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Hey all, - first, sorry about the wall of text 
Well the time has finally come after ~5 years to let go of the Cabriolet. This has been one of the most fun and rewarding cars I've ever owned, and between my wife who learned to drive in it, and has used it as a daily for the past 2 years, and me, who has lovingly cared for it and tinkered with it over the years, its been a difficult decision to make. Why are we selling? Quite simply, we are expecting our first child soon and the Cabrio, with only lap belts in the back, is not really suitable as a backup vehicle that can take a baby seat/booster. I've considered keeping it in storage, but its not what it deserves. The car is so nice to drive, it should be out there, being driven, being enjoyed. We certainly have.
We bought it a few years back and it had been converted to 1.5 Diesel non-turbo by the previous owner. We ran it like that for a while and then a 1.9 1Y engine fell into my possession and the logical thing to do happened. At that time (185,000km) I rebuilt the 1.9 with new bearings and ported/polished head, did the turbo conversion, added a FMIC and got it re-registered with the correct engine. I also put a brand new convertible top on it, which is still in as-new condition, did some work to the roof lining, adding some insulation. I fixed the only rust in her, which was in the windscreen sill on the drivers side just above the wiper. I resprayed the bumpers, put a new left hand door and tailgate (old ones were pretty beat up) and thats where the body work stopped, basically.
The specs sheet as it stands:
> 1.9TD engine, 1Y engine code (from the UK, mk3 diesel era - uses all normal filters and stuff - cheap to service!)
> Garrett T3 Turbo from mk2 golf TD, boosting to whatever you want (manual boost controller). Currently boosts to 17psi.
> All stainless/silicone boost hoses
> large FMIC infront of radiator
> All stainless exhaust, 2" dump and 2.5" the rest of the way, with a glass pack muffler. The exhaust at the moment hits the body somewhere when taking off and engine braking in 1st. I haven't had any hoist time to properly sort it out unfortunately, as theres only so much you can do with ramps/jack stands. I've even added an extra mount for it behind the shifter box - so all the hardware is there, it just needs tweaking. I think it probably needs another flex joint to make it perfect.
> Bilstein yellow shocks front (required for the heavier engine to make the suspension work properly), bilstein touring rear. Car basically sits flat and about 20mm lower than stock.
> Lower wishbone brace
> newly refurb'd rear axel - the old one has been bent since I got the car, and I only just got around to fixing it. The car drives dead straight now and handles beautifully.
> 15x7 ATS Type 5's, stripped and polished, with 5000km old Continental CC5. I'm willing to come down on price if you don't want these wheels with the car.
> GTI brakes up front, mk3 drums rear
> MK3 master cylinder and booster
> 6A gearbox, this is long ratio, ~2450 RPM at 100km/h
> 210mm clutch and sachs HD pressure plate
> New clutch cable
> New 90A alternator, along with 16V non-ac bracket kit. This engine runs just the one flat belt for the alt and water pump. The kit cost me about $650 4 months ago.
> New battery, 500CCA 2 weeks ago.
> New kenwood BT/mp3/blah blah headunit, runs 2 speakers in front doors, 2 speakers in rear side panels. Concealed amp in boot runs 2 6x9 response kevlar 3 way speakers in custom rear parcel shelf. Still have original rear parcel shelf. Sounds good!
> Power top - works
> power windows - work
> central locking - works
> all fan/heater controls work.
> Boost/oil pressure/EGT guages installed in dash. Oil pressure sender is faulty, only works sometimes. EGT sensor is not currently in the exhaust - it was in the old turbo set up, but when I swapped to the T3 from the GT15 I didnt get around to drilling/tapping the manifold for the EGT sensor.
> Rego until October
> Timing belt service just done. Good for another 100k km.
> Poly suspension bushings all round, including steering rack.
> new driveshafts/cv's about 12 months ago (EMPI OEM from GAP), still good no leaks or cracks and not worn.
> Bodi Windschott wind deflector - ($300 from Germany!) - guarantees your toupee to stay on whilst driving with the top down (seriously, my wife loves this thing, as her hair doesnt blow into her face while driving)
The bad things:
> The whole car needs a respray to be show perfect. Having said that, it looks good in the photo's. Its about what you'd expect from a 24 year old car I guess... maybe better
> Theres a tiny rust bubble coming back at the windscreen sill, but its minor and if you were going to do some painting on the car anyway, I would do it when its convenient.
This is a very reliable, economical, and surprisingly quick little car. I've gone to great lengths to engineer it so its easy to service, and a pleasure to drive. It costs very little to run and rewards you every time you find a sunny afternoon or morning to put the top down and a twisty road to hammer along. It has a pleasurable exhaust growl that has to be heard to be believed.
I will add some more pics as time and weather permit, but for now heres what I've got below.
Contact Aydan 0422819095.
recent pics:
dynamat
some love shots:
makes me so sad
***EDIT*** - price reduced to 4K comes with BBS RS from E30 bmw, 14x6.5 ET35 and half worn conti's.
Well the time has finally come after ~5 years to let go of the Cabriolet. This has been one of the most fun and rewarding cars I've ever owned, and between my wife who learned to drive in it, and has used it as a daily for the past 2 years, and me, who has lovingly cared for it and tinkered with it over the years, its been a difficult decision to make. Why are we selling? Quite simply, we are expecting our first child soon and the Cabrio, with only lap belts in the back, is not really suitable as a backup vehicle that can take a baby seat/booster. I've considered keeping it in storage, but its not what it deserves. The car is so nice to drive, it should be out there, being driven, being enjoyed. We certainly have.
We bought it a few years back and it had been converted to 1.5 Diesel non-turbo by the previous owner. We ran it like that for a while and then a 1.9 1Y engine fell into my possession and the logical thing to do happened. At that time (185,000km) I rebuilt the 1.9 with new bearings and ported/polished head, did the turbo conversion, added a FMIC and got it re-registered with the correct engine. I also put a brand new convertible top on it, which is still in as-new condition, did some work to the roof lining, adding some insulation. I fixed the only rust in her, which was in the windscreen sill on the drivers side just above the wiper. I resprayed the bumpers, put a new left hand door and tailgate (old ones were pretty beat up) and thats where the body work stopped, basically.
The specs sheet as it stands:
> 1.9TD engine, 1Y engine code (from the UK, mk3 diesel era - uses all normal filters and stuff - cheap to service!)
> Garrett T3 Turbo from mk2 golf TD, boosting to whatever you want (manual boost controller). Currently boosts to 17psi.
> All stainless/silicone boost hoses
> large FMIC infront of radiator
> All stainless exhaust, 2" dump and 2.5" the rest of the way, with a glass pack muffler. The exhaust at the moment hits the body somewhere when taking off and engine braking in 1st. I haven't had any hoist time to properly sort it out unfortunately, as theres only so much you can do with ramps/jack stands. I've even added an extra mount for it behind the shifter box - so all the hardware is there, it just needs tweaking. I think it probably needs another flex joint to make it perfect.
> Bilstein yellow shocks front (required for the heavier engine to make the suspension work properly), bilstein touring rear. Car basically sits flat and about 20mm lower than stock.
> Lower wishbone brace
> newly refurb'd rear axel - the old one has been bent since I got the car, and I only just got around to fixing it. The car drives dead straight now and handles beautifully.
> 15x7 ATS Type 5's, stripped and polished, with 5000km old Continental CC5. I'm willing to come down on price if you don't want these wheels with the car.
> GTI brakes up front, mk3 drums rear
> MK3 master cylinder and booster
> 6A gearbox, this is long ratio, ~2450 RPM at 100km/h
> 210mm clutch and sachs HD pressure plate
> New clutch cable
> New 90A alternator, along with 16V non-ac bracket kit. This engine runs just the one flat belt for the alt and water pump. The kit cost me about $650 4 months ago.
> New battery, 500CCA 2 weeks ago.
> New kenwood BT/mp3/blah blah headunit, runs 2 speakers in front doors, 2 speakers in rear side panels. Concealed amp in boot runs 2 6x9 response kevlar 3 way speakers in custom rear parcel shelf. Still have original rear parcel shelf. Sounds good!
> Power top - works
> power windows - work
> central locking - works
> all fan/heater controls work.
> Boost/oil pressure/EGT guages installed in dash. Oil pressure sender is faulty, only works sometimes. EGT sensor is not currently in the exhaust - it was in the old turbo set up, but when I swapped to the T3 from the GT15 I didnt get around to drilling/tapping the manifold for the EGT sensor.
> Rego until October
> Timing belt service just done. Good for another 100k km.
> Poly suspension bushings all round, including steering rack.
> new driveshafts/cv's about 12 months ago (EMPI OEM from GAP), still good no leaks or cracks and not worn.
> Bodi Windschott wind deflector - ($300 from Germany!) - guarantees your toupee to stay on whilst driving with the top down (seriously, my wife loves this thing, as her hair doesnt blow into her face while driving)
The bad things:
> The whole car needs a respray to be show perfect. Having said that, it looks good in the photo's. Its about what you'd expect from a 24 year old car I guess... maybe better
> Theres a tiny rust bubble coming back at the windscreen sill, but its minor and if you were going to do some painting on the car anyway, I would do it when its convenient.
This is a very reliable, economical, and surprisingly quick little car. I've gone to great lengths to engineer it so its easy to service, and a pleasure to drive. It costs very little to run and rewards you every time you find a sunny afternoon or morning to put the top down and a twisty road to hammer along. It has a pleasurable exhaust growl that has to be heard to be believed.
I will add some more pics as time and weather permit, but for now heres what I've got below.
Contact Aydan 0422819095.
recent pics:
dynamat
some love shots:
makes me so sad
***EDIT*** - price reduced to 4K comes with BBS RS from E30 bmw, 14x6.5 ET35 and half worn conti's.
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