First Bora, V5 vs V6 4motion ?

[browntown42]

Looking to upgrade from a mk3 to a mk4 bora, love the styling and look of the car. So far I've found a couple good clean examples with low km's and all the preferences but I am still unsure whether to go for the 4motion or just stick with a v5. I plan on lowering it with some nice 17 or 18's and use it as a daily to work and uni.
With this is mind, is it better to just find a clean v5 and spend money on it or go a bit extra with the chance of finding a nice 4motion but could need alot of work?
I wouldn't mind a 2.0 but I find it hard to find one with the extras like sunroof and leather interior that I am looking for.
Anything I should be looking for when I go to inspect one?
Cheers

[LeStig]

There's good 4 motions out there .... Lots of car for not much money....
There's a few of us on the forums that are happy to help with advice ....

[RubAVeeDubDub]

The 4motion is a very good all-round car - it doesn't excel in anything spectacularly but it is a nice package - from the luxo features inside, to the balanced awd layout, smooth 6speed gearbox and revvy engine. It's not overly heavy and likes to track corners with less understeer than expected. Done right and you'll have a mini beast under your fingers.
Yes, you are getting a lot of car for the money but there is a draw-back; Cost. Finding aftermarket, genuine, service based and second hand parts is difficult and a game of patience, time and plenty of money. There's only about 200 of these cars still registered in Australia with most of the running gear is fairly unique to the 4motion - especially the AUE/BDE 2.8L engine. Be prepared to be searching for parts online and even if you cough up the expensive cost to buy from VW - most things have a 3-4 week wait.

However if you need your car every day and want to find heaps of parts plus save some pennies on fuel then the 4 & 5cyl are better options, however they are FWD and will handle completely differently.

[Speed]

Is no competition. 4-MOTION would be my choice but I like as much grip as I can get in the wet.

[JustCruisn]

Get a MK4 GTI. You may be lucky and find a local one already lowered and tuned, with nice wheels and good service history.

[HaydEn]

Why would he go backwards from a mk3 to a gti?

[browntown42]

Did some research, learning towards a V4 or V5 at the moment because it's easier to lower and daily and that a with a v6 insurance and fuel might be a bit too costly on a university work budget. Also comes down to I need reliability, can't have it sitting for 3-4 weeks waiting for a part if something with the 4motion goes wrong.
Strugging to find a V4 in black with a sunroof, seem to only be packaged on a V5 and 4motions which is sad.
Found one that I am actually super interested in apart from it being in wollongong
2002 Volkswagen Bora Sedan | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Wollongong Area - Wollongong 2500 | 1099522997
And a cheap one near me for 2k but with an intermittent misfire
2001 Volkswagen Bora Sedan 2.3L V5 | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Brisbane South West - Oxley | 1093730183
if anyone can look them over and tell me what I need to look out for that would be good cheers!

[LeStig]

6 speed gearbox ..... Haldex 4 wheel drive ..... 150Kw and a decent amount of torque .... the bigger brakes as standard ... All the bits inside to play with and sunroof ....
As reliable as any 15 yr old car can be if you pick something with service history and make sure all the buttons work before you hand over your hard earned .... the majority of parts are shared with the mk4 platform and the major mechanicals with audi and the r32mk4 ....
easiest car I've ever lowered - 3 bolts at the front and 1 at the rear .... change the exhaust and its one of the best sounds ....
no cam belt ... a boot .... relatively rare .... easy to work on and the build quality isn't bad ....
any and all the bad bits are shared with the golfs - dodgy plastic coatings inside, door locks etc etc
Lots of second hand parts around .....
its a no brainer in my opinion .... of course I'm biased but I own one and have worked through all the issues and its never let me down ...
Lots of car for not that much money ...

[Speed]

6 speed gearbox ..... Haldex 4 wheel drive ..... 150Kw and a decent amount of torque .... the bigger brakes as standard ... All the bits inside to play with and sunroof ....
As reliable as any 15 yr old car can be if you pick something with service history and make sure all the buttons work before you hand over your hard earned .... the majority of parts are shared with the mk4 platform and the major mechanicals with audi and the r32mk4 ....
easiest car I've ever lowered - 3 bolts at the front and 1 at the rear .... change the exhaust and its one of the best sounds ....
no cam belt ... a boot .... relatively rare .... easy to work on and the build quality isn't bad ....
any and all the bad bits are shared with the golfs - dodgy plastic coatings inside, door locks etc etc
Lots of second hand parts around .....
its a no brainer in my opinion .... of course I'm biased but I own one and have worked through all the issues and its never let me down ...
Lots of car for not that much money ...

I agree with lestig.

I'd also pay a bit more for a better car then budgeting on wheels and lowering.
You're only going to sell the FWD later in the quest for more power and traction.

[blake_]

My 2c, as I have a V6 Bora, and family member has a v5 Bora...

- V5 all the way. Cheaper fuel costs (600-650km per tank, compared to ~450 on the V6). Easier to lower, as most cheaper coilover options are interchangeable with the mk4 golfs, and does not have IRS.

- Also, lowering on the V5 will not cause severe camber issues (My v6 bora had in excess of 3 degrees rear which chewed out the tyres after 5000km, but the V5 had negligible difference in camber when lowered to the same height). Otherwise, the most common way to fix camber issues when lowering on a v6 are adjustable control arms which will set you back more $$.

- Cheaper maintenance. Yes, the AWD on the V6 is nice and handles well, but you need to factor in haldex servicing every ~25k and the potential for things to go wrong with the diff/haldex. Servicing is hard to find at non VW places, and at the stealership can cost in excess of $500 for the haldex fluid/filter changed (This is for southeast QLD, checked with 4-5 places).