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Howdy. This is my first post here. I'm shopping for my first festiva, and this forum seems pretty legit. I grew up around vw's... I still love them, but the things that drew me to them in the 90's (small, go-kart feel and cheap to buy!) are just not the case with the newer vw's, and mk1 and mk2's have gone up in price/are getting hard to find in decent shape. Seems like a festiva could meet those same requirements!
I found one for sale somewhat local to me. It's an 88 with a 5-speed, seems to be in very good shape. Factory aluminum wheels, new tires, new exhaust, 200k miles. It is not running. Owner says they were driving along, everything was normal, and it just quit, as if someone flipped a switch. He put gas in it, thinking maybe it had run out. Nope. Took it to a mechanic, who apparently replaced most ignition components, figuring it was a no spark issue. Still not fixed. He claims it didn't jump time... from my experience with other cars (and more specifically, other 'mechanics') I'm guessing he's wrong, and the timing is off.
Would this story scare any of you away from it? Eventually, I'd like to swap it, but that would likely be down the road. I'm hoping I can buy it and get it running relatively quickly/cheaply. It seems like most parts for these cars are dirt cheap... is there anything I should be aware of before taking the plunge? The price is $400, and supposedly it has zero rust. I know to check underneath.
One final question: what should I expect as far as highway mpg? I figured with this type of car, there would be an official mpg thread on the forum or something, but I don't see much discussion about efficiency. Am I just missing it?
I found one for sale somewhat local to me. It's an 88 with a 5-speed, seems to be in very good shape. Factory aluminum wheels, new tires, new exhaust, 200k miles. It is not running. Owner says they were driving along, everything was normal, and it just quit, as if someone flipped a switch. He put gas in it, thinking maybe it had run out. Nope. Took it to a mechanic, who apparently replaced most ignition components, figuring it was a no spark issue. Still not fixed. He claims it didn't jump time... from my experience with other cars (and more specifically, other 'mechanics') I'm guessing he's wrong, and the timing is off.
Would this story scare any of you away from it? Eventually, I'd like to swap it, but that would likely be down the road. I'm hoping I can buy it and get it running relatively quickly/cheaply. It seems like most parts for these cars are dirt cheap... is there anything I should be aware of before taking the plunge? The price is $400, and supposedly it has zero rust. I know to check underneath.
One final question: what should I expect as far as highway mpg? I figured with this type of car, there would be an official mpg thread on the forum or something, but I don't see much discussion about efficiency. Am I just missing it?
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