Hey guys & gals, first post here so I thought I'd share a little bit about me and my "new" ride. Been a car nut most of my life, owned/driven a pretty wide range of stuff Corvairs a '70 Cutlass, '78 Ford Bronco, Suby XT-6, MK4 Jetta, '92 Civic, and my current daily a B5 A4, to name a few. Started a new job at the beginning of the year at a shop specializing in VW, Audi, & Porsche. We do everything from regular maintenance to APR & TPC performance upgrades, restorations and full on race builds. The new job added about 50 miles/day to my commute, so I decided I needed something that got better mpgs than the 2.8 in my A4. My first thought was a TDI, but you can't seem to find them around here with less than 200k and they still go for decent $. I never cared much for the looks of the mk2/3s, and my boss is a big fan of the mk1s and has a pile of parts for them, so I figured that would be a good choice.
Always loved the looks of the mk1s, and when I saw this beauty on Craigslist I knew I had to have it. It's an '84 with a 1.6na and a 5 speed, 125k miles on the clock, and unmolested other than the sweet Audiovox tape deck, which doesn't work anyway. She needs a little love, but is rot free and pretty clean for a 30 year old Wisconsin car. I've got some plans for her, but first I need to fix some of the little things that the last couple of owners put band aids on.
This is my first mk1 and my first diesel, so I'll be looking for plenty of advice and recommendations. My expertise is in fabrication and upholstery, but I've got solid mechanical skills as well, so mostly I'll need help sorting thru the endless options on upgrades.
Now that I've bored you to death, here's some pics...
"Jetta Jameson" the day I brought her home
How she's sitting today on a set of 'flakes donated by my boss. (Still have the Bronco, & the wifey's B7 A4 in the background)
This is kind of the "vintage" direction I'm leaning towards, only a little less extreme. I'm thinking widened steelies with aircooled center caps and white walls.
Here are a couple of shots of the cars we build this spring at my new job. All 3 are '80s 911s used for PCA racing.
Thats it for now.
Later,
Ryan