Rep Power: 692

hey just a few ??'s for u guys my buddy git a old rabbit i think 85 what would be better for it a VR^ or a 1.8t and what would it cost for engine and install? thxs guys

 
Rep Power: 670

well in stock form a 1.8T (AWW) and a VR is about 180hp. simple thing is a chipped 1.8T goes up quite a bit (near 220ish). the VR is a 6 and weighs a bit more but youll love the sound. it depends what the car is being used for but the GTI was built to be light and handle very well so id go with the 1.8T for sure. as far as install you can make life easier by going standalone to bypass the imobilizer but id give SEM a call or look around at vwvortex.com for info on how involved the swap is. dont forget CE1 cars use different wiring harness' do there is alot of work becuase you need to rewire the car bumper to bumper

 
Rep Power: 762

I would go with the 1.8T but both the VR and 1.8T are not going to be cheap, if he is on a budget just drop in a 2.0L 16V motor from a passat(134hp).

 
Rep Power: 670

only thing id say about a 16v is they can be very finicky engines... i know guys that spend so many hours just to get the car to idle properly let alone make reliable power. honestly for what a rabbit weights you could go with a 2.0l 8v engine out of a mk3 car... they are pretty cheap motors as most guys swap them out for VR or 1.8t.... do some research on it but for what a 16v costs it might be better, im just thinking about the time it takes when they dont run right