will see what you're considering trading "up" for. IMHO they are inferior in ride and handling to the A2s.

nate

Reply to
Nathan Nagel

I wouldn't trade my A2 for an A3 unless it was a VR, and even then I'd be pretty danged reluctant. I don't know about handling; the theory is that the A2, being a lighter car, will inherently handle better with the same amount of money in tires and suspension, but the previous owner of my car switched to a seriously-modded 1996 Golf Harlequin (VR swap, various bits of work including suspension, brakes, wheels, and tires), and the ride is incredible. Silky-smooth...he took me for a ride on the highway the day after he got tags on it and stepped on it in third gear...then he turns to me and says, "by the way, we're going 90 [MPH]." I thought we were just cruising along at sixty-five or seventy from the smoothness and quietness of the ride--I've driven and ridden in A2s that were rock-solid up to 100+ MPH, but smooth wasn't necessarily a word that came to mind. And yeah, it corners like a SOB, too.

On the other hand, he also gets something like ten fewer miles per gallon in the VR than he did in his/(now my) A2, which would be a serious consideration for me, as I already spend way too much on gas.

Reply to
Kevin 'Sparty' Broderick

My A3 is about to pass 180K miles and it is running better than it ever was. Being a 1994 vehicle, it's still OBD-I and simple enough to be considered a "bridge vehicle". It was built in 1993 and has disc all the way around, nice robust headliner instead of the that cheesey junk of today and pretty simple as in not at many parts per square inch, plastic or weight. This is comparing it to A4s which will probably not age as well since the plastic and parts ratio is higher. I will be keeping my A3 until it dies because it isn't worth much as in resale value. My suspension and drive train is tight. I like the way it handles with the original 14" wheels.

I also have an 1989 A2 16V GTI so I can compare. The A2 only has 138K but it is only in fair condition and is not road worthy because of the PO beating the balls off of it. It's currently resting in the garage next to my newly acquired toy, a 1994 YJ Sahara which I am currently delousing right now. :) The Jeep has 189500 miles, 4.0L straight 6 that will not die. I am going from a "WASS IST LOS???" newsgroup to a "DYI" one. Jeep enthusiasts are just so much more practically experienced. It is a nice change for me.

No pissing and moaning about dealer prices and bad mouthing. No whining about how this and that is unreliable. I admit, VW is really losing their touch with the old way of thinking. I really hate the way they go an put in automatic door lockers when you start driving. Is this for the lazy "Pu$$Y" domestic bomb owners? When the hell did they do that flamboyant clapped up gizmo design. Next you will think they are going to hold it while you pee in the drivers seat too. A hand or suction hose will come up from beneath the seat so you don't have to stop for rest stops anymore. (C) Just in case a VW engineer is reading this newsgroup. :-)

Back to the original reason for this thread. As for trading, why trade if your A2 drives well and the A3 appears to need work. That's just plain wrong. You should give your neighbour(sic) a good verbal reaming. Ask him why don't he fix it all up and let you test drive it before you make a decision. I would be curious what his answer to that would be. Ask him if you could take it to your mechanic and have him inspect it too. :-)

Good luck and play his game but remember you have the final word since he initiated the deal.

Reply to
Peter Parker

In almost any used-car situation, I'd go with a known-drivable, known-history car (i.e. the one you already own) over a question mark if reliability is a major concern. If one car is drivable and the other "needs a little work," I'd redouble that line of thinking.

Reply to
Kevin T. Broderick

I want to get rid of both of my a2's, first the golf has to go then the jetta carat. My biggest question is why does he not just fix what he has, what is the real deal here. Is the clutch fubarred, head gasket crapped out. Who knows.

Reply to
Mustangbrad

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