Taken the plunge, am i mad?

[dingdongdo]

I was taking my time looking for a galaxy and hoping to get a good one, my citroen almost gave up so was rushed into a quick find.I ended up getting a 2000 1.9tdi 110 ghia, its done 168k and does not have history although i am assured it had a cambelt at 144k. i know this seems foolish but needs must etc!
looking under the bonnet its obvious that its had a few new parts, filters, some pipework, battery etc. i was told it had been well looked after but have no paperwork to prove this. it is generally in reasonable condition for the year and mileage but there is a few things i will need to look at soon and hopefully you guys can help!!
Firstly i need some tunes and the radio is somewhere else! lol. i have a new kenwood to install but as this model has the amplifier where is best to get a harness?
Also the gear stick feels quite sloppy, is this an easy fix?
When starting from cold its quite rattly for a few seconds, is this normal for a high milage galaxy or a pending problem?
The temp gauge does not reach normal even on a long run but heat comes into the car ok, oil temp is fine around 100 on a motorway blast.
Also the key fob battery was flat and when i replaced it and tried to match it to the car following the instructions in the book it was unsuccesful. The led now works on the fob and on the first attempt the light on the drivers door flashed in response but the fob would only unlock and not lock. I re-tried and now it does nothing! All the locking works fine when using the key!
There is a few more minor issues but i think i will leave it there for now..
many thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[Mirez]

Most of your questions have been answered in the other threads, however no, I don't think you are mad!!! The Mk1 is arguably more reliable then the mk2 and you got a late one which is good as the flaws are largely all sorted

Mileage isn't excessive, the Tdi can crack 200k without breaking a sweet if its well maintained and 300k should be easily achievable if well maintained.

NEVER take someones word on the cambelt (I would't even trust a receipt) - unclip the cover and examine the condition for yourself as it's game over if that fails!

Welcome to the forum!

[dingdongdo]

i agree on the cambelt not worth the risk but here's hoping it holds together for a couple more months as im changing jobs and money is tight. most of the issues with the car look like ones i can sort so they dont worry me. have you any knowledge on the gear linkage? im guessing its a case of up on ramps when the weather improves and a good old strip down?
the engine is rattly for a few seconds and then settles down but there has been lots of new pipes, sensors,filters etc fitted recently so does look like its been well maintained.

many thanks for the feedback and the welcome.
lee