Guys, need serious opinions: Is the vr6 a money pit?

[bahjah]

money pit?

good question...lol.

Mine certainly has been. From spending money on aftermarket parts to relacement parts. im a 22 year old uni student so it has been a little tough.

Im currently replacing the timing chain as the guide broke, resulting in bent exhaust valves.

I have owned the car for one year and so far i have replaced:
-air flow sensor
-fuel pump
-auxilarly water punp
-control arm bushes
-engine mount
-samco hose kit, cos the hoses were going
-coolant crack pipe

Parts im currently replacing while the car is getting fixed
-timing chain kit, head bolts, gasgets, valves etc
-thermostat housing kit
-heater core
-drivers side window regulator

so....yea lol. can be expensive.

but like what you and many others said, its and awesome car to drive. heaps of fun and the sound is addictive.

just make sure you pick wisely. has service history etc... in the end its ur decision and VR6's are so so much fun.

I know your vr6 cost you an arm and a leg, but judging from your sig, that's a seriously nice example. You should be proud!


And yeah the MK IV GTi's start around $12k, already at the top end of my budget. And aren't they turbo?? New P-plate laws =

[Jarred]

All modified cars are money pits. full stop.

Thats, above and beyond the cost of just maintaining "normal" car.

That's just the way it is.

Good luck in your search, and don't buy a Peugeot.

[bahjah]

All modified cars are money pits. full stop.

Thats, above and beyond the cost of just maintaining "normal" car.

That's just the way it is.

Good luck in your search, and don't buy a Peugeot.

Hahaha i'm sensing a bit of anti-peugeot sentiment here!! It's probably well founded, but watch this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOfPTny7ycw

There's a longer version somewhere with a full comparison, but I'm struggling to locate it.

[evorobin]

17 year old students running VR6's only in oz. As far as expensive it does seem absurd they are more expensive to run than a 5.7L V8 but hey it's not a Holden

As someone with two 15+ year old vag cars what I avoid on repayments I make up for in running costs to an extent...

[Shteifen]

i moved into a MK3 VR6 in april this year after having MK3 2 litre for like 2 years.
if your just looking for a vw thats reliable get the 2litre. regular maintenance and they are bulletproof and pretty cheap to run, expecially on fuel, in my opinion.

when i got my vr6 it badly needed timing chains, guides etc, shock mounts, the abs doesnt work, and the indicators are kinda falling out of the side panels.

luckily i work at a vw dealership, so i got the parts real cheap (around $760 for timing chains, guides, gaskets, and strut mounts, control arm bushes, etc) and i had a hoist at my disposal and and special tools i needed. still took us around 8 hrs to do a complete job of it. also replaced the crackpipe so i didnt have to do it later.
any regular customer who comes in with a vr6 with abs problems usually gets told its gonna be 2-3k to fix it.

so they CAN be pretty expensive.
if your 17 and only have a part time job i'd say wait for a few years to get one, but definately get one. they arent so bad on fuel if your not booting it everywhere. if i drive conservatively i probably only get roughly 75km less per tank than i would if i still had the 2litre.

just dont get a VL like every guy i know at tafe.

[Pullstarter]

just dont get a VL like every guy i know at tafe.

VL!!!

[DavoVR6]

This is so interesting because I had the exact same dilemma when choosing between a VR6 and MX5 a couple of years ago. I had driven a few VR6's and was put off by every one because of problems with them, the way they drove and generally the way they were treated, but I walked away smiling because of that engine note and the speed.
I ended up buying a 1.8ltr MX5 and was glad I did - I think everyone should experience driving one because they are a brilliant drive, so much rear wheel drive fun and can teach you so much. A standard VR6 is a pig to drive in comparison - heavy and not agile.
I ended up selling the MX5 because I found that there was not enough room to carry anything or anyone else. Also it's a bit like a motorbike, one hit from a moron in a 4WD or a truck, or even roll it and you're in serious trouble. In the 6 months I had it, I spent $32 replacing an o-ring. My only expense. I lost $500 on resale. I then bought a Seat Cupra which was fast and reliable, but kinda ugly and boring, lost a bundle - big big mistake. I missed the MX5 a lot so I bought another one, the same as I had, but in silver and with fewer kms. I had that one for 6 months too until I realised again why I sold the first one. No expenses. Sold it for slightly more than I bought it for. So much fun and such cheap motoring. I would get behind the wheel of another one any day.
I now have a VR6, thought I must have one as I had wanted one for so long. I can carry people and stuff. Sounds fantastic and still brings a smile to my face because of it. Quite a smart looking car for a 15yo shopping trolley too. Expensive to run and maintain though and lots of things have packed it in and still threaten to. Its up around the 200,000km mark. In the 12 months I have owned it, has cost me around $2000 to keep the thing running. Its just transport to me now. I'm running it into the ground - if anything happens to it such as a broken timing chain then that's it, too expensive to fix and out to pasture for spare parts.
If you want a reliable, really fun car thats cheap to run but don't have to do over 200km/h or carry anything or anyone buy an MX5. Otherwise, get the best possible deal you can on a VR6 and go in with an open mind and fat wallet. I also had 2 Aussie MK2 GTi's, fun to drive, good looking, relatively cheap to run but slow as a wet weak. I got burnt off at a set of lights by a Toyota Prado once. How embarrassing.

[gldgti]

I got burnt off at a set of lights by a Toyota Prado once. How embarrassing.

those damn 4l quad cam prado's are pretty quick off the mark....... but you still gotta smile since you know he's just blown a few raw $$$ out the tailpipe and you havnt

good discussion.... i think its fair to say that the vr6 has most of the expensive parts in the range of vw's of the age too - parts for 2l, 1.8 and diesel dubs of the era are cheap cheap cheap.

my workmate runs 2 late model v8 holdens atm, and has always had v8 holdens. he hates me because "every thing for your car is $50" (him to me) whereas he spends 1000's on parts for his holdens.

in the past 12months ive replaced on my mk3 CLi diesel:

control arms, rear beam, rear brakes, front brakes, rear shocks, strut mounts, all springs... and its cost me less than $1200.... thats not expensive by any measure!

[bahjah]

This is so interesting because I had the exact same dilemma when choosing between a VR6 and MX5 a couple of years ago. I had driven a few VR6's and was put off by every one because of problems with them, the way they drove and generally the way they were treated, but I walked away smiling because of that engine note and the speed.
I ended up buying a 1.8ltr MX5 and was glad I did - I think everyone should experience driving one because they are a brilliant drive, so much rear wheel drive fun and can teach you so much. A standard VR6 is a pig to drive in comparison - heavy and not agile.
I ended up selling the MX5 because I found that there was not enough room to carry anything or anyone else. Also it's a bit like a motorbike, one hit from a moron in a 4WD or a truck, or even roll it and you're in serious trouble. In the 6 months I had it, I spent $32 replacing an o-ring. My only expense. I lost $500 on resale. I then bought a Seat Cupra which was fast and reliable, but kinda ugly and boring, lost a bundle - big big mistake. I missed the MX5 a lot so I bought another one, the same as I had, but in silver and with fewer kms. I had that one for 6 months too until I realised again why I sold the first one. No expenses. Sold it for slightly more than I bought it for. So much fun and such cheap motoring. I would get behind the wheel of another one any day.
I now have a VR6, thought I must have one as I had wanted one for so long. I can carry people and stuff. Sounds fantastic and still brings a smile to my face because of it. Quite a smart looking car for a 15yo shopping trolley too. Expensive to run and maintain though and lots of things have packed it in and still threaten to. Its up around the 200,000km mark. In the 12 months I have owned it, has cost me around $2000 to keep the thing running. Its just transport to me now. I'm running it into the ground - if anything happens to it such as a broken timing chain then that's it, too expensive to fix and out to pasture for spare parts.
If you want a reliable, really fun car thats cheap to run but don't have to do over 200km/h or carry anything or anyone buy an MX5. Otherwise, get the best possible deal you can on a VR6 and go in with an open mind and fat wallet. I also had 2 Aussie MK2 GTi's, fun to drive, good looking, relatively cheap to run but slow as a wet weak. I got burnt off at a set of lights by a Toyota Prado once. How embarrassing.

This post is especially relevant to me. The mx-5 is the biggest contender for my next car after the vr6. Considering they both cost the same, it seems like financially an mx-5 would be a much better choice. Not to mention it's a great car in almost every respect. But i do love the understated character and charm of the vr6. There's a nice 1.8l 1st gen with leather near me thats pretty tempting. Decisions.....

[MattyT]

Alot has already been said that I would say, but my own dub has been remarkably trouble free!!

[Mrk_Mickey]

Alot has already been said that I would say, but my own dub has been remarkably trouble free!!

Rub it in why don't you heheh.

[Bug_racer]

Put it this way my VR has to be one of the highest modified Golfs in Australia if not one of the highest in the mk3 total something in the vasinty of 30k+

U wish it was , if Courtney reads this she will so kick your ass


BTW , the motor on mine will cost probably what yours will be worth in total

[Bug_racer]

And to answer the question :
It could be a yes and a no , I had mine for almost 130k km and didnt really change that much on it before I pulled it off the road , but once you go 200k km + then you will need to outlay some serious money . To be honest , stick with a mk3 2l , Seat Cupra or gti as a first car . Slightly cheaper on fuel , insurance and maintenance .

[jayjay]

if you want cheap sleeper car and dont mind the odd looks of a seat, get an ibiza gti 2.0 8v. quickish, fun and practical, and dirt cheap.

vr6's are good fun, but they're a lot more complex = expensive IF something goes wrong.

i've also driven a modified mx5 and can comfortably say it's one of the nicest cars i've driven. except trying to fit more than a mate and a case of beer in the car is a bit of a mission.

ultimately, i'd say go the vr6 because there simply isn't anything like it (bar r32). parts for either of these are quite cheap as long as you know where to shop. if you hit up the dealers/larger parts shops, the vr6 will be bucket loads more expensive to run.

[bahjah]

Gah, I'll just get an integra...


VTEC, yo?