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Hey, im almost about to get my first car.

What were your first cars, and what would you recogmennd as a reliable, yet fairly cheap car to start off with.

I still have my first car.

1992 Open Kadett Cub 1600.

Very cheap to run, very cheap to buy, and best of all it has some serious performance.

me also got my first car still!

1979 1100 Golf !
Very cheap and zippy too! Petrol costs are very low for an 1100...I only use R100 a week from Ottery to Bellville!



I've had many offers for the car, But people still don't know its a 1979 1100 golf! I gave it a total makeover, Removed the totally dull Brown interior! Replced it with seats from a 1999 Golf! Put CTI golf mags on it! Sprayed it silver (exact colour name: Quiksilver!!!).
Replaced small rear lights with the big ones from the newer golfs! Had the car completely rewired...
Best of all, i've only had the car for three years, and the only problem i have with it is the Carburettor...As you don't get new ones for 1100's anymore, I have to resort to the second hand ones....

Cherry on the top....I only paid R3500 for the Raw Car!

My first car was 1989 Toyota Corolla 1600. I loved that car...was probably my favourite of all my cars...

I think the most affordable, practical car to start off with be a Mk1 Golf.... Specifically the fuel injected models from 2000 onwards....VERY good cars.

I recommend a Mk1 Golf cos they're light on petrol, cheap to service, spares are cheap and readilly available...and its a cool car...can easilly be turned into a real panty dropper...

Oh ya, forgot to metion, Rid1, your car looks really neat...

thanks alot Alpha, Here's an older side view incase!


The list of things we did is incomplete in my first post...
I forgot to add that We changed the grill and lights, and in order to do that we replaced the fenders and bonnet as well! Replaced the Brown Steering wheel with a black one!

Corsa lite!!!! its the light side of life......

Rid1 --> Do you still have the orignal 70's dashboard?

My first car was a brand-new Ford Bantam 1.3XL. I suppose it probably wouldn't be the ideal starting-out vehicle for most folks, as it costs just under R100K with aircon.

Thank goodness I have a generous dad

Cookie-Monster wrote:Hey, im almost about to get my first car.

What were your first cars, and what would you recogmennd as a reliable, yet fairly cheap car to start off with.

Same here only im starting off with Peugeot 206 GTi 2002 2nd hand costs 124K
paying off with insurance less than R2500

AlphA wrote:Rid1 --> Do you still have the orignal 70's dashboard?

No, I threw it out when we did the interior! The only tell-trace brown thing is sun-visor flaps, otherwise everything else is black! I'm considering replacing my grille with the new one, like one the VeloCITI or LIFE! I have done this to my mother's '90 golf, and hers looks like a new golf cos i even put the fenders from a citi.com (indicators on fender) and the double light grille as well as the bonnet! the only quick telltale, is the old black steering wheel! The new one has a sportier look, but is difficult to get as well!

Ok cool....why dont you get new sun-visor flaps as well?

Sounds you like almost completely re-built that car!

Do you have the original gearbox?

Engine parts are still the original! Except here I had to add my own radiator, from a 2000 golf...But the radiator doesn't fit properly, and the car doesn't provide for the water bottle (ball shape bottle) so I had to do a mcguyver thing and made up my own pipes by joining pipes!
BIG DOWNSIDE!!! I'm not gonna upgrade the engine - I'll drive it till it dies and then start Thinking about a newer MK1 again! My brother in law does customs on cars so i'll do my own thingy!

Rid1 wrote:

AlphA wrote:Rid1 --> Do you still have the orignal 70's dashboard?

No, I threw it out when we did the interior! The only tell-trace brown thing is sun-visor flaps, otherwise everything else is black! I'm considering replacing my grille with the new one, like one the VeloCITI or LIFE! I have done this to my mother's '90 golf, and hers looks like a new golf cos i even put the fenders from a citi.com (indicators on fender) and the double light grille as well as the bonnet! the only quick telltale, is the old black steering wheel! The new one has a sportier look, but is difficult to get as well!

Put a 2005 dash into a '79 model. Quite a mission I'll tell you! Had to stick in a new wiring harness to get it to work. The only tell tale bit left is the lack of the kink in metal on the back rear panel just behind the back windows. Still, i prefer it without that anyway. How did you change the rear lights? Weld on a new panel?

Nope, We cut the hole bigger with a Jigsaw...And made provision for the bigger lights!
The 2005 Dash you're talking about, is that the roundish one (similar to the polo)?
I had to have my harness replaced anyway, The auto-electrician was the last-step, just before the roadworthy test! I love my stop lights, They're very bright, and the inner red brake lights which don't normally go - on when you brake, was activated by my auto-electricain!

COOKIE MONSTER is gonna be upset he finds out that HIS thread is about MY FIRST CAR!

Yup, the dash in the current citis that look similar to the polo one.

Erm oh, first car was a 1984 White Golf two door. 1600 carb engine. Red on black interior. Had it sprayed, firewall strenghtened, cross member added. "new" citi converstion to grill, fenders, front & rear bumber. 15" mags, 9 speaker + amp ice. Then it got stolen, and was not insured. Not that I'm bitter about it or anything :crazy:

Actually, just FYI, the dash in the 2004/2005 Mk1 is taken from the VW Lupo..... Its identitcal...piece for piece...

Rid1 - are your tail lights the ones that you get with the .com, Life and now the Velociti? Those smoked-red ones? I fitted those on my ex-car (a 2000 Citi 1.4i) and I also wired the lights so that the inner brake liights also light up.... Cool stuff

Not a major undertaking to connect the lights. You just need a short piece of wire with a plug on each end. Then just link the brake light jack on the back of the light bulb holder to the spare fog light one. Wiring to enable them to be legit fog lights, now thats more of a challange...

Just for your info (and sorry to be anal about it), the dash is not taken from the lupo.

The lupo dash looks like so:

I'm still driving my first car.

Belix wrote:Not a major undertaking to connect the lights. You just need a short piece of wire with a plug on each end. Then just link the brake light jack on the back of the light bulb holder to the spare fog light one.

Hey belix, thanks for this info, It'l come very handy! As i have to fix my mother's indicators sometime cos the drivers side brake light also flickers when the right indicator flickers, I suspect a short there, But i'll put mine in her car before checking the wiring out, and while i'm at it, I'm gonna activate her brake lights as well! Any ideas on how to make the indicator and brake lights brighter? Mine is very, very bright! I wanna do the same to my mom's car as her's is dim!

@alpha --> both car's still have the first non-smoked lights! Is the one you're talking about, the same on the SONIC? Cos i like the Sonic's rear lights!

@Jane --> Your car looks familiar, you aren't in the ottery area I hope?

And talk about my water bottle and radiator!!!
On my way home yesterday, a water pipe just cracked, Shooting all the brown water onto my windscreen (fortunately, otherwise i wouldn't have known!)...but luckily i was basically almost home, so i pulled over and topped up the water with water that i keep in the car for the car! and made it home! The replacement Water pipe only cost me R10 ( at a local VW spares scrapyard!) . the pipe is the one from the engine to the internal heater radiator!



Is there a VW thread here, Or should i start one? we could help each other alot, with tips and troubleshooting?

@Rid1 - No, I live in Kraaifontein and work in Observatory. You hope?

@jane

I hope? I wonder? I ask? Aren't they all the same?

My neighbour as a car like yours and same mags, I thought it was maybe her! But I was mistaken!

Rid1 wrote: Hey belix, thanks for this info, It'l come very handy! As i have to fix my mother's indicators sometime cos the drivers side brake light also flickers when the right indicator flickers, I suspect a short there, But i'll put mine in her car before checking the wiring out, and while i'm at it, I'm gonna activate her brake lights as well! Any ideas on how to make the indicator and brake lights brighter? Mine is very, very bright! I wanna do the same to my mom's car as her's is dim!

Perhaps an earth leakage somewhere. Clean all the bulb and connector contacts carefully.

I don't know why the lights get fainter and fainter as the car gets older. More earth leakage or perhaps the alternator or voltage regulator get tired and needs to be replaced.

Rid1 wrote: Is there a VW thread here, Or should i start one? we could help each other alot, with tips and troubleshooting?

Sounds good to me!

Jane wrote:@Rid1 - No, I live in Kraaifontein and work in Observatory. You hope?

If anyone is missing their mags, please investigate Rid1's backyard

double post. Sorry

Or you could start one , If you're willing to answer most of the questions, as most of mine has Just been answered!