How Not to Buy a VW GTI 

Ok some feedback: Write a script and rehearse before you record your videos. You said "obviously" probably 50 times, "actually", "ok so" and "so uh", "uh", "uhm" hundreds. This makes you sound less knowledgeable (but you know your shit). Slow down a tiny bit when you talk and try to enunciate each word clearly. Get more takes and just listen to your own voice a lot. Be very self critical. The content in this video is exceptional but your delivery is very poor. Bonus: that strut assembly shifting scared the crap out of me.

So basically try to buy one from a financially secure enthusiast age 30+ with good taste.

This is a great example that shows how some people just care about how their car looks and not how safe it is or how it performs.

Has sick mods, put more into mods than car price. Mods include: >Cold Air Transmission >High Performance Blinker Fluid >Aftermarket wheels >straight pipe exhaust Doesn't run, ran when parked, engine is great just needs tlc. NO LOWBALLING I KNOW WHAT I HAVE!!! ASKING $17,500.

1. stretched tires 2. notched frame 3. cheap bolt on parts 4. poor installation of mods 5. lack of maintenance I wouldn't go near this car with a 10 foot pole.

did anyone else fucking jumped like hell at 12:29😵😵😵

Typical Mk4 H2O build...not even close to surprised.

"If it doesnt smell like crayons, black ice is normal" loool

It would be great if you could make videos showing the repairs and progress for this MK4.

I can't believe some of the things people do to cars.

looks like almost everything that is broken was from the car being lowered

I wanted to give you a 1000 thumbs up for this. I know too many who thought they were getting b'dass car, but actually getting dicked into fixing ridiculous amounts of bullshit, adding thousands just to make the car safe. I recently sold my 2000 golf, an unmodified, well maintained (and Wolfsburg made, if that has any clout) 2.slo I drove spiritually for 16 years and just < 200k mi. I drove my potential buyer to his favorite garage in the car and they told him what I disclosed already, its only main issue was shady control arm bushings. He was still cool with the $2750 asking price. That was last July. Just got an email the other day that he immediately fixed the problem and how much fun he is having ripping it around town! If you need to know, I upgraded to an R. I hope it too has a good 16 years to go. Damn, I love theses cars!! and BTW, love your store and videos.

Good info. This poor car needs a lot of TLC. I legitimately had a small jump scare when that LCA dropped 😮

that is the textbook example of a screaming metal deathtrap.

That thing is a rolling death trap. What a hacked up piece of junk.

Actually the title should be "How Not to Buy a Riced Car". The only problems are related to the modifications and to the fact that the money were tucked into mods not maintenance. The car itself (at it's origin) is a jewel

Stance wheels with racing seats lmao

that MK4 is a textbook example why there should be a yearly inspection, by the state. talk about unsafe at any speed. I trust that it will be sorted by the owner.

This is an awesome video. I do alot of work on my car and I frequent used car lot, junkyard, personal sellers for better parts and or a fixer upper. This has really opened my eyes to paying a closer look at what I see when looking for something newer. Thanks Paul. Going to share this one with my peeps.

What a hack of a car. I’ve had my 04 GTI since new, all stock, 93k miles, and drives great. Stock might be boring but it’s best for longevity.

On the note of making sure the lug nuts on a car are there, I went to look at a car. The seller told me it needed a wheel bearing cause it shakes in the highway. I asked if he thought it would be safe to make it home (across town). He then had me ride with him on the highway, this guy went 120 and the car was shaking SO BAD I thought I was going to die. So I took his word for it and bought it. The next day I took off the wheel covers and the car had TWO LUGS NUTS ON TWO TIRES. WHAT THE FUCK. I bought some and it turned out it didnt need a wheel bearing.

the crayon smell is so so true!

the best vw channel out there by far, you post the best content! keep up the great videos. your videos are always useful and have learned so much on your channel. recently picked up a 02 gti vr6 and now have a place to go to for questions and info!

You would never find such a hack car in germany. Incredible !!!

12:27 scare hella scared me.

Thanks for the upload! Very detailed and informative definitely something I wished I had watched before i purchased my project mk4 GTI 1.8t. I've spent the last year and a half dubbing around with it bringing her back to life. At least the engine and transmission are sound and have maintenance records. The Original Owner planned to big turbo it so he had the block built with forged internals with some extra goodies tucked away. Worth it to me and I've really learned a lot about the platform having the project. Unfortunately I've also become addicted to the MK4 scene and have purchased quite a few parts cars since then

Paul, the guy who bought this car works for you right? Why didn't he just take the car in for you to take a look first...

Great video. 5 stars. 👍👍 I let out a loud gasp in the library when that knuckle slipped off the strut.

Excellent​ video! Brilliant tutorial. Thanks for this. I think everyone who is buying used should see this.

My motto is: don't cheap modify your car, it gets worse. Always original.

Please do more videos like this, they are very entertaining. Would be even more entertaining if Paul broke from his 'business like character' once every while.

great video. glad you took the time to point out many things for us to look at. keep them coming i enjoy watching this channel

Have owned my mk4 vr6 gti for 17 years and love her more everyday.

I started dying when the wheel fell while he was messing with the bushing 😂😂😂😂😂

Hi Paul, thanks for your hard work and videos. Personally, I always like the way you present the videos because they sound genuine. I am not sure they would better if cue-card scripted or something like that. Thanks!

Excellent analysis young man, keep up the good work.

You should make a series about repairing this thing lol

Loved the video. Shot and edited well; very good informational delivery. You have a wonderful and professional demeanor. Your delightful restraint at holding back your personal opinions on the car was hilarious and very professional. If you completely removed "obviously" and "actually" from your on video vocabulary your videos would near professional grade. It is distracting. Otherwise you are doing a truly incredible job. Thank you for posting all the wonderful content that you do.

HA! Crayon smell. I learned to love it.

great review! I hope as many people as possible come across this video-- super important stuff to consider when buying ANY used car. Also, do you miss being on "That 70's Show"? You and Donna were such a great couple ...

Nice job. Very informative. I will be exploring your other videos.

Who ever did this stuff to the car is making me feel a lot smarter 😂

"Good car overall" 🤔 this is why you never buy other people's projects, just pathetic

Love your videos!!! Thanks for all the content and tips . ❤

Very professional presentation. No vulgarities. Music was good, not blaring. Thanks for the video.

Now I get why MOT is important. This car would never drive here.

I can only assume you fired the guy that bought this....

The best way to go about buying a gti or any other sports car for that matter is to ask your self ' "what am I using the car for, a daily or to build a race car?". That will determine how you go about buying some one's project or a bone stock car.

Great video. I've purchased replacements part from your web store. Never knew you had a youtube channel. In the future I will be purchasing a MK7 and will want a ecu flash. Your video and past purchase experience is the reason it will be done in your shop.

Ha! Black Ice. #guilty

are you going to make videos on the restoration on this car?

Hello there and ty for that good video. I just want to say that allthought i wasnt a golf fun after owning a golf 4 for 19 years and haveing 495k km on the milemeter i have realized that very few cars can go till half a million and still have some blood in there veins and that thing make me see golf 4 and generally europe cars from an other angle!!

Awesome breakdown, and that scare of the suspension shifting suddenly scared me lol.

Moral of the Story Kids, DON'T BUY PROJECT/MODDED CARS! OverSpray City Hacked up parts falls apart during demo Stretched tires

that guy should take out the drivetrain and put in a fresh golf

Keep making these videos, you're doing great

one time i got a mk3 2door golf 5speed with 12v VR6 swap really cheap. salvage. at the time needed something to drive, also turned into a project that i put low mile motor/ clutch/ axles/brakes & stuff into then sold it for a grand after i picked up mk5 GLI in better times, (that one got totalled by 200lb deer). insurance cut me a check from the GLI for almost 90% what i was payed for it (driving that almost for free), then put 6k down on a stock 08' .:R32 i found at a mazda dealer for 12k (current ride, really good).

Great video , could you make a video focusing on a stock mk5 and mechanical issues to look for and avoid when your Shoping for a one , what issues can be fixed , and which aren't worth fixing , maybe have a list of work that you would expect to do on a 100k + miles / 10 year old Gti

And im here thinking, that vw isnt even that low? I mean its low, but ive had lower cars with just having proper coil-lower setup. No need to chop anything or make things unsafe

Wow!!! Reading the feedback. Seen more mature 12 year olds. I own a 32 and it seems general interest in these are for the more younger generation able to afford a car like this, The video obv shows a young owner/owners with cheap crap mods. Great video btw if i didn't like it i'd not continue to watch it, Little advice there lol. Watching this has made me think twice in modding my R32 which is pure stock 1 owner lovely example soon to be stored over winter as it's that tidy. Keep up the good work

Really good video dude

It would be great to know how you'd go about tackling these issues sequentially.

Can you start on the mk5 gti build again? You left us all in wonderment......

Thanks for the great info! Really helpful.

great video - thanks for the time and effort - I learned a lot!

Nothing lines up on that car, really. Hood, doors, lights, grille... Anyone buying this probably shouldn't be driving...

Me: ok, not bad, all this can be fixed.... Cut frame, NOPE! Nevermind!

Just as a note, in some states if you have an airbag light on, it will not pass inspection. I had that problem with my Mk4 Jetta when the airbag controller went bad. It wouldn't pass inspection in VA unless the light went out.

I've never flinched so fast...

You keep saying there are indications that the car may have been re-sprayed.....Am I stupid or is that obviously not a stock color?

3:55 Don't forget vape scent!

You were been very kind. Whoever touched this car should be ashamed of themselves.

lol. I bought one put some parts on it and drive it daily. It had been off the road before with dent in fender and mud stuck in the rear tow hook. the mud is still there for respect. There was a feather stuck in between the sunroof motor cover and the head liner. I put another feather there to compliment it. After a new windshield, cv axil, rear breaks, and new heavy-duty shocks it rides like a new car. Sea foam and some other cheap injection tank stuff got rid of a lot of sputter. The ocb does not read lights are on the dash and it runs. It runs faster than I really need it to run but in general there is a great investment in buying a car that has been seasoned by the past owner. One that starts, stops and runs. Total investment. 4k inluding the upgrades. 156,000. 03 1.8t. gti. My other is a w8 wagon automatic. It needed both cv tranny seals, cv axil, front brakes, airflow meter. It came with new tires, smells new, looks new. Total investment...3.9k. Total I still have two badass vw's. I will keep replacing parts and driving the living crap out of them before I buy new. Cheers! great vid...I'm watching the congress fall apart right now so there are more important things to do...cheers!

I wasn't expecting that scared the crap outta me as with anything on a hoist falling as I work under them all day long and don't expect anything to drop like that

Drinking challenge!!!: Take a shot when you hear "obviously". Two shots for "actually". Prepare to get shitfaced.

Thank you for this. Very thorough 🙏

Awesome vid Paul

when I work on vws I do the whole nine, safety and preventable maintenance first then modes.

Thanks for this topic. It's scary to see what people can do to a car in all those wrong ways.

That beat at the end was sick 🔥🔥🔥

Thanks for the upload! 👍

Hmm buying any car modified by a weekend warrior is a gamble. All the MK4s are getting pretty old now so expect a number of issues to get them up to spec.

Did you mention the stretched tires?

I got a Vw variant 1.6 FSI 2003! Awesome car and super cheap on gas ❤❤❤

Wow great video. What that strut gave loose, I gasped hahaha. Glad it didn't knock you on the head.

With all the mods How is it still considered a Volkswagen then?

My lord, this vr6 is basically what you wanna start away from. I feel sorry for the person who bought it. Aside from all the stuff you pointed out, I'll bet there's all sorts of other mechanical stuff going on. This is a prime example of what car to NOT buy. It's a nightmare. Someone went out of their way to get accepted by the stance boi's and shit in on the car trying.

great video interesting and informative thanks for sharing your knowledge

This makes me feel good about my used VW

shortcut to stancenation LOL

F those seat brackets. I wouldn't even drive that car just for that reason.

The bumper strap is probably to take off the front bumper quickly for going over lips or ramps, since it's lowered.

It's such a nice car that wasn't modified properly and became a not nice car. Best way you and I could put it.

Such a shame to do to a car. That whole entire car screams " Don't Buy Me"!!!

Obviously

Subscribed!.BTW i had doubts whether should i buy jack stands like yours( 16:32 )but now when i see you got the same kind so i will buy such jack stands too.Still they seem dangerous..

The crayon and black ice joke had me rolling lmao

The stretched tyres looks hideous!

I agree with everything you've said in the video. Except, why do you insist overspray is a 'clear indication it's been in an accident'. The whole car has obviously had a door shut respray, as the insides are red, and matte purplebrown is not factory colour. The overspray seems nothing more than evidence of crap workmanship just like everything else

Owned and to this day still own my Mk4 Jetta, one of the worst decisions of my life! Dad bought it for me when I was 18 (125k miles) gave me problems on the second day! Was it fun to drive? Sure, but the damn thing gave me $2000 dollars worth of maintenance and I only put 5k miles on it! Gave it back to my dad and he doesn't want to get rid of it, he's used to his 1987 Toyota pickup (basically indestructible) and doesn't believe that cars can take the crap like my Jetta did. So now I drive a 370z Nismo and I park it in the driveway because the Jetta is taking the spot in the garage because it has no tags! Stupid car isn't being driven and it's still giving me problems! I know it sounds like i'm ungrateful but it's really infuriating to see yourself invest money into a car that just doesn't work, I really appreciate what my dad has done for me, heck I got a car given to me for free not a lot of people have that but damn if I could go back in time i definitely would have chosen a civic or something. Never again will I buy European, don't know if all European cars are like this but I don't want to find out.