99 Golf Variant 5spd TDI

sangretdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Location
WA
TDI
Mk4 Golf
It’s 45 mins south of where I am now. Technically it’s 400 euro, which equals about $488 =). I’m Going to go look at it Monday. The only drawback is, there’s no guarantee I will be over here long enough to bring it back since it’s a 99.
Sorry, I missed that you were out of the country until reading farther through the thread, at first I thought this was some magical tow-yard in Texas somewhere LOL!
 

RexNICO

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Location
South West OH
TDI
2011 Tiguan, 2011 Q7
Fender replacement shouldn't be much different (price/availability/difficulty) than being in the states - doable.
That said, the lower rocker replacement shouldn't be much different (price/availability/difficulty) than being in the states - PAINFUL.

Probably not a bad purchase for using while you're there, but I wouldn't consider it a "bring back" car with that kind of rust.
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Agreed on the rust, so many options here I’ve already moved on. Planning on viewing this Golf on Saturday. Love the look!




That one I really like! I drove a golf estate in south africa. It had the ahf TDI 110 hp it was a really nice little car!
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
While we didn't get the wagon version in Canada, the TD (not TDI) Mk3 was plentiful in this part of the country. With that said, even 10yrs. ago, they had all but disappeared - no one was a fan of them here. I suppose the last of the Mk3 that were a "TDI" had a bit more of a following, but they went away very quickly (at least around where I live).
Compare that to the Mk4 TDI, which even in 2021, continues to be loved and adored (and driven a LOT) in this neck of the woods.

If you're wanting a Mk4 Golf Wagon (aka "Variant"), why not just put the Golf's front body panels on a Mk4 Jetta wagon? It's a made-in-Germany car already, and you can get Mk4 body parts here (North America), in decent shape, for ~$50ea. (probably would be able to get fenders, hood, grill, bumper cover for $200). Gotta think there are plenty of rust-free body parts back in TX. (?)
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Of the TDIs sold in NA (B4 Passat, A3, A4, etc.) the A3 Jetta rusted by far the fastest. They were good cars, but it was almost impossible to keep one from disintegrating if you lived where road salt was used. And possibly where it wasn't. My son had an A3 Jetta for over 10 years but finally had to give it up when his mechanic said he was afraid to put it on a lift for fear it would break in half.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
While we didn't get the wagon version in Canada, the TD (not TDI) Mk3 was plentiful in this part of the country. With that said, even 10yrs. ago, they had all but disappeared - no one was a fan of them here. I suppose the last of the Mk3 that were a "TDI" had a bit more of a following, but they went away very quickly (at least around where I live).
Compare that to the Mk4 TDI, which even in 2021, continues to be loved and adored (and driven a LOT) in this neck of the woods.

If you're wanting a Mk4 Golf Wagon (aka "Variant"), why not just put the Golf's front body panels on a Mk4 Jetta wagon? It's a made-in-Germany car already, and you can get Mk4 body parts here (North America), in decent shape, for ~$50ea. (probably would be able to get fenders, hood, grill, bumper cover for $200). Gotta think there are plenty of rust-free body parts back in TX. (?)
Because I’m here in Germany for 3+ years and they cost less than half what they do in the states and in many more varieties that were never sold in the states. =)
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Of the TDIs sold in NA (B4 Passat, A3, A4, etc.) the A3 Jetta rusted by far the fastest. They were good cars, but it was almost impossible to keep one from disintegrating if you lived where road salt was used. And possibly where it wasn't. My son had an A3 Jetta for over 10 years but finally had to give it up when his mechanic said he was afraid to put it on a lift for fear it would break in half.
A3 Jetta...do you mean MK3 Jetta? A3 I thought was Audi.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
A3 is the platform. The Audi A3 is a model. The 1st Gen (70s) Rabbits were A1s. Your '02 Wagon was on an A4 platform. So was the 1st Gen Audi TT. An Audi A4 started as a B5 platform, now is a B9, I believe. After the mid-2000s the designations, which used to be clean, got messy. People have used MK and A for these cars interchangeably, but after 2009 when things got confusing, they went to MK pretty much exclusively, as the A number designations were no longer clear.

The Dasher was a B1. Passat TDIs from the late 90s were B4s. The B5 Passat is a slightly stretched version of the platform Audi used for their A4 model. It got a mid-cycle refresh in '01 that made it a B5.5. And so on.

The A platforms all have transverse engine layouts. The B platforms had both transverse and longitudinal layouts, depending on the generation.
 
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Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Which engine would that be? It says 116 hp, the ahf was a 110, right? Or would that be an ahf?
I’m not sure what engine it is. One thing that gives me pause about this car is, why is the drivers seat already worn with only 95k kms.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
They won't exist here. You' have to bring them in from Europe. And it's a low volume car so some stuff may be hard to find as it ages. Drivetrain items should be easy enough as the same engine and transmission (I think) were in the Polo.
 

Rrusse11

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Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Lol, I take it you like RED. What does the "Syncro" mean? The black trim/accents are nice. And it'll meet the 25yr old import criteria pretty soon. Is it a VE pump TDI?
I like the little Audi, is it about the size of a Mini? 3 cylinder? Man, you'd crush the FE sweepstakes with that one.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Syncro is VW's name for AWD. Haldex driving the rear wheels. I'd have trouble choosing between the MKIII and the BMW, but I'd probalby lean towards the BMW for nicer high speed driving.

That Audi A2 was pretty revolutionary. Light (aluminum) with a very efficient engine. And expensive.
 

RexNICO

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Location
South West OH
TDI
2011 Tiguan, 2011 Q7
Of the most recent 3 candidates, I'd go
Audi
BMW
Golf

If the golf doesn't have hidden rust, there's the reason for the higher price.
The BMW is nice
But the Audi is just flat out unique, don't be surprised if there's forums in Europe where guys have found other OEM models to use for suspension, etc. given the price rarity. The big risk would be sheet metal type issues, most anything else could be sourced of ebay.de or something.

I'd opt to bring back something truly unique if I had the option. For example, my younger Brother recently returned from a 3+ year assignment and they brought back an early 1990's era Mazda B series "suburban" type SUV, of course not nearly as big. He's a Mazda truck guy from back in the day.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
In my search so far I initially started at lower priced rigs but soon found out they ALL had some kind of rust. This is the biggest battle here, hence why the A2 is a huge hit in my book, among other things, like 60-70 mpg on the autobahn. :)

The A2 is rare but I think the golf is rare also. A Golf Rabbit AWD? Very nice car. The BMW has a bit of rust in a few places but not bad, just surface on two fenders and one skirt.

I am going to call today on another A2 thats looks to be in better condition and 65k less kms.
Asking prices:
Golf 6-7k eueo
BMW 5-6k
A2 2750

Here are a couple pics of the silver A2


 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Lol, I take it you like RED. What does the "Syncro" mean? The black trim/accents are nice. And it'll meet the 25yr old import criteria pretty soon. Is it a VE pump TDI?
I like the little Audi, is it about the size of a Mini? 3 cylinder? Man, you'd crush the FE sweepstakes with that one.
YES red is my favorite of the more or less common VW colors. If I had my choice Id pick the bright blue or green. Im not sure what tdi it has, I know its a 1.9. The A2 is about the size of a Honda Fit and has a 1.4 3cyl TDI.
What are the FE sweepstakes?

The really big advantage of the Golf is it WILL meet the 25 year rule by the time I leave. The BMW and Audi may not. My time here may not be the required 5 years.
 
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Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Boise,
FE= Fuel Economy. The 1.4l with a 5 speed should push 70+mpg on the highway. After posting I dug up some specs,
a bit smaller all round than a Golf, and lighter. Lol, also slower, 0-60mph was ~ 12 secs. For out of the box performance
the Golf GTDI is the winner IMO (In My Opinion).

For unique, one of the A2 Audis would have to be the winner. The AWD "Rabbit" possibly the most useful, and resellable, with the factory setup. You'd get a premium for that if the body's in good shape.
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Germany
TDI
96 Golf - SOLD
Boise,
FE= Fuel Economy. The 1.4l with a 5 speed should push 70+mpg on the highway. After posting I dug up some specs,
a bit smaller all round than a Golf, and lighter. Lol, also slower, 0-60mph was ~ 12 secs. For out of the box performance
the Golf GTDI is the winner IMO (In My Opinion).

For unique, one of the A2 Audis would have to be the winner. The AWD "Rabbit" possibly the most useful, and resellable, with the factory setup. You'd get a premium for that if the body's in good shape.
Agreed. And the body is immaculate. The only reason Im leaning toward the Golf is the age and that I know I will be able to bring it back. And the fact that it is just in such amazing condition. But the price gives me pause. Lol. Here’s the link for the ad:

 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
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