Which year to get?, 85-92

[sleepydog]

Looking to buy a turbo diesel Golf or Jetta. Is the '85 car as good as the '92 car in terms of power and fuel efficiency if the condition is similar? I am looking at a '85 Jetta turbo diesel 5 spd. with 325k, new cylinder head last year.Would a '92 be a better choice? :shock:  

[BlackTieTD]

i think the main difference you'll find (non-visual) is that sometime in '86 (IIRC) they changed from solid lifters to hydraulic lifters and sometime in '90 they changed from CE1 electronics to CE2. i can't think of many other important differences off-hand.

[dieselsnowmobile]

I personally like my '89, it is what I like to call an Mk2.2.  It has a good feel to it.  I have borrowed my brother's 86 Jetta (Mk2.1) and it just does not feel the same, it does not have power steering.  Plus, it has that stupid useless triangle window on the front doors.   A 91 or 92 (Mk2.3) has newer style bumpers.  

The Mk2 has 3 very distinct body and interior differences.  You have to look closely to notice them.  The Mk2.1 (85- about 87?) has the that triangle window and a grill with more thinner grill slots.  The Mk2.2 (88-90) is similar to the Mk2.1 but gets rid of that stupid window, better steering wheel (typically with power steering), a cloth boot around the gear shift (not the clunky rubber boot) and the grill has 3 thicker grill slots.  The Mk2.3 (91-92) gets rid of the old bumpers and has styling air guards underneath the bumpers and side.  It also gets rid of the tray by the driver and passenger's knees.  Mk2.3 had version of the Eco Diesel, just a regualar diesel with a turbo.  A regular turbo has a fuel pump to add extra fuel in too.  The Mk2.3 also would sometimes have an awful transmission with very high rpms at 75 mph.

The engine differences are little to none between them.  There are two to three engine choices depending on the year.  1.6 NA, 1.6 Turbo, and then 1.6 Eco.  They should all have hydro lifters and they should all get about 40 mpg if not more.

I hope this helps.  The main thing would be rust, and then the condition of the car, then feel and looks.  This summer when I bought my car, I now wish I was not as jumpy to buy the car as I did, but there were very few diesels availible to buy during this high gas price period.  These cars are now gaining value.

[burn_your_money]

Mid 89 they made the change to CE2 from CE1. It was also during 86 that the hydro lifters were introduced.

I'm not sure if the heated fuel filter was a Canadian option or done by year.

Beyond that there isn't a whole lot different, except looks of course

The "stupid triangle windows" AKA small doors can be swapped with the later ones, as can everything else.

Power steering is a power robber as far as I am concerned. I can't wait to rip mine out and put in some good manual steering.

The steering wheels are also swappable, but you need the big spine adapter, which is simply pressed onto the later steering column splines if you want to use a later wheel on an earlier car

[jtanguay]

Mid 89 they made the change to CE2 from CE1. It was also during 86 that the hydro lifters were introduced.

I'm not sure if the heated fuel filter was a Canadian option or done by year.

Beyond that there isn't a whole lot different, except looks of course

The "stupid triangle windows" AKA small doors can be swapped with the later ones, as can everything else.

Power steering is a power robber as far as I am concerned. I can't wait to rip mine out and put in some good manual steering.

The steering wheels are also swappable, but you need the big spine adapter, which is simply pressed onto the later steering column splines if you want to use a later wheel on an earlier car

those stupid triangle windows helped keep the window to be rectangular... i'm having a lot of difficulty with my front window now... i had to remove one of the guides, and have my window panel off so i can 'assist' the window to move up... what a piece of junk!!!

and as for the power steering, i didn't mind not having it at all... it adds a couple HP up top  just another thing to break IMO...  oh and did i mention that it makes getting to the thermostat a PITA???  i was actually considering swapping my system to mech steering... but as with all things it could cost a lot of dough, and there is always the possibility for things to go wrong

[sleepydog]

I like triangle windows-if they open, great way to get some air in the car on hot summer days. Hydraulic lifters may be less maintenance. It is hard to be patient until the right car comes along. Thanks for all the help. I havn't seen this Jetta in person yet, it's a west coast car and the body looks rust and dent free.

[Seafarer12]

Power steering is nice. It doesn't rob much power if your going in a straight line. Which is usually when you want power.  I like all the power goodies. I have owned too many clunkers without them. I think power heated seats are overkill though.

So the 85 to 92 have the same body just minor cosmetic differences?

[burn_your_money]

Power steering is nice. It doesn't rob much power if your going in a straight line. Which is usually when you want power.  I like all the power goodies. I have owned too many clunkers without them. I think power heated seats are overkill though.

So the 85 to 92 have the same body just minor cosmetic differences?

I like to hammer on the diesel going around corners, my car is too slow to give any pleasure in a straight line, unless I'm risking losing my license.

Heated seats would be nice, so would a heated steering wheel and shift knob.. so cold in the mornings.

85 to 92 are built on the A2 platform so they are all the same. The fact that they are all the same MK makes them even more alike. Take the Sciroccos for example, both are built on the A1 platform but there is a mk1 and a mk2, both similar but certainly unique and can be identified by their body styling, not just by bolts ons like the A2 Jetta/Golf (big/small bumpers for example)

Someone correct me if I explained that wrong....

[jtanguay]

Power steering is nice. It doesn't rob much power if your going in a straight line. Which is usually when you want power.  I like all the power goodies. I have owned too many clunkers without them. I think power heated seats are overkill though.

So the 85 to 92 have the same body just minor cosmetic differences?

i would have to say that ps robs quite a bit of power... true that there is a high pressure bypass valve that reduces the strain, but at high rpm it is still robbing a couple HP.  its just dead spinning weight...  with our cars, we need all the hp we can get!!!!  :lol:

i bought a car with heated seats... now time to swap them this summer  really helps with those cold mornings/nights

from what my polish mechanic told me, '89 is a bad year for rust... something about VW not doing such a great job with their anti rust coating...  pretty much just bad for us Canadians... you Americans probably dont need to worry about that though!

I'd say go for a '91.  '92's seem a bit looser (mine is anyways) and my old '86 was like a camion... sounded loud... drove really rough... i loved it!

[burn_your_money]

I've heard 92 was a bad year as well, but I don't really see it. Of course I've only owned one of them

[jtanguay]

I've heard 92 was a bad year as well, but I don't really see it. Of course I've only owned one of them

i have a '92... but my car was sprayed with this really thick black stuff... the rust is at a minimum for sure.  nearly 400'000km on it too.

[malone]

After having driven with power steering for 5 years, my 1997 Golf's power steering pump was removed during its 1.6TD rebuild and I liked it much better. Frees up a few HP, removes a pulley from the engine, it's one less part to potentially break (no more pump & PS fluid), and replacing my thermostat was a breeze.

Manual steering also feels better - all the power assists and heavier "creature comfort" padding between the driver & road in new cars gives a more disconnected feeling from the road. It's like a difference between piloting a large cruise ship vs. riding a jet ski (funner even at same speeds, reacts well to the "road" or 3ft waves). That's an exaggeration but you get the point.

The '97 Golf's steering with the PS removed was surprisingly not as firm as I expected at parking lot speeds. A broken PS is harder to steer than a PS setup with the pump properly removed. Of course.. all this is still my own opinion. Some still prefer power assists.

[dieselsnowmobile]

The main reason that I called that window the "stupid triangle window" is that in the A2, it is completely useless.  It does not open or anything.  Atleast with the Rabbits, they would open and bring in lots of air into the car (until they leak).  

As burn_your_money said, most of the differences between the Mk2.1 to Mk2.3 can be swapped out.  I was just mainly discribing the stock differences.  Find a Jetta you like in good condition at a good price and buy it.  Turbo models are a little more rare though.

[bvolks73]

I have a 92 gasser and it's nearly rust free. Too bad it's a gasser.  I just started driving my 89 GLI (now 8 valve automatic and a pig on gas) and I thought the power steering was great (all my others were manual steering) until the thermostat quit working. I guarantee when it starts giving me trouble it will get changed over to manual steering. I also like the mirrors on the 88 and up cars better.

[stewardc]

I had an 86 Jetta that I put 620,000km on and a 91 Jetta GL that I put 580,000km on. Both were turbodiesels.
I never got nearly the power or fuel mileage from the 91. The dealer here did everything - they used my car as a guinnea pig because they had so many complaints about fuel mileage post 1989. They changed everything that they could, but to no avail. The 86 gave 65mpg easily and the 91 stayed around 52 it's while life (Canadian gallon is larger).
They are both great cars, but the pre-89 cars got much better fuel mileage and power.