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Thanks for the advice… I had thought of 16s, but I’m quite happy to go with the wisdom based on experience.
15s it is. And 40mm lower, Rallye rear ARB… [:p] [
]Graham
I did win… £600 seems to be a very middle-of-the-road price; not too cheap to be true, nor a rip-off (I hope). Sadly not as cheap as the other two I posted details of earlier…
Here’s the notes I made during the viewing and test drive:
Tyres : 3 Michelin and 1 Firestone fitted to 14″ steel rims. All with reasonable tread. Spare (13″ rim) looked unused, jack and wheelbrace in situ.
Bodywork :
O/S/F wing small dent
O/S/F door small dent
O/S/R door hand sized dent with some rust
O/S/R wheelarch small dent
Tailgate okay
Rear panel under tailgate small dent near VW badge
N/S/R door small dent
N/S/F door some rust around door lock
N/S/F wing paint fading, resprayed in the past – possibly still original wing
N/S/F sill – large dent , possibly due to be jacked up at the wrong point. Looked like a dent and no obvious other damage.
N/S/F front lower spoiler trim loose
Bonnet – paint just starting to go ‘milky’Overall condition quite good; door bottoms, wheelarches and sills all look sound – just some small scabs here and there, nothing unexpected or severe.
Engine bay :
Grubby, oil leak around rocker cover. Looked like it had been leaking for some time.
Alloy components corroded
Oil black – needs changing, I was advised it needed a service before visiting; I’d do this anyway.
Oil filler cap free of any “mayonnaise” –
Inner wings look good and original
Front crossmember etc looked okay.Test Drive:
Started and drove very well. Drove and pulled up straight, no pulling to either side. No blowing heard from the exhaust.
Suspension good, no rattles or squeaks from the trim – road used was very twisty and bumpy so no high speed test.
Clutch biting point is very high (as I mentioned earlier), almost to the point I didn’t think we were going to move.
Oil light and water temperature lights flash on start-up but go out soon after – thanks to Chris for clarifying this.
All four electric windows work well.When parking the car at the end of the test drive power steering pump squealed while on reverse with full steering lock.
Interior:
Looked clean and presentable. I was initially suspicious of the air freshener and window left open but all the carpets were dry to the touch in all four footwells. The driver seat bolster was intact, no holes in the material. No obvious burn marks or rips and tears. Roof lining looked okay. Didnt smell of damp or cigarettes. Electric aerial came up when the radio/cassette player was switched on.
Sills looked rust free and exhaust back box seemed okay. Underside looked generally OK.
A big disappointment was that I couldn’t comprehensively test whether the 4wd was fully functional. [}
] The environment didn’t present an opportunity i.e. no gravel, water logged fields and no 4-post ramp. I did lift one side of the car and turning the rear wheel forwards was fine; when turning it backwards the front wheel turned too. No obvious whining, clicking or grinding noises.All lights, central locking etc worked.
Summary
For its age & mileage, a clean and presentable car. I would score it as above average needing some tidying up. The areas of concern for me are the clutch, dent in the sill, and being unable to test 4wd.
Fingers crossed…
Graham
Thanks Chris. I’m at work – whats your excuse for being up? [|)]
The power steering issue I’ve come across before. Of course, if you don’t use full lock it doesn’t squeal… [:o)] [
]If there isn’t free movement on the clutch arm, does this indicate cable adjustment required? The clutch doesn’t slip, and there’s no sag or slack in the pedal travel.
Graham
I’m Graham, I live near Norwich, and I’m looking for a Syncro. RHD, 5-door is fine – and a little more practical for a family man! This site was recommended to me by Lee on the demonvw forum.
Embarrassingly, my first post is in reply to Bobby Chef’s ad for bits for sale… before I’ve bought a car. I’m an inveterate tinkerer which basically means “if it ain’t broke, fix it anyway”.
I’ve turned down one car – a local (to me) black 5-door with a gearbox that sounded like a scalded cat. “They all do that”, I was told… I’m steering clear of a second car after a description from another VWSyncro forum member, and a third car sold ‘off eBay’ before I could get a bid in.
Thanks to those who run this forum, as the technical help has already been valuable to me. Special thanks to those who’ve helped me already – I really appreciate it.
Graham
