OT Why to own a Scirocco?

[Randy Block <RandyB@E-Risk.com>]

Hello all,
Some of the recent threads got me to thinking, plus it was slow at work.

All this talk of how much it cost's to keep our Scirocco running, fixing
this and fixing that, here is my take.........

As a Mk1 owner I have come to realize that these cars were built very well
from the factory but were probably never intended to last more than 10 yrs
or so under normal conditions
The Scirocco was not a high-end car, nor was it really a sports car (Mk1's)
when it came out. It was simply a sporty fuel efficient coupe.
We as enthusiasts have always looked at the car in a different light. We
have modified, enhanced, upgraded, and taken care of our cars and they have
managed to last longer than the 10yr life expectancy (pulled this # out of
my....). The only non-enthusiast Scirocco's left for sale are generally low
mileage ones that were regularly maintained until the owner realized the
maintenance cost was worth more than the car and that's how we find them or
they end up being crushed. Some of you out there were lucky enough to pick
them up shiny and new from the dealers floor.

The problem with extending the cars life, any car, is that a lot of parts,
expensive parts, will need to be replaced. My Dad told me once when I was
about to get my first car,

 "If you want an older car (I wanted his 67 Bronco as my first car), then
you damm well better learn to fix or replace anything on it YOURSELF". 

My first car in 84 ended up being a 1981 Ford Fiesta, that I did do all my
own work on. (although nothing ever went wrong with it).
My first Rabbit (westmoreland) was an entirely different story.
Ever since, I have always done all my own work, upgrading, customizing, etc.
unless I didn't have the right tools, or knowledge at which time I either
bought the right tool, or watched and learned as someone taught me how to do
it.

By keeping these cars alive, modifying, restoring, adorning, etc... we are
going to pay WAY over the market value of the car and will lose our shirts
if we ever had to sell them. 

If you do all your own work and scavage the wrecking yards for selected
goodies it can be a little softer on the pocket book, but takes a lot of
time.

If you pay someone else to diagnose, fix and/or modify car, and buy
everything new from the local vendors/dealership etc. then your time is
freed up for other things. Problem is you end up putting thousands or tens
of thousands of dollars into a car you could maybe sell for a tenth of that.

Also IMHO, the car holds a little more value in your heart if you have done
most or all of the work, not to mention you know how it all works when you
have to trouble shoot problems later. 

I love 74-81 Scirocco's. I could have saved up and bought a 911, 550 Spyder
kit car, older Ferrari,  American muscle car, etc....but I chose the
Scirocco.
I went into it knowing that just about everything on the car would need to
be replaced at some point so that's what I have done. I do not begrudge the
car or VW when the H2O pump goes out, the fuse box starts shorting out, the
wheel bearings start making noise, etc... (I do get pissed and lose my
temper every once and awhile though) These are old cars, economy cars only
meant to last 10 or so years. When I started with my Mars81S (which was in
excellent running/working condition) I bought her with the idea of
"restoring" her. I have replaced basically every suspect part from the
windshield forward, including the 0mi. tt motor and complete suspension F/R.
It was expensive (way more than the car is worth) but I did all the work
myself which helped. I still have a lot more to replace and as time and
money permit it will be done. When ever I finish this one and start on the
Cosmos81S I will probably keep them both for a very long time.

Do I have a point?
Here it is:
Buy your Scirocco with the intent of restoring her/him. (unless you buy a
fully restored one)
Do as much of the work as you can yourself or learn how. (unless you are
rich, yeah right)
Shop around for the best deals on new/used parts. (buy quality parts from
the start)
If time or money runs out put her away in a safe place for later on.
Have a spare car (very important for your sanity).
Have a sense of humor (see above)
Most important of all:
STAY TUNED INTO THE SCIROCCO LIST!

Thanks to all that read till the end.

Randy B
Mars 81S - techtonics tuning 1847cc 8V
Cosmos 81S - future project - dreaming of 200-220hp.
87 Jetta GLI 16V - daily driver 

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