Club G40 Forum
Club G40 => General Car Chat => Topic started by: PeteG40 on June 25, 2008, 09:46:56 am
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I've owned g40s since 2002 (when i was 23) and g40s weren't that cheap to buy, but you paid up to £3000, got a decent 10 year old car which hadn't been to the moon and back and had a decent service history. Being 23 it was quite a lairy car, fun and not too uncool!!(jeez my best mate had a micra!)
6/7 years later, I'm still running around in a red g40 (albeit a different one) the state of cars for sale is awful - real sheds, even decent ones are showing their age. People stripping underseal off are finding holes in shells etc. etc. I drive around in a car everyone thinks is old and knackered!
So - are they cars getting too old to pick up and use a decent one regularly? or are they getting to the mk1 golf stage, where they need to be restored - should we be retiring g40s to weekend cars and buy something 10 year old like when i was 23 (polo gti?)
Or am i just getting old??? do i feel the pressure of colleagues etc to be a consumer and get something new or the need to do more and more work on my car?
your thoughts please
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Because the prices are falling with them, they get into the wrong hands and get unloved and just get progressively worse.
Mines retired to a weekend car now.
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Well I've had mine since 1997 and I'm now 36, granted it's been sat in the garage for at least the last two years but I've no intention of parting with it.
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I would say its time to retire the G40 to some garage space. When parts for these have started to go obsolete then that tells you something!
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well im 24 and i always wanted a g40... two years ago i gotmine..it was in a bad shape. ive slowly tried to get it to a good standard and i love it..it does cross my mind though that i should buy something else and keep this until the time comes that i can fully restore it 100% interesting thread. i shall add more when i come back.
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Well I'd have to agree with you Pete since I've consigned my g40 to a "weekend" car and bought a ten year old passat to drive around in. Although it's certainly not a performance car, I do a lot of miles in it. It's a proper tank of a thing too, I reversed it into a tree today and there's not a mark on it!
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Well I original gave up Polo's back in 2004 when I had a Mk2 Coupe S which amitidly I bought as an in between car in 2001 as my 928S2 was eating a large hole in my wallet just as I was buying a house. But within 3 years I saved a bit of cash and toy'd with the idea of having a G40, but the few I seen had been overly abused for the asking prices, so instead I bought myself a New Civic Type R(thanks to a little cash windfall), which I wasn't keen on when they first came out but the rave reviews convinvced me it was the car for the job, so then the Polo Coupe S left me.......(not far though as my father took it of me as it was in top shape for its age).
13 Months later(May05) the Civic burst into flames on the way to work along the M4, eek couldn't believe it but though with Honda being the repitible company it was I'd be back on the road with a new car within month. So armed once again with my old Coupe S, I relised how simple and reliable the old VW was. A month passed and still no help at all from Honda as they denide there car was at fault. I realised I was going to need a full time replacement, and with my previous knowledge of Polo's and the hunted out my current G40. Now a family man of 33 I still use it daily despite its reasonbly high mod status, and currently have know intention of giving it up. With a garge full of parts and good engineering knowledge I pretty sure I can keep it usable past its retirement age.
Oh, I did eventually get a full payout from Honda, but not outta there own pockets but from there insurance company, and they had the cheek to invite me to buy another when everyone new it was soon to be replced with the newer(softer)CTR. Sorry Honda, great car, but crap people to deal with!!
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I rescued my G from a life of abuse. 3 owners in about 2 years meant they would buy it, smash the living shit out of it and then sell it.
I use my G as a daily and have racked up nearly 1000 miles on it in the last month. I have sorted out so many niggly problems that I can honestly say wouldn't get fixed if it was a weekend toy.
Its not so much the age but the quantity. There is an inverse relationship between Supply of Parts and Demand. My part breaks, meaning total supply has gone down. At the same time I now need a new part from the diminishing supply.
The problem was always inevitable although at 15 years alot of the cars are showing their age
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depressing thread boys n girls, i feel really guilty for driving mine daily! The worst issue with mine are little rust patches coming through and quite a lot of lacquer peel, im just saving up the pennies at the mo for a respray.
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Well i use mine a a daily, wish i didnt have to rack up the miles as it's getting near 135,000 but im quite happy to get a full rebuild done (helps to know mechanics who own G40's cheaper parts an labour) even though people keep asking me why i waste my money on an old car. I think the problem is people just can't be bothered to plow money into them hear an there, they expect all the fun out of a 15 year old car without considering that it might want something back one day.
But even my plan is to retire the car to an occasional/weekend car an buy a motorbike for commuting so maybe its inevitable that the G40 will only ever be seen on a sunday or at a show, i meen how old can they get untill all the mod cons & technology take over completely or they ban cars over a certain age?
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[quote pid=1940 author=wozzaG40 date=1214427669] i meen how old can they get untill all the mod cons & technology take over completely or they ban cars over a certain age?[/quote]
**put on tin foil hat**
Viva La Revolution.
Gordy B will have your money, if not by cars by some other means
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[quote pid=1942 author=giorgio date=1214427977]
Gordy B will have your money, if not by cars by some other means[/quote]
Aint that the truth
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[quote pid=1929 author=supercharged spaniel date=1214418475]well im 24 and i always wanted a g40... two years ago i gotmine..it was in a bad shape. ive slowly tried to get it to a good standard and i love it..it does cross my mind though that i should buy something else and keep this until the time comes that i can fully restore it 100% interesting thread. i shall add more when i come back.[/quote]
right im home and ive been thinking...just been to a local cruise/meet thing a bit chavy to be honest and i havent been for nearly a year and lo and behold the car still attracts attention! even in standard looking form! you see people and can lip read them say 'Gee forty'...which is nice and i even had someone check it out..so its true the g40 does still 'have it'
for me the engine isnt a big worry when it comes to longevity afterall they can be rebuilt over and over if needs be and there will always be parts if you really need them although finding some parts will get more difficult. its the shell thats the worry but aferall look at what state some mk1 polos go from - to.
i love mine as a daily and milage doesnt worry me either but yes they are getting older but if you give it love don't stack it then they should last and as the people who ruin them ...ruin them that leaves the good ones left more and more rare. keep as many original parts together and have an honest original car is worth more as time ticks by...just look at old beetles 1950'5/60's, even in horrendous states if they have the period features they fetch fortunes!!
end of the day anythng can be restored/rebuilt if you have the time and the money to do so!
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I stopped using mine as a daily last September, it's actually quite nice not to be worrying about niggles because I can take my time sorting them out and not be faced with them every day on the way to work. But I do miss driving it, and every time I take my car out I remember what it is I like about it.
The time apart has made me appreciate it more though. TBH, I think now I'd rather run a cheap daily than run mine into the ground as a workhorse.
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I retired my G40 (conversion) to a weekend car over 18 months ago - because I kept tinkering with it, it encouraged me to drive like too much of a twat, and mainly that it was embarassing in certain situations turning up in a 15 year old shopping trolley.
I'd started to find myself making excuses for it to friends, family and colleagues - the educated amongst them understood, but to a non-petrolhead it's just a shite old chavved up car.
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yeah thinking about it, I stopped using my g40 daily in 2004 when I bought a house with a garage to bung it in. Although I was still driving mk3 polos daily for a while after that, till about a year ago.
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after reading this thread and spending £50 on petrol to fill her up again I thought - maybe I should get a better daily.
the on the way home I hit 120 up Stagg Hill and thought; one day I will have a mortgage, kids and have to worry about important things in life.
The little blast probably cost me £20 but I really dont care :wub:
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Is sixty three too old ? I'm on my second G and still loving it. Yeah it's always going to be light use now with 125k on the clock, but there's NOTHING on the road today that is such a hoot to drive or oozes such character. I bought mine in Brum last year and on the way back home I stopped at a motorway service station for a break. When I returned to the car, a kid of about TWELVE was licking it. His wistful little "I wish I had one of these" says it all. Look outside the UK for parts if possible: apparently some UK dealers have been attempting to stockpile. As for storing it, a workmate has one which he has stored for eight years and with 75k on the clock, it still looks rather tired. Just use it , don't abuse it.
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This thread is a fantastic read. Really high-lights the difference between PoloG40.co.uk and Clubpolo.co.uk. I'm going to make sure i start to get over here on polog40 and more and more!! Clubpolo really is starting to become full of half wits with too much time for air freshners and neon lights imo.
I feel i am so lucky to have owned a G40. When I was 15, my mate bought a completely standard and mint mk3 GT. This opened my eyes to thye cars and really made me want one. This also opened my eyes to the G40 which lived just around the corner from me (i wanted one even more) but knew it was too special for me. At just turned 17 I bought my mates GT from him and still own today (6 years later). I was lucky enough to be able to go out and buy a G40 when i was just turned 20. It wasn't in the best of shapes, but i feel it was very tidy and had the potential to become a minter.
Unfortunately and for my sins it didn't last very long, i still feel and always will feel guilty because i wrote it off after around 3 months of owning it. A random patch of ice on a winters evening down a country road caught out not only my mate, infront in his '04 mini cooper but me and my G too.
Although i had written off a true G i decided to fully strip the thing till there was nothin but a bent lump of metal to scrap. Since then me and my brother have have saved and saved and planned the comeback of the G, in GT form unfortunately, and with alot of differences maybe but something that we hope will do the old girl proud!
I personally dont think that a G should be used as a daily anymore as it has become a true classic!
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G40's.....yeah I am definately addicted.
Got my first one when I was 21 or 22 years old and have had one on and off since then. So a 10 year long relationship! Even back then no one really knew what they were. Three of my close friends have also bought G40's after having a ride in one of mine.
I currently have 2 and am looking at buying a third. That said I just plan to end up with one as a second car for going to shows and just having fun in.
I don't think the car will ever be a huge classic purely because it was never made in big enough numbers, so not many people, even car buffs, know about them. But, to me, that make it all the more special.
I have driven a fair few cars in my time but, to date, have never found one that has such a nice power delivery and torque curve. My current daily hack is an Edition 30 Golf. Great car, goes like stink and sticks to the road like a leech but the G still makes me feel more involved and puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it.
Cheers guys and gals
Craig
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Good thread this... Thought I'd add my 2p's worth as it's very relavent to me at the moment.
I've owned and driven my G40 daily for 3 years (40k since Oct '05), and have intended always to do so.
To make it as usable as possible I've always chosen my mods carefully so as not to compromise the day to day experience, for instance I have leather, dynamat, crisp stereo, reasonably compliant suspension, centre silencer on the exhaust etc and I've always felt that with the exception of speedbumps there is nothing about G40's that means they can't or shouldn't be used every day.
The problem for me is that whenever something breaks (which to be fair isn't all that often really) it can take absolutely ages to find the bit you need to get back on the road, e.g. driveshafts, dizzy, struts, loom etc, Every time this happens I end up having to get trains and buses to work for ages which is a total nightmare.
When I had a loom fire recently and I finally lost patience, I gave in and bought something for everyday reliability (far too embarrased to say what!) which I can't help but feel is a cop out on my part but I simply need an alternative for when the G is off the road.
I think that G40's can and should be an everyday proposition but for one reason or another it seems to be getting harder and harder to do so for many of us, which is a major shame. Hopefully mine will prove it's reliability when it's back on the road and I can get rid of the Vaux... err, other car, and return to proudly running the G each and every day as I think it should be.
Love the site by the way, spiritual successor to the PSD forum I think just about hits the nail on the head (only without the spam!)
Cheers,
Varley
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i use my g40 as a daily, mostly due to my gt developing flat batteries all too often (hopefully i have fixed this now though!)
i bought my g40 with 115 on the clock, its now on 140k and the only prob if encountered was hall sender failure, which could happen to any vag. I think i would put the reliability of it down to being std engine wise and the fact the previous owner was really anal about maintaining it! The bodywork is still in good shap too, one scab on the drivers door.
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My first G40 was bought back in 1994, but as a torched insurance write off(engine bay was fine though, transferred to my 1981 Derby)
The second was an ex G40 cup car(again an insurance write off - rear ended)
The cup car stuff was transferred to my Genesis shell in 1997 and I used it as a daily. Bar a piston melting(CL fuel pump, doh!) the only other breakdown was a hall sender.
Perfectly useable everyday car for the next 3 years, mainly I think due to it's fairly standard spec at the time. Mike T did a charger rebuild on it before he opened up Jabbasport as a business and it always ran sweetly.
As for using them nowadays as a daily, as said before, bodywork is the key thing these days.
Spanish build quality and poor ownership can have a bad and lasting effect on a vehicle.
Driven and maintained with respect, they can continue to be a sight on our roads :)
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[quote pid=3503 author=86C date=1219411283]My first G40 was bought back in 1994, but as a torched insurance write off(engine bay was fine though, transferred to my 1981 Derby)
The second was an ex G40 cup car(again an insurance write off - rear ended)
The cup car stuff was transferred to my Genesis shell in 1997 and I used it as a daily. Bar a piston melting(CL fuel pump, doh!) the only other breakdown was a hall sender.
Perfectly useable everyday car for the next 3 years, mainly I think due to it's fairly standard spec at the time. Mike T did a charger rebuild on it before he opened up Jabbasport as a business and it always ran sweetly.
As for using them nowadays as a daily, as said before, bodywork is the key thing these days.
Spanish build quality and poor ownership can have a bad and lasting effect on a vehicle.
Driven and maintained with respect, they can continue to be a sight on our roads :)[/quote]
hello old timer
i remember the car from a long time ago,glad to see you ve still got the bug we will have to meet up somewhere.
it was magazine featured was .nt it ,think i have it somewhere
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[quote pid=3503 author=86C date=1219411283]My first G40 was bought back in 1994, but as a torched insurance write off(engine bay was fine though, transferred to my 1981 Derby)
The second was an ex G40 cup car(again an insurance write off - rear ended)
The cup car stuff was transferred to my Genesis shell in 1997 and I used it as a daily. Bar a piston melting(CL fuel pump, doh!) the only other breakdown was a hall sender.
Perfectly useable everyday car for the next 3 years, mainly I think due to it's fairly standard spec at the time. Mike T did a charger rebuild on it before he opened up Jabbasport as a business and it always ran sweetly.
As for using them nowadays as a daily, as said before, bodywork is the key thing these days.
Spanish build quality and poor ownership can have a bad and lasting effect on a vehicle.
Driven and maintained with respect, they can continue to be a sight on our roads :)[/quote]
And I thought I was one of the longest going owners but it looks like you've got me beat by 3 years, though I have had the same one for 11 years.
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All I have left is the engine and 'box from mine :/
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Not many reasons why you couldn't run a G40 daily, I used to and if you maintain it right it'll be good to you.
The only reason I wouldn't now is because I have an option to run a new car for just about nowt so it's stupid not too.
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[quote pid=3547 author=86C date=1219664273]All I have left is the engine and 'box from mine :/[/quote]
And the wheels! ;)
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Ah yes... The 14" Azev A's. Currently sat in my loft, away from Sam's itchy mitts, mwahahahahaha! ;)
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Good thread.
As long as the right people own them they will live as long as the people do.
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A 63 year old G ? Hope you guys live to see one!